Tinotenda Maposa leads Zimbabwe to victory on debut in Bulwayo with Pakistan already pocketing the 3-match T20 series.
Tinotenda Maposa was the hero for Zimbabwe as they won a thriller to beat Pakistan by 2 wickets.
Bulawayo’s enthusiastic crowd let down by the Zimbabwean cricket team on Tuesday. However, they were quickly rejoicing today. Zimbabwe dominated, won, threw away, and ultimately stole a thrilling game off the penultimate delivery in a match that was nerve-wracking.
It took a tentative jitter, a scampered single, and a slap from Richard Ngarava that thudded into the stumps at the non-striker’s end to secure a two-wicket victory that will feel far more meaningful than the meagre consolation it is.
Zimbabwe exploded to 50 in five overs, seemingly making this game routine for Brian Bennett and Tadiwanashe Marumani, who were chasing 133 after Pakistan’s lacklustre batting display. Even when the hosts were sitting pretty at 73 for 1 with more than half the overs remaining, Pakistan felt they had a chance since their middle order is as brittle as Zimbabwe’s.
Once again it was Sufiyan Muqeem who was the trump card. Again, he sprinted through the middle overs. Abbas Afridi cleaned up from the other end while Muqeem applied pressure, turning 73 for 1 into 94 for 5 in a five-over period. The run rate was approaching 12 with four overs remaining.
The game appeared to be over for Zimbabwe when their talisman miscalculated tamely to long-on off Jahandad Khan. Pakistan felt that Sikandar Raza stood between them and victory.
With 21-year-old Tinotenda Maposa, making his T20 debut, on strike and needing 12 off the final over, things seemed dire. However, Zimbabwe came within two runs of victory after a squirted boundary and a vicious hoick over square leg for six. When Tashinga Musekiwa attempted a glory shot and failed, there was still time for more drama, but this time, a Bulawayo crowd filled with heartfelt singing was not to be missed.