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ZIMBABWE collapsed from 77/2 to 108 all-out as they lost the first T20I to Pakistan by 57 runs at Queens Sports Club yesterday.
The Chevrons were doing fine chasing 166 for victory and their skipper Sikandar Raza, despite a dodgy hamstring, appeared in the mood to take his side home.
Pakistan ended their innings at 165/4 but the Chevrons were bundled out for 108 in 15.3 overs.
Pakistan came storming back as the spinners and Rauf shared eight wickets among themselves to give their side an easy win.
Zimbabwe will be very disappointed at another batting collapse which seems to be happening regularly to them.
“To basically leak 40-odd runs in the last three overs and the momentum shifted. And to see us 90 for 2 and to be all-out for 108 is a tough pill to swallow for us.
“We correct these things in the nets, we know the conditions, we know what the ball does when it gets old after the powerplay.
“To upskill yourself is very crucial for us, if you are not finding a boundary, need to hit the pockets for ones and twos. It is now up to the individuals to have a hard look and to correct themselves and I have confidence that they will do it.
“We will have a debrief tomorrow and look at where we were right and where we were wrong and work on both aspects.”
Salman Agha, the Pakistan captain, said:
“The way we started with the bat and the way we finished, complete performance, very happy. It’s going to be like this even in the next game as well.
“The ball does not come nicely when the ball gets older.
“The first 12-13 overs is not easy and even the last four overs is not easy but the way the batters batted is nice to see. The way the youngsters have performed is pleasing to see and they have been outstanding.”
Tayyab Tahir, the player of the match, said:
“We were watching the openers, we could hit the new-ball. Little difficult to hit the old ball. I made a plan with my partner to play the whole over and try for 160-170. We tried to hit every ball for six, if not we wanted to run hard.” – Sports Reporter/Cricbuzz
Online Reporter