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Pakistan – 235 for 7 in 50 overs (Misbah-ul-Haq 73, Wahab Riaz 54*, Umar Akmal 33; Tendai Chatara 3/35, Sean Williams 2/48, Sikandar Raza Butt 1/34, Tawanda Mupariwa 1/36)Zimbabwe – 215 all out in 49.4 overs (Brendan Taylor 50, Elton Chigumbura 35, Sean Williams 33; Mohammad Irfan 4/30, Wahab Riaz 4/45, Rahat Ali 1/37)

Pakistan won by 20 runs.

IT could have been a famous win over Pakistan, but a Zimbabwe middle order collapse gifted Pakistan their first win of the 2015 International Cricket Council Cricket World tournament, at the Brisbane Cricket Ground in Brisbane, Australia, yesterday.

Mohammad Irfan, the 2.16 meter tall Pakistan paceman, produced a match-winning and career-best performance of four wickets for 30 runs to help restrict  Zimbabwe to 215 runs after Pakistan had plodded to 235 for seven wickets in their allotted 50 overs.

All the Zimbabwe batters struggled to cope with the sheer pace and bounce that Irfan dished up in what was supposed to be a straight-forward run chase.

The opening pair of Sikandar Raza Butt and Chamunorwa Chibhabha went cheaply and in quick succession, both guiding rising deliveries to Haris Sohail at second slip.

Hamilton Masakadza (29) and Brendan Taylor had to work overtime to negotiate Irfan’s steep bounce, and the two added 52 runs for the third-wicket which somewhat stabilised the Zimbabwe innings.

Irfan came back for a second spell, and – in a moment he would want to quickly forget – Masakadza decided to take him on but only managed to sky an attempted lofted cover drive to Misbah-ul-Haq at mid-off.

In Sean Williams, Taylor found a willing partner and the two astutely went about their business to drive Zimbabwe to 128 runs for three wickets. The in-form Sean Williams scored a brisk 33 from 32 balls which was instrumental in his quick-fire 54-run partnership with Taylor.

Taylor brought up his thirty-second One-Day Intrnational half century but moments after found himself on the way back to the change-room as he was strangled down the leg side by the wicket-keeper.

At 128 for four, Zimbabwe still looked on course for victory but Williams fell soon after the drinks break, cutting a Rahat Ali delivery straight to point.

On his return to the team, Solomon Mire came in with his side in a spot of bother at 150 for five, but he soon became Irfan’s scalp as he edged the towering paceman through to the keeper for eight.

All of a sudden, Craig Ervine and Elton Chigumbura found themselves together at the crease with the added burden of being the last recognised batsman, but the situation looked ominous given Chigumbura’s evident discomfort with an injury sustained in the field earlier.

But that did not seem to deter him as he kept the hopes of his team alive with a run-a-ball 35 that kept Pakistan honest until the end.
Craig Ervine (14) and Tawanda Mupariwa (0) could not offer Chigumbura the required support as they were both dismissed by Wahab Riaz with the score on 168.

In the end, the asking rate got too much as Tinashe Panyangara could not get bat on ball.

Earlier, Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat but Zimbabwe started like a house on fire as Tendai Chatara claimed the wickets of openers Nasir Jamshed and Ahmed Shehzad to leave Pakistan reeling at four runs for two wickets.

But skipper Misbah-ul-Haq played a vital innings, steadying the ship as wickets regularly fell around him – including two in one over when Williams dismissed Umar Akmal and Shahid Afridi in the space of three balls. Afridi, celebrating his 35th birthday, went for a duck.

A late flurry from Riaz — his 54 coming from 55 balls – injected some urgency into the Pakistan innings and gave them a meaningful total to defend.

Chatara finished with figures of three wickets for 35 runs in his 10 overs as the Zimbabwe bowling attack put in a relatively improved performance, particularly during the death overs which had been a problem in times past.

The defeat has left Zimbabwe lying fifth on the Group B log, with two more matches against Ireland and India still to come.

Zimbabwe will play Ireland in their next Group B fixture, at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart, Australia, on Saturday. — ESPNC