By Takudziridzwa Nyama
Sikandar Raza was chosen as the Player of the Match for scoring 39 off 56 and then claiming figures of two for seven in three overs as Zimbabwe upstaged Asian giants Pakistan in a rain affected match at Queen Sports Club over the weekend.
Sikandar Raza’s impressive all-round performance (39 runs, 2/7) earned him the Player of the Match award as Zimbabwe posted an 80-run win over Pakistan on the Duckworth Lewis Method to take a 1-0 in the three match series. .
Under cloudy conditions, Raza (2-7) had Pakistan pinned back on 60/6 in 21 overs before rain denied further play as Zimbabwe took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series as they had a better net run rate compared to their opponents. In comparison, Zimbabwe were 105/5 at the same stage.
Zimbabwe started strongly as openers Joylord Gumbie and Tadiwanashe Marumani added 40 runs for the first wicket before Gumbie was run out by Abdullah Shaniqua.
The two teams meet again in Bulawayo at Queen Sports Club on tomorrow and Thursday as Zimbabwe look complete a rare series win against Pakistan