Pakistan booked their place in the Tri-nation T20I series final with a dominant 69-run win over Zimbabwe in Rawalpindi on Sunday, powered by half-centuries from Babar Azam and Sahibzada Farhan and a sensational hat-trick from Usman Tariq.
Their second-wicket partnership of 103 lifted Pakistan to 195 for 5, before Usman’s scorching 4 for 18, including a hat-trick, bundled Zimbabwe out for 126 in 19 overs.
Babar–Sahibzada Take Charge With 103-run Stand
Sahibzada continued his fine form with a blistering 63 off 41, four fours and three sixes,following his unbeaten 80 against Sri Lanka. Babar anchored the innings with a fluent 74 off 52, reaching his 38th T20I fifty along the way.
Their stand carried Pakistan to 132 for 2, before both fell to Sikandar Raza. Fakhar Zaman then added late fireworks, hammering 27 off just 10 balls to push the total near 200.
“Tariq Was Our X-factor” — Captain Salman Agha
It was perfect, this is what we wanted… Tariq was our x-factor. When he plays, he takes wickets. That’s the sign of a player in a winning side.
Zimbabwe Lose Power-play, Never Recover
Chasing 196, Zimbabwe’s innings unraveled early as Mohammad Wasim Jr, Faheem Ashraf, and Naseem Shah reduced them to 25 for 3 inside four overs.
Raza (23) and Ryan Burl put on 34 before Nawaz removed the Zimbabwe captain.
When we found ourselves in early trouble, someone needed to pick up the responsibility… If you're not ahead of the game, teams will find you out. We can’t carry on playing spin like this.
Usman Tariq’s Hat-trick Seals the Contest
Usman became the fourth Pakistan bowler to record a T20I hat-trick, removing Munyonga, Musekiwa, and Masakadza off the first three balls of the 10th over. Zimbabwe slumped to 60 for 7, the match effectively done.
The 20-year-old fast bowler said the moment felt “blessed”: “There’s a whole process behind my action… I wasn’t expecting a big shot on the hat-trick ball, thanks to the batter. Credit to my captain.”
He finished with 4 for 18 from four overs in just his second T20I.
Burl Fights a Lone Battle
Ryan Burl’s valiant 67 off 49*, his career-best, kept Zimbabwe afloat. His 44-run stand for the 10th wicket with Ngarava even set a new Zimbabwe record for the final wicket, but it only delayed the inevitable as no other batter reached double figures.
Zimbabwe now face Sri Lanka on November 25, with both teams fighting for the second spot in the final.
Brief Scores: Pakistan 195/5 in 20 overs (Babar Azam 74, Sahibzada Farhan 63; Sikandar Raza 2-39) Zimbabwe 126 all out in 19 overs (Ryan Burl 67*, Sikandar Raza 23; Usman Tariq 4-18, Mohammad Nawaz 2-21) Result: Pakistan won by 69 runs.
