In the third match, Pakistan defeated Zimbabwe to win the series
In the third and decisive match of the T20 series between Pakistan and Zimbabwe, they have won the series by 24 runs. Batting first, Pakistan gave Zimbabwe a target of 166 runs to win which the Zimbabwean team could not achieve.
Fast bowler Hassan Ali played an important role in Pakistan's victory. Hassan Ali took four wickets to turn the match around. Zimbabwe scored 141 for seven in 20 overs. Zimbabwe opener Wesley Madhavere scored a half-century.
Zimbabwe started their innings well and in the thirteenth over they scored 102 runs for the loss of just one wicket. But Hassan Ali's second spell turned the tide of the match and he won the match for Pakistan by taking three wickets in two overs. Hassan Ali has taken four wickets in the match.
Wesley Madhavire and Tarisai Musakanda came to the crease to start the innings. They started well but like Pakistan's innings, they had to bear the first loss on the last ball of the fifth over when Tarisai Musakanda Hassan Ali's ball of 37. Are out
First innings
The Pakistani team, which batted poorly in the second match of the series, made sure not to repeat their past mistakes in the last match and managed to put up a total of 165 thanks to the excellent batting of Babar and Rizwan.
For Pakistan, Mohammad Rizwan batted well and scored an unbeaten 91 off 60 balls and managed to bat again after the first match.
He teamed up with captain Babar Azam for a 126-run partnership in 15 overs, which helped Pakistan build a big total.
Mohammad Rizwan and Sharjeel Khan, who returned to the team for Pakistan, started the innings and both shared a 35-run stand but Sharjeel Khan scored 18 off the last ball of the fifth over and was bowled by Luke Jongwe.
Mohammad Rizwan's second half-century in this series is his sixth half-century in the last 10 T20 matches and both times he was unbeaten. He hit five fours and three sixes in this innings. Captain Babar Azam scored his 18th half-century and was dismissed for 52 in the last over which included five fours.
He has completed 2,000 runs of his career during this innings and he is the fastest batsman to reach this milestone who has achieved this feat in just 52 innings.
In both the matches so far it has been clear that the pitch is a bit slow and it is difficult to bat fluently and this is why the first batting on this field is contrary to the traditional strategy of winning the toss and bowling first in T20 matches. It would be more appropriate to do so.
Pakistan won the first match of the series while Zimbabwe surprisingly won the second match. This was Zimbabwe's first win over Pakistan in 15 international T20 matches and they have a golden opportunity to win the series in today's match.
In the decisive match of the series, Pakistan has made three changes in its squad and reinstated former captain Sarfraz Ahmed, offensive batsman Sharjeel Khan and fast bowler Hassan Ali. Zimbabwe's key player Sean Williams has returned to the team.
In the first match of the series, Pakistan scored a meager 149 but managed to limit Zimbabwe to 138 and take a one-wicket lead.
But in the next match, Zimbabwe set up an even bigger one and managed to successfully defend the score of only 118 runs made in their innings, and the entire Pakistan team piled up at a score of 99.
This was Pakistan's first defeat in T20 matches against Zimbabwe.