Pak: 299 for 4 (Hafeez 136*, Amin 59) beat Zim:
209 (Taylor 79, Waller 40, Junaid 4-15) by 90 runs
With the series at stake, Pakistan hit back strongly by
posting a total well beyond Zimbabwe's reach, thereby giving the final match
greater context. Mohammad Hafeez led the way with an attacking, unbeaten 136 to
lift Pakistan to 299, and although Zimbabwe had their moments in the chase,
they failed to stretch Pakistan over a sustained period. A clump of wickets
towards the end widened the gap between the two sides, as the margin of victory
suggested.
Both sides, while batting, were removed from their comfort
zones. Pakistan didn't have the safety net of a steady Misbah-ul-Haq innings
for the other batsmen to bat around. A rare failure from Misbah gave Hafeez the
chance to step up and guide the innings. Zimbabwe, for a change didn't have the
luxury of a solid opening stand in the face of a daunting total, and the middle
order couldn't cover the slack. Pakistan, though, responded better to the
challenge.
Put in to bat, Pakistan had a better idea of the kind the
score needed to intimidate a confident Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe were guilty of
dropping catches in the first one day international
but those let-offs, fortunately, didn't cost
them in the end. While they were relatively better today, one lapse cost them
plenty of runs. When on 30, Hafeez went for the slog sweep but as the ball
dipped towards deep square leg, Brian Vitori was a touch too late on the dive.
He couldn't hang on and Zimbabwe were made to rue the missed chance.
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