Pakistan gather after taking a wicket during the first T20 cricket match between Zimbabwe and Pakistan at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe on Sunday (December 1, 2024).
| Photo Credit: AP

Pakistan’s spinners propelled their team to an emphatic 57-run win over Zimbabwe in the first Twenty20 cricket international on Sunday (December 1, 2024).

Left-arm wrist spinner Sufiyan Muqeem claimed 3 wickets for 20 runs and leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed picked up 3-28 as Zimbabwe was bowled out for 108 in 15.3 overs. The hosts lost their last eight wickets for 31 runs.

Pakistan, which won the toss and elected to bat, had posted 165-4 on the back of Tayyab Tahir’s unbeaten 39 off 26 balls and Irfan Khan’s 27 not out off 15 as both batters combined in a 65-run stand to lift the total in the death overs.

Zimbabwe couldn’t cash in on a counterattack from captain Sikandar Raza (39 in 28) and Tadiwanashe Marumani (33 in 20) in the powerplay after Ahmed had clean bowled Brian Bennett and Dion Myers in his second over.

Marumani smacked left-arm fast bowler Jahandad Khan for three successive boundaries in a 21-run over and Raza smashed three consecutive fours against Ahmed as Zimbabwe came back strongly by racing to 53-2 in five overs.

Zimbabwe looked strong at 77-2 in the ninth over before Marumani got run out while going for a second on an overthrow and the home team’s batting collapsed afterward.

Fast bowler Haris Rauf surpassed Shadab Khan’s Pakistan record of 107 wickets in T20s when Ryan Burl spooned an easy catch to mid-off as the middle-order struggled to negotiate the spin of Muqeem in the middle overs. Rauf then sent Blessing Muzarabani’s leg stump cartwheeling to finish with 2-17.

Raza was smartly held by Saim Ayub at point in Jahandad’s comeback over as Muqeem capped a perfect spell by having two wickets off the last two balls of his four overs.

Earlier, Zimbabwe’s trio of spinners — Raza (1-14), Wellington Masakadza (1-23) and Burl (1-27) — restrained Pakistan in the middle overs before Irfan and Tayyab accelerated in the death overs. Left-arm spinner Richard Ngarava (1-41) and Muzarabani (0-41) gave away 44 runs in the last three overs. The two batters smashed seven boundaries and a six between them.

Zimbabwe was untidy in the field with Raza dropping a regulation catch at first slip in Ngarava’s second over which could have dismissed Usman Khan for 0 with the batter going on to score 39 off 30 before edging Burl behind in the 13th over.

Pakistan won the preceding ODI series 2-1 but went into the T20 series without its frontline white-ball players including captain Mohammad Rizwan.

The second match will be played on Tuesday (December 3, 2024) before Pakistan ends its tour with the 3rd T20 on Thursday (December 3, 2024). Both games are in Bulawayo.