Zimbabwe 205 (Ngarava 48, Raza 39, Faisal Akram 3-24) beat Pakistan 60 for 6 (Rizwan 19*, Raza 2-7, Muzarabani 2-9) by 80 runs (DLS method)
Bulawayo has desperately craved rain for months, but when they arrived, the crowd that congregated at the Queens Sports Club had double reason to celebrate. Arriving just six deliveries after 20 overs had been bowled in the second innings, it guaranteed the game would have a result, and there could only be one winner.
Muzarabani tends to do well against Pakistan, and with the skies darkening with every over, these conditions were tailor-made for him. It didn’t require much magic to get rid of the out-of-form Abdullah Shafique, who squeezed the fifth ball he faced through to the keeper. Saim Ayub was done by sideways movement soon after as Zimbabwe got the early wickets normally required to ensure a small target begins to look imposing.
By now, the groundstaff were getting twitchy, and Zimbabwe’s priority was to ensure they got 20 overs in to guarantee a result. Just before that mark, though, Williams struck Pakistan with another body blow when Irfan Khan played all around a delivery and watched his bails fly. Williams, too, had flirted dangerously with the front foot line, but the umpire ruled in his favour.
It was in marked contrast to the positive authority Zimbabwe’s openers exuded in the first powerplay. Any fears of bowling dominance were quickly set aside when Marumani and Joylord Gumbie got the hosts off to a flyer in the morning, with Aamer Jamal’s wayward lines coming in for particular punishment.
A mix-up between the two and a direct hit from Shafique saw Gumbie depart, and Zimbabwe’s hold over the innings began to loosen. Salman, who looked menacing right from the outset, deceived Dion Myers in the flight as he holed out to cow corner, and Haris Rauf’s extra pace got the better of Craig Ervine.
Ngarava, surprisingly, was the senior partner in that stand, demonstrating good technique and a relaxed swing as he took Pakistan on, combining solid defence with creamy drives and powerful slogs. There was an interesting battle with Rauf, who kept trying to undo him with the short ball, but a mixture of good fortune and command of the pull shot kept Ngarava, and Zimbabwe, ticking over. Raza provided security from the other end, and just as the score approached 200, looked like taking over as the main man in that partnership.
But in what appeared a crucial moment in the game, he holed out to the deep midwicket fielder off a long hop from debutant Faisal Akram that he should have put away for six. Left-arm wristspinner Faisal followed it up by cleaning up Muzarabani two balls later before Mohammad Hasnain knocked Ngarava’s stumps back just two shy of a well-deserved half-century.
Pakistan looked to have arrested the slide, but in a banana skin of an opening fixture, the portents of their slip-up were only just beginning to be laid. Zimbabwe might not have needed rain to beat Pakistan, but for Bulawayo, and indeed for Zimbabwean cricket, it was a blessing they will gladly accept.
