Records galore as Pakistan crush Zimbabwe by 10 wickets
BULAWAYO: As Pakistan outclassed Zimbabwe by 10 wickets in the second T20I here on Tuesday, it also shattered a bunch of records including the worst collapse by a full member men’s team in the format.
Opting to bat first, the home side got off to a decent start to their innings, with openers Brian Bennett and Tadiwanashe Marumani adding 37 runs in 4.3 overs.
However, Marumani’s dismissal against Abbas Afridi in the fifth over, sparked a record collapse which saw the hosts getting booked for a meagre 57, their lowest total in men’s T20Is.
Their previous lowest was 82 runs all out which came against Sri Lanka earlier this year.
During the gruelling collapse, Zimbabwe lost all of their 10 wickets for just 20 runs, making it the worst collapse in men’s T20Is by a full member side.
West Indies held the record of the previous worst collapse, when they lost 10 wickets for just 33 runs against England in March 2019.
Furthermore, Zimbabwe’s 10 wickets fell in the span of just 50 deliveries, which is now the quickest 10-wicket collapse by a full member side, surpassing Bangladesh, who lost as many wickets in 52 balls against Zimbabwe in May this year.
Worst 10-wicket collapses by a full member men’s team in T20Is
| Team | Runs | From | Final total | Opposition | Year |
| Zimbabwe | 20 | 37/0 | 57 all out | Pakistan | 2024 |
| West Indies | 33 | 12/0 | 45 all out | England | 2021 |
| Bangladesh | 42 | 101/0 | 143 all out | Zimbabwe | 2024 |
| West Indies | 47 | 8/0 | 55 all out | England | 2021 |
| Zimbabwe | 48 | 36/0 | 84 all out | New Zealand | 2010 |
The record collapse was majorly inflicted by left-arm spinner Sufiyan Muqeem, who returned astonishing bowling figures of 5/3 in 2.4 overs.
His bowling figures are now the best by a Pakistani bowler in men’s T20Is, surpassing previous best of 5/6, registered twice by legendary pacer Umar Gul.
Chasing a meagre 58-run target, Pakistan raced to the victory in just 33 balls without losing a wicket.
Their victory with 87 balls to spare became the largest margin of victory in terms of balls remaining in a men’s T20I involving two full member sides.
The previous largest triumph was when Australia humbled Bangladesh with 82 balls to spare in 2021.
For the unversed, Pakistan’s record-laden victory propelled them to an unassailable 2-0 lead in the ongoing series, with the last match scheduled to be played at the same venue on Thursday.
