Zimbabwe weathered a spirited fightback from Pakistan's lower middle
order to secure a tight five-run Duckworth-Lewis win in controversial
circumstances in the second ODI at Harare Sports Club.
Chasing Zimbabwe's 276 for 6, Pakistan sank to 76 for 6 before Shoaib Malik and Aamer Yamin resurrected the chase with a 111-run stand for the seventh wicket. After a rain delay Malik was on 96, with 21 needed from 12 deliveries, when the heavy clouds prompted umpires Ruchira Palliyaguruge and Jeremiah Matibiri to take the players off. With the sun setting, the light only got worse, allowing a rare Zimbabwe win - much to Malik, and Pakistan's chagrin.
That they got so close at all was due mainly to Malik's brilliance and it was once again left to Pakistan's lower order to try to lift the team out of the mire when they slipped to 17 for 3 - their worst start of the tour. Malik responded with one of his finest limited-overs innings, and came within one shot of what would have been his ninth ODI hundred - and the first by a Pakistan No. 5 batsman in a run chase. He was also helped by Zimbabwe's errors in the field, having been dropped by substitute fielder Tino Mutombodzi at backward point when he was on 37. That was just one of a number of errors from the hosts in the latter half of the chase.
Chasing Zimbabwe's 276 for 6, Pakistan sank to 76 for 6 before Shoaib Malik and Aamer Yamin resurrected the chase with a 111-run stand for the seventh wicket. After a rain delay Malik was on 96, with 21 needed from 12 deliveries, when the heavy clouds prompted umpires Ruchira Palliyaguruge and Jeremiah Matibiri to take the players off. With the sun setting, the light only got worse, allowing a rare Zimbabwe win - much to Malik, and Pakistan's chagrin.
That they got so close at all was due mainly to Malik's brilliance and it was once again left to Pakistan's lower order to try to lift the team out of the mire when they slipped to 17 for 3 - their worst start of the tour. Malik responded with one of his finest limited-overs innings, and came within one shot of what would have been his ninth ODI hundred - and the first by a Pakistan No. 5 batsman in a run chase. He was also helped by Zimbabwe's errors in the field, having been dropped by substitute fielder Tino Mutombodzi at backward point when he was on 37. That was just one of a number of errors from the hosts in the latter half of the chase.
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