ICC T20 WC: Zimbabwe pull off a miracle win over Pakistan by 1 run

Zimbabwe pulled off a miraculous one run win over Pakistan in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Group 2 clash at the Perth Stadium on Thursday night.

After opting to bat, Zimbabwe posted 130 for eight in their 20 overs and in their response Pakistan finished on 129 for eight in their 20 overs.

Earlier, Zimbabwe started off smartly as their openers Wessly Madhevere and skipper Craig Ervine put on 42 in 5 overs. Then Zimbabwe lost a couple more wickets. There was a 31 run stand for the fourth wicket between Sean Williams and Sikandar Raza. Thereafter, there was a collapse which affected Zimbabwe. They went from 95 for three to 95 for seven within two overs. Then a 31 run stand between Brad Evans and Ryan Burl which saved Zimbabwe the blushes. Zimbabwe finished on 130 for eight in their 20 overs. For Pakistan the best bowlers were Mohammad Wasim (4-24) and Shadab Khan (3-23).

In their response, Pakistan lost their openers cheaply. Skipper Babar Azam fell for four, whereas Mohammad Rizwan was dismissed for 14. Shortly thereafter, Iftikhar Ahmed was also dismissed. Shadab Khan then teamed up with Shan Masood to revive the chase for Pakistan. Shadab added 52 runs for the fourth wicket with Masood. But after Shadab fell with the score on 88, there was another collapse. When Masood fell with the score on 94 for 44, Pakistan came under pressure yet again. There was a 34 run seventh wicket stand between Mohammad Nawaz and Mohammad Wasim which put the chase back on track. In the final over Pakistan needed 11 runs off six balls. When Nawaz fell off the penultimate ball, Pakistan needed three runs off the final ball. Shaheen Afridi was run out as he went for the second run. Pakistan finished on 129 for eight in their 20 overs. For Zimbabwe the best bowlers were Sikandar Raza (3-25) and Brad Evans (2-25). 

 Match Summary
Zimbabwe: 130-8 (20)
Fall of wickets: 1-42 (Craig Ervine- 4.6 ov), 2-43 (Wessly Madhevere-5.2 ov), 3-64 (Milton Shumba-9.4 ov), 4-95 (Sean Williams-13.5 ov), 5-95 (Regis Chakabva-13.6 ov), 6-95 (Sikandar Raza-14.3 ov), 7-95 (Luke Jongwe-14.4 ov), 8-126 (Brad Evans-19.3 ov)

Pakistan: 129-8 (20)
Fall of wickets: 1-13 (Babar Azam-3.3 ov), 2-23 (Mohammad Rizwan-4.4 ov), 3-36 (Iftikhar Ahmed-7.4 ov), 4-88 (Shadab Khan-13.4 ov), 5-88 (Haider Ali-13.5 ov), 6-94 (Shan Masood, 15.1 ov), 7-128 (Mohammad Nawaz-19.5 ov), 8-129 (Shaheen Shah Afridi-19.6 ov)

Scorecard

Playing XIs
Pakistan: Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Shan Masood, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Haider Ali, Mohammad Wasim, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf

Zimbabwe: Wesley Madhevere, Craig Ervine (captain), Milton Shumba, Sean Williams, Sikandar Raza, Regis Chakabva (wicket-keeper), Ryan Burl, Luke Jongwe, Brad Evans, Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani  

Match Details
Toss: Zimbabwe, elected to bat
Venue: Perth Stadium
Start time: 1100 hrs GMT
Match officials: Chris Gaffaney, Richard Kettleborough (On-field Umpires); Marais Erasmus (TV Umpire); Richard Illingworth (Reserve Umpire); Andy Pycroft (Match-referee)

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