How much do you know about the 'Bean' controversy? 👀 Check out some of the best reacts here! 👆
Phew! Haven't we had a thrilling close to this triple-header Thursday! Two one-sided contests but this one has given us enough reason to calm ourselves down and catch our breaths ahead of tomorrow. The action moves back to Melbourne as Afghanistan take on a high-flying Irish side before the big one later in the evening - it's Australia v. England and that could be a defining contest for both teams in this T20 World Cup. Do join us for our coverage of both these games while staying tuned to Sportskeeda for all the other cricketing news and action from around the globe. Thank you so much for tuning in today - this is the duo of Pradeep Somashekar and Sooryanarayanan Sesha taking your leave for the moment. Good night and see you around soon!
It was special alright. The spirit and character shown by the Chevrons was a story for the ages. This is a win written into cricketing folklore, as is the story of the Zimbabweans in this tournament. And they're not done yet. They will keep going strong alright. Next up is Bangladesh at The Gabba on Sunday and that promises to be a cracker in its own right. As for Pakistan, their semifinal hopes hang by the proverbial thread and they need a miracle now to vault themselves out of this mess. They remain in Perth as the Netherlands come calling on Sunday.
Craig Ervine (Captain, Zimbabwe): So special. Especially for the work that we did to get to the Super 12s. We didn't want our tournament to end there, we wanted to come here and play some big teams. I thought after our batting performance, we thought we were 20-25 short. Our seamers hit their straps early on. There was just a bit more in the wicket early on that when we were batting. Raza again was superb. (On giving him a gift) I think he's got three Man of the Match awards now so I'm going to be broke by the time we get home (laughs). Also want to say thanks to the Zim supporters. You guys lift our spirits every time we go out there so special thanks.
Babar Azam (Captain, Pakistan): We were happy with 130, disappointing performance with the bat, not upto the mark. It was on our shoulders as openers but Masood built partnership to pull us back but couldn't clear the line. We're not using the new ball that well, we finished really well but we let Zimbabwe get away to score 10 extra runs. Will sit together and discuss mistakes and come back harder in the next match.
The post-mortem will go long and hard into the night as far as Pakistan are concerned!👇
Sikandar Raza has been adjudged the Player of the Match! Here's what he has to say: I think I've lost my words, my throat is dry, probably because of all the emotion, just unbelievable, we kept believing ourselves and I can't explain them in words. When we were coming to Australia, I said to my captain if you were to become the man of the match, you owe me a gift and vice versa. Also I saw the clip from Ricky Ponting this morning, I was excited, I was nervous but I needed that from Ricky, thank you very much!
Look at the Zimbabwean fans celebrate with their fans in the stands. They are sharing this moment with them and these are pictures to be etched into sporting folklore. Against the odds, they have risen. And how!
Match summary: Zimbabwe beat Pakistan by 1 run.
Sean Williams 31 (28) | Sikandar Raza 3/25 (4) Shan Masood 44 (38) | Mohammad Wasim 4/24 (4)
HOLD. YOUR. BREATH. This is not a ruse all you Zimbabwe fans. This is not a dream. It might feel like one but it's a lovely dream you are living. Zimbabwe have beaten Pakistan by a solitary run and have infused belief of the highest order into their campaign.
130 was never enough on a true surface. But the spirit and character in this Zimbabwean outfit offset it as they got the ball right on the money from the word go. Richard Ngarava and Blessing Muzarabani were impeccable with their hard lengths and they duly got their reward in the form of the wickets of openers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. That was always going to throw a spanner into the works of the Pakistani chase as they just never got going in the Powerplay.
When Iftikhar Ahmed too holed out, it was game on alright! But in Shan Masood and Shadab Khan, Pakistan had two calm heads to fall back upon. And they did their business with minimal fuss by rotating the strike and minimizing the dot deliveries to a superlative extent.
There wasn't much on offer for the spinners and their 52-run stand all but seemed to shut the game for good. But true champions never back down and Sikandar Raza is one of them. A double-whammy dented the Pakistani hopes again with Shadab and Haider Ali perishing off consecutive deliveries. And when he smartly had Masood stumped off a wide, this game was right up in the air for grabs.
A death bowling masterclass followed as Muzarabani and Ngarava hit the deck brilliantly and tested Mohammad Nawaz and Mohammad Wasim to the hilt. But the pressure of getting close told on the Zimbabwean fielders, even as the asking rate mounted on Pakistan. It came down to 11 needed off the last over and when Wasim pumped Brad Evans down the ground, it seemed like the writing was on the wall. But Evans corrected his length, prized out Nawaz and kept Shaheen Shah Afridi at bay. It was a nervy final delivery too with Chakabva fumbling as the throw came his way. But he managed to hold on, much like his team did, bringing the curtains down on a thriller and an upset for the ages. Phew! Stick around as we hear from the captains shortly...
The scenes! Absolute scenes in Perth! David has overcome Goliath in a historic win for the ages! Ecstasy in the Zimbabwean camp - Sikandar Raza, Brad Evans and so many others are on the floor and the entire team surrounds him as they celebrate in unison. A famous, famous victory and this will please them to no end. Agony in the Pakistani camp and their campaign hangs by a thread now!
20
overs
129/7score
3
4
1
0
W
1
runs
Mohammad Wasim
12(13)
Shaheen Afridi*
1(1)
Brad Evans
2/25
19.6 Brad Evans to Shaheen Shah Afridi, RUN-OUT! ZIMBABWE WIN! Unbelievable scenes here in Perth, Zimbabwe take down Pakistan in a crunch game, Babar Azam cannot believe it, Zimbabwe players are all ecstatic, what a game, what a thriller we've just witnessed, MY GOODNESS! Full delivery on the off-stump, Shaheen drilled it down the ground, long-on gets to it quickly and Shaheen gets back for the second, he's not even in the frame but Chakabva fumbles but on the second attempt he picks it up and whips the bails off but Shaheen doesn't get back in time and agony for Pakistan as they lose another game here! Shaheen Shah Afridi run out (Craig Ervine/Regis Chakabva) 1 (1b 0x4 0x6)
One delivery. 3 runs. Shaheen Shah Afridi. Brad Evans. Drumrolls...
Shaheen Shah Afridi, LHB, comes to the crease
Nawaz hangs his head back and is down on his knees. He cannot see his team home. Oh what are we seeing here in Perth! Scenes. Absolute scenes. And Wasim will remain off strike as well. Which way will this end?
19.5 Brad Evans to Mohammad Nawaz, OUT! STRAIGHT TO ERVINE AT MID-OFF AND TAKEN! Nawaz is down on his haunches immediately, he can't believe it. Backs away to make room and looks to clear mid-off but Ervine back tracks and the takes a brilliant catch. More importantly it's a DOT BALL and Pakistan need 3 off the last ball! Mohammad Nawaz c Craig Ervine b Brad Evans 22 (18b 1x4 1x6)
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Mohammad Wasim
Brad Evans
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