LAHORE: Centuries from Craig Ervine and Joylord Gumbie saw Zimbabwe Select beat Pakistan Shaheens by seven wickets at the Harare Sports Club in the Zimbabwean capital on Tuesday.

The hosts chased down the 296-run target with ease thanks to a mammoth second-wicket stand of 277 runs between Ervine and Gumbie.

Ervine top-scored in the match with 161 off 144 (19 fours and three sixes), overshadowing Pakistan batter Omair Bin Yousuf’s 153, and his partner Gumbie, who opened the innings with Tadiwanashe Marumani, made 111 off 124 (10 fours).

The pair had come together after Pakistan Shaheens dismissed Marumani in the second over, but the tourists failed to make any further inroads as Ervine and Gumbie put up a solid stand. The other two wickets came in the 45th and 46th overs.

That Pakistan Shaheens posted a target of 296 was because of Omair’s 153 off 126. The right-handed batter struck 14 fours and four sixes and provided stability in the middle order after his side had lost three wickets for 55.

The 24-year-old Karachi-born stitched a 139-run partnership with Kamran Ghulam, who made 55 off 79, for the fourth wicket.

Once the partnership was broken in the 39th over, fast bowler Brad Evans made the most of the opening and recorded a five-wicket haul, giving away only 62 in 10 overs.

The two teams will meet on Thursday at the same venue for the fifth one-day with the scoreline reading 3-1.

Scores in brief:

PAKISTAN SHAHEENS 295-9 in 50 overs (Omair Bin Yousuf 153, Kamran Ghulam 55, Haseebullah 22; Brad Evans 5-62, Wellington Masakadza 2-45); ZIMBABWE SELECT 299-3, 47.3 overs (Craig Ervine 161, Joylord Gumbie 111; Shahnawaz Dahani 2-60)

Published in Dawn, May 24th, 2023