The Green Shirts suffered yet another narrow setback after falling to India on Sunday in the tournament’s opening over.
Pakistan was given a target of just 131 and was in command at 88-3 in the 14th over when all hell broke free, leaving them at 129-8 after their 20 overs.
Pakistan was in the driver’s seat at several moments during their innings, notably the penultimate over when they just required four runs off as many balls after scoring seven runs off the first two balls.
After a single, a dot ball forced Mohammad Nawaz to take a risk that did not pay off, and his hasty, poorly timed effort was blocked. Shaheen Afridi was on strikes, thus a win required three and a tie required two.
Afridi’s stroke off the last ball, which was aimed at the long-on fielder, was only good for a single. Despite a number of errors made by the Zimbabwe keeper on the batting end, the reckless dash for a double that was never there was made.
Wild celebrations followed the run-out as the enduring underdogs of international cricket pulled off a remarkable, almost unbelievable victory.
Wesley Madhevere and captain Craig Ervine utilised the pace of Pakistan’s seamers to good effect during Zimbabwe’s initial decision to bat first, scoring a string of boundaries in a 42-run stand.
But wrist spinner Shadab’s 3-23 and fast bowler Wasim’s 4-23 restricted Zimbabwe, whose Super 12 opener in Hobart was a fiasco, to a subpar total.
Ervine hit two beautiful fours off Naseem Shah, but he misjudged a draw off Haris Rauf and was caught for 19 from 19 balls.
Wasim proved why he was chosen to replace batsman Asif Ali by sending back Madhevere who had been caught lbw for 17, a call that the umpires initially disagreed with but which Pakistan successfully appealed.
Iftikhar Ahmed dropped a catch off of pace leader Shaheen Shah Afridi at midwicket, saving Sean Williams from being out at nine.
Before being bowled by Shadab for 31 runs, left-handed Williams attempted to take the game to Pakistan and hit a couple of boundaries.
Regis Chakabva was removed from the game the following ball by Shadab, with captain Babar Azam taking a one-handed miracle at slip.
After Sikandar Raza was dismissed for nine runs by Wasim, who then conceded two wide balls and a single to Brad Evans, Zimbabwe’s situation worsened.
Williams, Chakabva, Raza, and Luke Jongwe were the four Zimbabwean wickets that were lost on 95 before Evans helped his team surpass the 120-run threshold.
