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Babar's fifty, Tariq's hat-trick help Pakistan overpower Zimbabwe to storm into tri-series final

Akshita Patel

Pakistan beat Zimbabwe in Tri-Series [Source: @InshalSiddiquii, @ImThimira07/X.com]Pakistan beat Zimbabwe in Tri-Series [Source: @InshalSiddiquii, @ImThimira07/X.com]

On Sunday, Rawalpindi witnessed an exciting night of cricket. Pakistan put on a good all-round performance to outmatch Zimbabwe by 69 runs in the fourth encounter of the Pakistan T20I Tri-Series. 

The crowd was treated to a batting masterclass by Babar Azam and Sahibzada Farhan, followed by a deadly bowling spell by Usman Tariq that left Zimbabwe struggling throughout their chase. 

Farhan, Babar Azam guide Pakistan to above-par total

Zimbabwe lost the toss and had to bowl first, but their bowlers couldn’t make early inroads. 

Pakistan started brightly but lost Saim Ayub early for 13, who was caught after a quick cameo. That brought together Sahibzada Farhan and Babar Azam, and the pair steadily took control of the innings. 

Farhan was very confident, sailing boundaries and rotating the strike with ease, while Babar was very calm and collected at the other end.

Their partnership of 103 runs completely shifted the momentum in Pakistan’s favour. Farhan reached his half-century and eventually fell for a well-made 63. 

Soon after, Faheem Ashraf and Mohammad Nawaz departed cheaply, but Pakistan’s momentum did not slow down. 

Babar Azam continued to anchor the innings and reached a fine 74 off 52 balls. He was eventually dismissed in the 18th over, but the final push came from Fakhar Zaman, who played a fiery knock of 27 runs from just 10 balls. 

His late blitz helped Pakistan finish on a strong total of 195/5 in their 20 overs. 

Usman Tariq’s hat-trick paralyses Zimbabwe in tough chase

Zimbabwe’s chase got off to a poor start as they lost wickets early. Brian Bennett and Tadiwanashe Marumani were dismissed cheaply, and the pressure kept building. 

Brendan Taylor departed soon after, leaving Zimbabwe’s top order in trouble. Sikandar Raza fought hard and tried to build a partnership, but he was dismissed for 23.

The only real resistance came from Ryan Burl, who played a brilliant knock of 67 not out. He fought alone as wickets kept falling at the other end. 

Usman Tariq, Pakistan’s new mystery spinner, shook Zimbabwe with a brilliant hat-trick, dismissing Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa and Wellington Masakadza in the same over. 

He finished his spell with four wickets while conceding just 18 runs. Mohammad Nawaz also picked up two key wickets. 

Zimbabwe kept losing wickets in clusters and were eventually bowled out for 126 in 19 overs, falling well short of the target.

With this convincing 69-run win, Pakistan have qualified for the final of the Tri-Series 2025.