Published: May 31, 2015, 08:01 PM (IST)
Edited: Jun 01, 2015, 12:14 AM (IST)
Pakistan finished on a score of 296 for the loss of nine wickets at the end of 50 overs during the third and final One-Day International (ODI) against Zimbabwe at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Sunday. Anwar Ali and Junaid Khan remained unbeaten on scores of 38 and five respectively, while Sikandar Raza was the pick of the bowlers, taking three wickets for 59 runs. Live updates: 3rd ODI between Pakistan and Zimbabwe
Pakistan earlier won the toss and elected to bat, bringing in debutant Babar Azam and Junaid Khan in place of Haris Sohail and Mohammad Sami. Zimbabwe too opted to bring in Christopher Mpofu and debutant Roy Kaia in place of Brian Vitori and Tawanda Mupariwa. Live scorecard: 3rd ODI between Pakistan and Zimbabwe
Mohammad Hafeez and skipper Azhar Ali began to attack the opposition bowlers right from the start of the innings, collecting 28 runs in the first five overs. The pair kept the boundaries coming in at regular intervals, with Hafeez completing his 25th ODI half-century around the time the 100-run partnership was completed between the duo in the 19th over. At 115 for no loss, Pakistan seemed to be headed towards a major score, much like the first ODI. Free Live Streaming: Pakistan vs Zimbabwe, 3rd ODI at Lahore
It was then that Azhar Ali was caught short of his crease after Hafeez attempted to take a risky single, resulting in the Pakistan captain falling four runs short of a half-century. Ali had starred in the previous two games, scoring 79 and 102 in the first and second ODIs respectively. Hafeez continued to attack for a while, hitting a couple of boundaries, before getting trapped leg-before off the bowling of Raza. Live Cricket Score: Pakistan vs Zimbabwe, 3rd ODI at Lahore
Pakistan slowed down for quite some time after that, as Zimbabwe seemed to have brought themselves into the game during the middle overs. A couple of quick wickets after the completion of 150 runs in the 29th over put further pressure on the Pakistanis. Asad Shafiq was caught by Sean Williams off the bowling of Raza for a 25-ball 16, while Shoaib Malik was run-out after attempting to take a double, with the scoreboard reading 159 for four after 32 overs.
Wicketkeeper batsman Sarfraz Ahmed steadied the innings for a bit with debutant Azam after the sudden loss of wickets. The pair moved to the 20s, while adding 38 runs for the fifth wicket, before the Sarfraz was dismissed in a manner that was nearly identical to that of Shafiq, getting caught by Williams at midwicket off the bowling of Raza.
The last 10 overs of the innings saw Babar bringing up his maiden half-century, along with some hard-hitting by the likes of Anwar Ali and Wahab Riaz, that propelled Pakistan to 296, when a score of 250 was an expected one for the most part.
Brief scores:
Pakistan 296 for 9 after 50 overs (Mohammad Hafeez 80, Azhar Ali 46, Babar Azam 54, Anwar Ali 38*; Sikandar Raza 3 for 59) vs Zimbabwe
Man of the Series: Azhar Ali.
