Pakistan recorded an easy seven wicket win under the D/L method over Zimbabwe in their Group A match at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. The win took Pakistan to the second spot in Group B with eight points.
Zimbabwe chose to bat first after Elton Chigumbura won the toss. However, the decision backfired as they were reduced to 13/3 and then 43/4 by the end of the 13th over. Brendan Taylor who hit a superb 80 in the previous match, could score only four runs while his partner Regis Chakabva was out for a duck and Vusi Sibanda could make only five runs.
Craig Ervine revived the Zimbabwean innings with a fighting fifty. He first added 30 runs for the fourth wicket with Tatenda Taibu (19) and then added 41 runs for the fifth wicket with Greg Lamb (16). Ervine scored 52 runs off 82 balls with five fours. Skipper Chigumbara (32*) and Prosper Utseya (18) then added 48 runs in 10 overs. For Pakistan, Umar Gul (3/36) turned up trump with the ball while the other bowlers picked up a wicket each. Zimbabwe could score only 151/7 in 39.4 overs before rain cut short their innings.
Chasing a revised target of 162 runs from 38 overs, Pakistan got off to a bad start with Ahmed Shehzad (8) failing with the bat yet again. Mohammad Hafeez and Asad Shafiq got together to score an 82-run partnership for the second wicket. Hafeez scored 49 runs from 65 balls with six fours while Shafiq remained unbeaten on 78 runs from 97 balls with seven fours.
Shafiq also added 54 runs for the unbeaten fourth wicket with Younis Khan (13*). Shahid Afridi was the other batsman who missed out on scoring few runs to get back to form. He made just three runs before he was bowled by Ray Price (2/21). Umar Gul was declared the man of the match.