Zimbabwe stun new-look Pakistan in rain-affected 1st ODI

Zimbabwe players celebrate a wicket as Pakistan`s Irfan Khan (R) is dismished during the 1st ODI between Zimbabwe and Pakistan at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo. Pic/AFP

All-rounder Sikandar Raza inspired Zimbabwe to a stunning 80-run win on the DLS method in the rain-affected first one-day international against a new-look Pakistan white-ball team on Sunday. Raza made a crucial 39 runs and lifted Zimbabwe from a precarious 125-7 to 205 all out by sharing a 62-run eighth wicket stand with No. 9 batter Richard Ngarava, who top-scored with 48. Under overcast conditions, Raza (2-7) picked up two wickets in one over as Pakistan limped to 60-6 in 21 overs before it rained and denied further play as Zimbabwe took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Pakistan's second-string new ball bowlers " debutant Aamer Jamal and Mohammad Hasnain " couldn't make an impact on Zimbabwe's openers after the visitors had rested frontline pacers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah for the white-ball series in Zimbabwe.

Pakistan also rested its ace batter Babar Azam for the first time in an ODI since 2019 as it experimented with its bench strength ahead of next year's Champions Trophy. Tadiwanashe Marumani (29) flicked Jamal to square leg for a six and Joylord Gumbie (15) hit three fours against the seamers as they combined in a better than run-a-ball opening stand of 40 runs against a wayward Pakistan pace attack. Gumbie got run out in a mix-up with Marumani in the sixth over before Pakistan came back hard through its spinners and struck at regular intervals. One of the three Pakistan debutants " left-arm wristspinner Faisal Akram took 3-24 and vice-captain Salman Ali Agha claimed 3-42 as Zimbabwe slipped to 125-7 in the 26th over. However, Ngarava and Raza thwarted Pakistan's spinners and pacers alike in a 69-ball stand to give the total respectability. Raza perished when he tried an expansive hit against Akram and was caught on the edge of the boundary while Ngarava was the last man to get dismissed after hitting five fours and a six when he chopped Hasnain back onto his stumps.

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Fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani used the home conditions to perfection and snared the early wickets of Saim Ayub (11) and Abdullah Shafique (1), who both got caught behind inside the first three overs from the tall pacer. Kamran Ghulam (17) and skipper Mohammad Rizwan (19 not out) couldn't pace the chase before Pakistan lost four wickets in the space of 18 runs against the spinners. Ghulam tried to break the shackles but Sean Williams (2-12) got a thick edge and earned Marumani his third catch behind the wickets before Raza had two in three balls. Raza pinned Salman plumb leg before wicket of his second ball and one ball later Haseebullah Khan was out for zero in his ODI debut when he played the wrong line and was clean bowled. The three-match ODI series will be followed by three T20s with Bulawayo hosting all the matches.

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