With the series at stake, Pakistan hit back strongly by posting a total well beyond Zimbabwe's reach, thereby giving the final match greater context. Mohammad Hafeez led the way with an attacking, unbeaten 136 to lift Pakistan to 299, and although Zimbabwe had their moments in the chase, they failed to stretch Pakistan over a sustained period. A clump of wickets towards the end widened the gap between the two sides, as the margin of victory suggested.
Both sides, while batting, were removed from their comfort zones. Pakistan didn't have the safety net of a steady Misbah-ul-Haq innings for the other batsmen to bat around. A rare failure from Misbah gave Hafeez the chance to step up and guide the innings. Zimbabwe, for a change didn't have the luxury of a solid opening stand in the face of a daunting total, and the middle order couldn't cover the slack. Pakistan, though, responded better to the challenge.
Put in to bat, Pakistan had a better idea of the kind the score needed to intimidate a confident Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe were guilty of dropping catches in the first ODI but those let-offs, fortunately, didn't cost them in the end. While they were relatively better today, one lapse cost them plenty of runs. When on 30, Hafeez went for the slog sweep but as the ball dipped towards deep square leg, Brian Vitori was a touch too late on the dive. He couldn't hang on and Zimbabwe were made to rue the missed chance.
Hafeez's driving, flicking and defense against the seamers was solid and he used his feet against Prosper Utseya, lofting two sixes over long-on. He launched Elton Chigumbura over the same region as he progressed to his fifty off 65 balls. Following Misbah's departure - he limped to 3 off 23 balls - Pakistan had lost all their experienced batsmen, but Umar Amin stepped up to give Hafeez the support he needed. Amin looked busy at the crease, looking to push the singles and attempting the odd slog, looking on nervously at his senior partner who urged him to play straighter.
Amin opened up at the start of the batting Powerplay, taken in the 36th over, clipping Utseya wide of midwicket and then launching him over cover the next ball. He found the gaps with ease through the off side and reached his maiden fifty in ODIs off just 61 balls. Pakistan smashed 43 in the Powerplay without losing a wicket, setting the platform for their late-innings acceleration.
Amin was eventually run-out from a direct hit by Tendai Chatara, but not before adding a valuable 129 with Hafeez. Hafeez made sure his side didn't lose the initiative, like they did on Tuesday with a collapse, batting positively and finding the gaps. He had all but bettered his highest ODI score (139*), made on the same ground two years ago. A blazing cameo from Shahid Afridi took Pakistan to the doorstep of 300.
Hamilton Masakadza and Vusi Sibanda had, until this game, produced opening stands of 53, 50 and 107 so it was a relief for Pakistan that the openers disbanded early as the third over. Masakadza found early momentum with some powerful boundaries off Mohammad Irfan before he was beaten for pace by Junaid Khan, losing his off stump. Much depended on Brendan Taylor to lead the way. He and Sean Williams weren't afraid to take on the spinners, reverse sweeping them regularly. They targeted Pakistan's main bowler, Saeed Ajmal, in his first over, playing the conventional and reverse sweeps to give the chase some momentum.
Taylor kept Zimbabwe's hopes alive with a positive fifty - his first in 13 innings - and it got to the stage where Pakistan were in need of a breakthrough. Ajmal provided that when he beat an advancing Williams, getting him stumped. Taylor had added 70 with Williams and 65 with Malcolm Waller, but all along they failed to keep with the rising asking rate.
The slide started towards the end of the batting Powerplay - taken after 35 overs - when Taylor top-edged a sweep off Ajmal, only to be caught one-handed by the 7ft 1" Irfan. Any other fielder, it would have been a boundary. Pakistan lost three wickets for one run, as Junaid ran through the lower order. Zimbabwe were rolled over with more than seven overs to spare. The lack of a match-turning partnership hurt them in the end.
25 overs Zimbabwe 121 for 3 (Taylor 56*, Williams 30*) need a further 179 runs to beat Pakistan 299 for 4 (Hafeez 136*, Amin 59)
Zimbabwe didn't get the solid start they would have hoped for to set the platform for their tall chase of 300, losing three wickets by the halfway mark. However, Brendan Taylor kept their hopes alive with a positive fifty - his first in 13 innings - and a fifty-plus stand with Sean Williams kept them in the hunt. The challenge was keeping with the increasing asking rate, which had crossed seven.
Vusi Sibanda fell top edging a pull off Mohammad Irfan that landed safely in Sarfraz Ahmed's gloves. Hamilton Masakadza and Sibanda had, until this game, produced opening stands of 53, 50 and 107 so it was a relief for Pakistan that the openers disbanded early as the third over. Masakadza found early momentum with some powerful boundaries off Irfan. He looked uncomfortable with the rising delivery, but when Irfan adjusted to fuller lengths, Masakadza made room and smashed it past cover for consecutive boundaries.
A promising knock turned out to be just a cameo as Masakadza lost his off stump to Junaid Khan, beaten for pace and lower bounce. Timycen Maruma's indifferent form in the series extended with a run out, sent back after setting off for a risky single to cover.
Much depended on Taylor to lead the way. He wasn't afraid of reverse sweeping the spinners, finding the boundary on two occasions and also using his feet to them, chipping over the off side. Williams and Taylor targeted Pakistan's main bowler, Saeed Ajmal, in his first over, playing the conventional and reverse sweeps to give the chase some momentum.
50 overs Pakistan 299 for 4 (Hafeez 136*, Amin 59) v Zimbabwe
Having gotten used to seeing Misbah-ul-Haq steer Pakistan in recent matches with slow, yet steady fifties, the question was whether Pakistan could manage just as well without him. Misbah failed, but another of their seniors, Mohammad Hafeez, ensured Pakistan didn't suffer a meltdown. With an idea of the kind of score Pakistan would need to stretch a Zimbabwe batting line-up high on confidence after Tuesday, Hafeez chose to be aggressive from the outset. He also ensured he batted right through, giving Pakistan the safety net needed as they raced towards 300.
Zimbabwe were guilty of dropping catches in the first ODI but those let-offs, fortunately, didn't cost them in the end. While they were relatively better today, one lapse cost them plenty of runs. When on 30, Hafeez went for the slog sweep but as the ball dipped towards deep square leg, Brian Vitori was a touch too late on the dive. He couldn't hang on and Zimbabwe were made to rue the missed chance.
Hafeez's driving, flicking and defense against the seamers was solid and he used his feet against Prosper Utseya, lofting two sixes over long-on. He launched Elton Chigumbura over the same region as he progressed to his fifty off 65 balls.
Following Misbah's departure, Pakistan had lost all their experienced batsmen, but Umar Amin stepped up to give Hafeez the support he needed. Amin looked busy at the crease, looking to push the singles and attempting the odd slog, though he wasn't always successful in connecting. Zimbabwe had a chance to send Amin back on 11, when he was sent back attempting a single, but the throw missed the stumps at the bowler's end.
Amin opened up at the start of the batting Powerplay, taken in the 36th over, clipping Utseya wide of midwicket and then launching him over cover the next ball. Three overs later, he lofted Tendai Chatara over the sightscreen and followed it up with a slash past point. He found the gaps with ease through the off side and reached his maiden fifty in ODIs off just 61 balls. Pakistan smashed 43 in the Powerplay without losing a wicket, setting the platform for their late-innings acceleration.
Amin was eventually run-out from a direct hit by Chatara, but not before adding a valuable 129 with Hafeez. Hafeez made sure his side didn't lose the initiative, like they did on Tuesday with a collapse, batting positively and finding the gaps. He had all but bettered his highest ODI score (139*), made on the same ground two years ago. A blazing cameo from Shahid Afridi took Pakistan to the doorstep of 300.
It was a good recovery from the morning when Pakistan had lost three wickets within the first 25 overs and scored at a rate not greater than four an over. Nasir Jamshed was under pressure to keep his place, having looked rather edgy on Tuesday. He moved to a promising 32, before he was trapped in front by one from Utseya that straightened. Ahmed Shehzad failed to replicate his form from the T20s, falling for 5. He pushed at a ball moving away from him and spooned a catch to backward point, giving Vitori his first wicket.
Misbah was watchful, as is his signature style, but ended up putting too much pressure on himself by staying scoreless for 13 balls. The need to show some urgency prompted him to shuffle across his stumps to whip Vitori into the gaps on the on side, but he couldn't get it past short midwicket, where Sean Williams took a sharp catch. The relief was only temporary for Zimbabwe, as Hafeez took the advantage away.
Zimbabwe are a win away from registering a rare series win against a major side. Their batsmen may find the conditions easier in the afternoon, but 300 will require them to go a few steps higher than they did on Tuesday.
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