Bulawayo, November 28, 2024- Kamran Ghulam’s scintillating maiden ODI century and a disciplined bowling performance helped Pakistan seal the ODI series against Zimbabwe with a dominant 99-run victory in the third ODI at Queens Sports Club on Thursday.
Chasing a target of 304, Zimbabwe were bowled out for 204 in 40.1 overs. Saim Ayub was key with the ball, claiming two important wickets in Zimbabwe’s top order. Captain Craig Ervine was the highest scorer for Zimbabwe with 51 runs off 63 balls, while Brian Bennett contributed a rapid 37 off 27 balls.
Earlier, Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan opted to bat first, with Pakistan fielding an unchanged lineup. Zimbabwe made two changes, bringing in Clive Madande and Faraz Akram for Trevor Gwandu and Brandon Mavuta. Faraz Akram made an early breakthrough, removing Saim Ayub in the 13th over when Pakistan were 58 runs on the board.
Abdullah Shafique added 54 runs for the second wicket with Kamran Ghulam, taking Pakistan’s score to 112 before falling to Sikandar Raza for 50 off 68 balls. Kamran then combined with Rizwan for an 89-run partnership for the third wicket, with Rizwan contributing 37 off 47 before being dismissed by Sikandar.
With Rizwan’s departure, Kamran accelerated, reaching his maiden ODI century. He scored a stellar 103 runs from 99 balls, including ten boundaries and four sixes, before being dismissed by Richard Ngarava. Salman Ali Agha (30) and Tayyab Tahir (29*) provided vital support as Pakistan finished at 303/6 in their allotted 50 overs.
For Zimbabwe, Sikandar Raza and Richard Ngarava claimed two wickets each, while Blessing Muzarabani and Faraz Akram took one each.
The series had been levelled 1-1 following Pakistan’s comprehensive ten-wicket win in the second ODI, after Zimbabwe won the first match by 80 runs via the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method.
