Hasan Ali four-for, Mohammad Rizwan 91* lead Pakistan to series win
Zimbabwe had their moments in the decider but a middle-overs' slowdown dashed their hopes
Zimbabwe had their moments in the decider but a middle-overs' slowdown dashed their hopes
Scorer: Ranjith P | Commentator: Danyal Rasool
Babar Azam lifts the trophy, and that's it from us here. Thank you so much for joining us, and please do so again for the Test series, which begins on the 29th.
"It was a team effort," a relieved Babar Azam says. "Rizwan and I wanted to take it deep, and I thought we finished very well. When I went in to bat, the wicket looked better than the first two games. We were targeting 160 or so, but I want to give Zimbabwe credit, they played brilliantly in the first half of the innings. Our momentum continues. Whoever is in form is encouraged to finish games off."
"It was a very good series with a young side," Sean Williams says. We've got some talented young batsmen like Wesley Madhevere and a good group of bowlers. In the middle period, we had to attack the spinners more aggressively, but we're getting there. This is the first series against Pakistan for a number of the guys. Brilliant series, and we've done nothing but improve. We're really excited for the Test series now."
Mohammad Rizwan isn't far from the honours, winning the Player of the Series award. "The ball was coming onto the bat initially, but the ball kept stopping later on. We wanted to stay out there because we thought it was a hard wicket to get adjusted on. Babar and my plan was whoever hangs around has to stay there till the end."
The Player of the Match is Hasan Ali. His 4-18 beats out Rizwan's unbeaten 91. "It was the decider and it was an important match. I'm always happy when I perform well. The way their openers played was brilliant, but we felt we were in control if we got one wicket., The ball wasn't really coming on to the bat.
"I feel like I had a better chance if I took the bowlers on, so I did," a deflated Madhevere says. "I had a couple of chats with the coaches about how to start an innings and work my way through the overs. I also learn from players like Babar Azam, which helps me. It's a positive for me, but it's also frustrating. We're a young side and hopefully in the future we'll get ourselves across the line in these matches."
Usman Dewan: "Valiant effort from Zimbabweans. Almost took the series. Hopefully they can continue the rise and take confidence from this effort."
BRM Taylor c Mohammad Rizwan b Haris Rauf 20 (33m 22b 2x4 0x6) SR: 90.90
LM Jongwe c Hasan Ali b Haris Rauf 5 (4m 4b 1x4 0x6) SR: 125.00
Zimbabwe had their moments in the decider but a middle-overs' slowdown dashed their hopes
After their first T20I win against Pakistan, the hosts now chase their first-ever bilateral series win in the format