"Zimbabwe lost to Fakhar Zaman by 55 runs" is how our ball-by-ball commentary pokes fun at a total no-contest we witnessed. Anyway, I'll leave you with Deepu Narayanan's stats digest of every record Pakistan broke today. With hopes that the 5th ODI of Pakistan Tour of Zimbabwe, 2018 is anything but this, it's ta-ta!
Pakistan already have an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series. © AFP
All over - PAK win by 244 runs
It was always going to a tall chance for Zimbabwe. Chasing a score that was more than three times of what they managed in the third ODI, Zimbabwe were reeling at 67 for 5 in the 19th over to all but lose the match.
Usman Khan again delivered in his first spell, scalping Tinashe Kamunhukamwe, who was the second debuting opener for Zimbabwe in two games, for only 3 and then followed it up with Tarisai Musakanda's wicket in his next over. But it was Junaid Khan who landed the telling blow. Having conceded two boundaries and two sixes to Hamilton Masakadza, Junaid came back to have the batsman caught at midwicket and all but sealed it for his side.
After Faheem Ashraf and Shadab Khan picked a wicket apiece to cruise through the middle order, a 69-run stand between Elton Chigumbura and Donald Tiripano prospered. But as a run-rate of below four would indicate, the partnership was more about getting Zimbabwe back up on its feet than win the game, that arguably was lost long before the teams took the field in the second innings. Shadab went on to register figures of 4 for 28, wiping the Zimbabwean tail and delivering Pakistan to their second-biggest win in ODIs.
Faheem strikes, so does Shadab
End of a 69-run stand. Chigumbura is LBW on 37. Faheem goes wide of the crease and gets the ball to skid in off the seam. No feet, and Chigumbura was done.
He's replaced by Shadab interesting in just the next over, and he delivers too. Two balls after Masakadza was dropped behind the wicket, he's pinned in front.
There's fight alright
A 50-run stand between Elton Chigumbura and Donald Tiripanohas is prospering but it's coming at a rate that's only good enough to sustain Zimbabwe for 50 overs in the chase -- and not win the game.
Five down...
Zimbabwe are now reeling at 67/5. The match is done, almost. Can they last 50 overs?
Shadab Khan and Faheem Ashraf have struck with one wicket apiece to have Zimbabwe here. We need some fight, Zimbabwe.
Wicket# 2 and 3
This could be over real quick. Junaid has Hamilton Masakadza, who was on 22 off 24 with 2 fours and 2 sixes. And that after Musakanda was caught off Usman, flicking to Faheem Ashraf at mid-wicket. 37/3
Early wicket - sigh!
Usman Khan, like the last game, strikes the first blow. Kamunhukamwe's debut lasts for 3 runs and 8 balls. A top-edged pull, that lazily lofts back to the bowler. Easy. Pakistan have had it easy today .. and on all days they have played Zimbabwe.
Welcome back
If you're out of breath, we understand. We are too, after whatever hit our retinas a few minutes back.
Masakadza and Kamunhukamwe open the attack, and it's the same ol' Junaid Khan who has the ball, this time on a flat deck. Let's see how he fares.
Zimbabwe need 400 runs
Zaman ends on 210 not out, which is more than triple of what Zimbabwe managed as a team in the last ODI. It's going to be tough. Asif Ali's unbeaten 22-ball 50 further added to Zimbabwe's troubles.
The hosts need to bat out of their skins to chase this down. But the question isn't whether they can chase this down; it's whether they can fight today. Join us back for the chase.
Fakhar Zaman - 200 not out
Let not the threatening regularity of the number sour it for Fakhar Zaman. 200 is a massive, massive landmark and it's someone from Pakistan achieving the feat today. About time. And in doing so, he's gone past Saeed Anwar's historic 194 against India in Chennai. Has to be special, this innings.
He's done what Pakistan hoped they would after winning the toss for the first time in the series. 24 fours and 5 sixes -- woah. That's book cricket. And that's Pakistan breaking out of a mold.
Records and more records!
Records continue to tumble. Fakhar and Imam have broken the highest opening stand in the history of ODIs! The previous highest was 286 between Tharanga and Jayasuriya for Sri Lanka against England in 2006.
Zimbabwe's bowlers won't forget this mauling for a while. Imam and Fakhar have been ruthless with their hitting.
Finally, the hosts took a wicket in form of Imam's scalp. That must have felt like an oasis in desert. Wellington Masakadza was the wicket-taker.
3rd hundred for Imam-ul-Haq, 150 for Zaman
It's all about runs. Imam-ul-Haq gets to the landmark off 112 balls while Zaman is at it, hoisting up a 150 off 115 balls! 200 on the cards?
The duo also broke the stand for the highest partnership for any wicket by a Pakistan pair in ODIs. The previous best was 263 by Sohail and Inzamam versus New Zealand in the Austral-Asia cup in 1994. Zimbabwe are being sent on a leather hunt.
3rd ODI hundred for Zaman
He didn't have much of the strike early on, but once he did, he's not just raced past Imam-ul-Haq but also jetted Pakistan ahead at a much quicker pace. 11 fours and 1 six for the 28-year-old -- who, by the way, is averaging over 67 now in the 17 ODIs he's played.
Opening stand = 208 not out.
180* and going - the opening stand
There are definitive signs of a 4-0 lead here. Zimbabwe are going through the motions here, allowing Pakistan's openers to manoeuvre the field as they like. There are singles and then there are big hits too, interspersed with a fielding bloopers from the home side. We know how this'll pan out too, don't we?
Imam-ul-Haq with a fifty, too
Gets to the half-century off 69 balls. A huge opening stand for Pakistan here, evidencing why the visitors winning the toss for the first time this series spelled doom. At least that's what it looks like now.
Fifty for Zaman
The runs just keep coming. Slaps a shortish delivery and gets to the milestone off 51 balls. Imam-ul-Haq, on the other hand, is on 36 off 54 balls.
Keeps growin'
Fakhar Zaman has joined in the fun. Tiripani conceded 11 runs in the 10th over of the innings, eight of them coming off two Zaman boundaries. 59/0 at the end of 10 overs isn't bad, is it?
Quickish start
Our definitions of a quick start has been adulterated in the T20 age, agreed, but Pakistan are off to one of those -- contextually in ODIs. Imam-ul-Haq, keeping the strike with himself for the major part of his innings, is pacing the team ahead at a run-rate comfortably over 5.
Teams:
Zimbabwe (Playing XI): Tinashe Kamunhukamwe, Tarisai Musakanda, Hamilton Masakadza(c), Peter Moor, Elton Chigumbura, Ryan Murray(w), Donald Tiripano, Tendai Chisoro, Wellington Masakadza, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava
Pakistan (Playing XI): Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Sarfraz Ahmed(w/c), Faheem Ashraf, Shadab Khan, Yasir Shah, Junaid Khan, Usman Khan
Toss
Pakistan opt to bat
Hello and welcome
67 all out. That's what Zimbabwe could muster against a reserve Pakistan bowling unit in the 3rd ODI. To put it honestly, Zimbabwe cannot have a worse day than that. Today, they face a new day, carrying the potential to help them rise from the ashes. The question is: Do Zimbabwe believe that they can win?
Here's our preview of the 4th ODI from Bulawayo.