Pakistan survive scare to edge Zimbabwe by 5 wickets in T20I Tri-Series opener

Rawalpindi: Pakistan secured a hard-fought five-wicket victory over Zimbabwe in the opening match of the T20I Tri-Series at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, but not before they faced scares in both innings.

Pakistan, chasing a modest 148, were put under pressure on multiple occasions but key contributions from Fakhar Zaman (44), Usman Khan (37*) and Mohammad Nawaz (21) made sure that the hosts got over the line with four balls remaining.

Pakistan captain Salman Agha won the toss and elected to bowl first and found his side under the pump right from the get-go.

Zimbabwe openers Brian Bennett (49) and Tadiwanashe Marumani (30) put on a quick partnership, dominating the early overs and helping Ireland reach 70 before eight overs.

However, once the spinners were introduced, the innings fell apart dramatically. Mohammad Nawaz (2/22) led the charge, triggering a collapse that saw Zimbabwe lose wickets cheaply in the middle. Skipper Sikandar Raza's unbeaten 34 helped them post a competitive, but reachable, total of 147/8.

The chase of 148 proved far from straightforward for Pakistan. Although openers Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub added a careful 27, a sudden, dramatic collapse saw the home side lose three crucial wickets in quick succession, including Babar Azam (0) and captain Salman Ali Agha (1), slumping to 54/4 in the 10th over.

While it looked like Zimbabwe had a genuine chance of an upset, Fakhar Zaman and Usman Khan helped Pakistan, as the pair shared a crucial partnership of 61 runs in 39 balls.

While Zimbabwe managed to dismiss Fakhar, Usman forged another crucial partnership with Nawaz and guided the hosts to the target, remaining unbeaten, and ensured Pakistan sealed a five-wicket victory.

The next match of the Tri-Series will see Zimbabwe face off against Sri Lanka at the same venue on November 20.