Pakistan Book Spot in Tri-Series 2025 Final After Crushing Zimbabwe

Pakistan put on a masterclass performance as they completely outplayed Zimbabwe, winning the fourth match of the tournament by a huge 69 runs! The Men in Green have now won three games in a row, booking their spot in the final of this Tri-Series. And what makes it even more special, this big win comes on the birthday of Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha!

Earlier in the evening, Pakistan won the toss and opted to bat first. Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub got off to a breezy start, but the latter fell in the process of taking down Brad Evans for three sixes in a row in the third over. Farhan continued his dream year in the shortest format and was joined by Babar Azam as the two right-handers rebuilt with a brilliant 103-run second-wicket partnership. Both got to their respective half-centuries. Farhan scored a 41-ball 63, while Babar got to his fifty off 42 balls and eventually shifted his gears to hammer 74 off 52 balls.

Sikandar Raza got both the set batters. Faheem Ashraf and Mohammad Nawaz's promotion didn't yield the expected goods for the hosts. Salman Ali Agha didn't face many balls on his special day, but Fakhar Zaman, batting at number 7 for the first time in T20Is, feasted on some lacklustre death bowling from Zimbabwe and hit a fabulous 27 off 10 balls. He should have been out on the final ball of the 20th over, but Evans overstepped to allow Pakistan to 195/5 eventually in 20 overs. Raza picked up 2/29, while Richard Ngarava finished with 1/34. Maposa and Masakadza were economical. Evans went for 25 in his last over and finished with 1/59.

Pakistan Thrash Zimbabwe by 69 Runs to Reach Tri-Series Final on Captain Salman Ali Agha’s Birthday

Zimbabwe never really arrived in the run chase. The top order was sent packing inside 4 overs. There was a clear lack of application in the way the top three went about the big run chase. Tadiwanashe Marumani, Brian Bennett and Brendan Taylor all hit a few boundaries but were lacking footwork and were taken care of by the Pakistani pacers (Naseem Shah, Mohammad Wasim Jnr and Faheem Ashraf) for single-digit scores.

Raza tried to rebuild from 25/3, but he holed out for 23 post the powerplay as spin came into the picture. Mohammad Nawaz and Usman Tariq were all over Zimbabwe like rashes. The Chevrons didn't have a clue about the variations from the two tweakers. Nawaz picked up two wickets in his four-over spell, giving away only 21 runs. Tariq, on the other hand, ripped apart the lower middle order with a magical 4/18 that also included a triple-wicket maiden and a hat-trick.

Tariq became the only 4th Pakistani men's player to pick up a T20I hat-trick as Zimbabwe were reduced to 82/9 in 14 overs. Burl was the lone warrior as he struck some terrific shots and slammed a stylish half-century. He remained not out on 67 off 49 balls, but saw Richard Ngarava run out in the 19th over. However, thanks to Burl's heroics, Zimbabwe managed to cross the 100-run mark before getting bundled out for 126.

Tri-Series 2025 Points Table

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by K D Mishra November 24, 2025