Pakistan beat Zimbabwe by 69 runs in Rawalpindi in the ongoing tri-series, despite an unbeaten 67 from Ryan Burl. The result pushed Zimbabwe’s net run rate down and kept Sri Lanka in the race for the final. Pakistan have secured a place in the final after winning their first three matches.
Pakistan posted 195, led by Babar Azam’s 74 and Sahibzada Farhan’s 63. A hat-trick from Usman Tariq in the second innings pushed Zimbabwe out of the contest. Zimbabwe were bowled out for 126. Their top-order structure meant they needed a strong start while chasing 196, but early risks led to quick wickets. Tadiwanashe Marumani chipped a simple catch to cover point off Naseem Shah, and Brian Bennett and Brendan Taylor were dismissed soon after.Burl and Sikandar Raza added 34 runs, offering brief resistance. Once Tariq delivered his hat-trick, Burl was left batting alone from one end.
Babar Azam equals Virat Kohli’s record
Former Pakistan captain Babar Azam scored his 38th T20I half-century in this match, joining Virat Kohli on the list for most fifties in the format. Babar reached the mark in 127 innings, while Kohli did it in 117 innings. Virat Kohli retired from the T20 internationals after winning T20 world cup last year. Most fifties in T20Is38 – Virat Kohli (117 innings)38 – Babar Azam (127 innings)*32 – Rohit Sharma (151 innings)30 – Mohammad Rizwan (93 innings)28 – David Warner (110 innings)28 – Jos Buttler (132 innings)
