ZIMBABWE’s promising start to the T20I opener against Pakistan at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo on Sunday ended in disaster, as the hosts surrendered to a 57-run defeat.
After restricting Pakistan to a modest 165/4, Zimbabwe’s batsmen had it all to do. But from a comfortable 87/3 at the halfway mark, the Chevrons’ innings imploded, with the team crumbling to 108 all out in just 15.3 overs.
Pakistan’s Tayyab Tahir (39*), Usman Khan (39), Irfan Khan (27), and Saim Ayub (24) had earlier set the tone with some solid batting. But Zimbabwe’s response was initially encouraging, with Tadiwanashe Marumani (33) and captain Sikandar Raza (39) steadying the ship after the early loss of openers Brian Bennett (6) and Dion Myers (6).
The turning point came when Marumani was run out in the ninth over, triggering a catastrophic collapse. Ryan Burl (3), Clive Madande (5), and Raza himself fell in quick succession, as Zimbabwe’s batting woes were exposed once again. The usually reliable Wellington Masakadza (5) and Richard Ngarava (golden duck) were also dismissed in successive deliveries, leaving the hosts reeling at 102/8 after 14 overs.
The writing was on the wall, and Pakistan duly wrapped up the innings in just nine balls, with Blessing Muzarabani (golden duck) and Trevor Gwandu (duck) the final victims.
A disappointed Zimbabwe assistant and batting coach Dion Ebrahim lamented his team’s failure to capitalize on their promising start. “We’re hurting because we truly believed we were capable of winning, especially at the halfway mark,” he said. “We discussed and chatted at length about our game plan, strategy, and style of play, but we just couldn’t execute it.”
Ebrahim singled out Marumani for praise, but acknowledged that the team’s batting unit was still a work in progress. “Marumani is batting extremely well, but we keep losing wickets due to poor decision-making or bad luck. We saw that again today. In T20Is, momentum is critical, and we just couldn’t regain it after losing our way.”
Pakistan’s bowlers, led by Sufiyan Muqeem (3/20), Abrar Ahmed (3/28), and Haris Rauf (2/28), were clinical in their execution, and Zimbabwe’s batsmen were left to pick up the pieces.
With just a day to regroup, Zimbabwe must find a way to overcome their batting frailties and come up with a winning strategy if they are to salvage the series in tomorrow’s second match.