BULAWAYO: Debutant Faisal Akram and Salman Ali Agha shared six wickets between them to rattle Zimbabwe for a modest total in the first ODI of the three-match series here at Queens Sports Club on Sunday.
Put into bat first, the home side only managed 205 before getting bundled out in the 41st over.
The hosts got off to a flying start to their innings as openers Joylord Gumbie and Tadiwanashe Marumani notched up 40 runs inside six overs.
The strong opening partnership, however, had an agonizing end as Gumbie was run out after a mix-up in the sixth over. He scored 15 off 17 deliveries, hitting three boundaries.
Marumani was then involved in brief partnerships with Dion Myers, Craig Ervine and Sean Williams before finally perishing in the 16th over with the scoreboard reading 83/4. He scored 29 off 41 balls with the help of two fours and a six.
His dismissal sparked a middle-order collapse, which had reduced Zimbabwe to 125/7 in 25.4 overs.
But, a fighting eighth-wicket partnership between Sikandar Raza and Richard Ngarava uplifted the hosts.
The duo frustrated Pakistan bowlers with a defiant 62-run partnership, which was eventually broken by debutant Faisal Akram, who sent Raza packing in the 38th over.
The all-rounder remained a notable contributor with a 56-ball 39, featuring six fours.
Faisal struck again in the 38th over as he dismissed Blessing Muzarabani for a three-ball duck, reducing Zimbabwe to 187/9.
Meanwhile, Ngarva put on a notable fight and pushed Zimbabwe’s total past the 200-run mark, courtesy of a resilient 10th-wicket partnership with Trevor Gwandu, who remained unbeaten on three.
Ngarva remained the top-scorer for Zimbabwe with a gutsy 48 off 52 deliveries, studded with six boundaries including a six.
Faisal and Agha jointly-led Pakistan’s bowling charge by picking up three wickets each, while Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain and Aamir Jamal made one scalp apiece.
