Zimbabwe and Pakistan will meet once again in the fourth ODI of the five-match series at Bulawayo on Friday.
The visitors have already sewn up the series and lead it 3-0 after three crushing wins in three matches so far. They will be eyeing a whitewash over the depleted hosts who have been struggling to cope in what has become a very one-sided affair. Pakistan skipper Sarfraz Ahmed won the toss at the Queen’s Sports Club and has elected to bat first. The men in green have opted to include pacer Junaid Khan and leg-spinner Yasir Shah in the playing XI.
Pakistan openers Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq have started solidly with the duo adding a record 275 runs without any troubles in 39 overs. Fakhar has continued his rich vein of form by slamming his third ODI ton in just 92 balls while Imam is had got to the three-figure mark as well. The pair put on 304 runs for the opening wicket before Imam was dismissed for a well-made 113. Fakhar has gone on to surpass Saeed Anwar’s score of 194 as he notched up a maiden double hundred off just 148 balls. The left-hander remained unbeaten on 210 while Asif Ali played an entertaining 22-ball 50 cameo as Pakistan posted 399-1 in their 50 overs.
In reply, Zimbabwe have got off to a bad start with pacer Usman Khan dismissing Tinashe Kamunhukamwe in the fourth over of the innings itself. The Pakistan pacer was among the wickets once again when he had Tarisai Musakanda caught by Faheem Ashraf to reduce Zimbabwe to 36-2. The hosts lost two further wickets before the 15th over with Faheem getting into the action. The Pakistan all-rounder earned his second scalp of the day as he broke a frustrating 59-run partnership for the sixth wicket. Shadab Khan picked up four wickets to clean out Zimbabwe’s tail as Pakistan recorded a staggering 244-run win.
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