Stats highlights from the third ODI between Zimbabwe and Pakistan in Harare, where the visitors completed a series win
Shiva Jayaraman05-Oct-20155/25 Bilal Asif’s bowling figures, the third best by a Pakistan offspinner in ODIs. Saqlain Mushtaq’s 5 for 20 against England in an ODI in 2000 is the best. Asif’s five-for in this match was also only the tenth by a Pakistan offspinner in ODIs, and the first since Saeed Ajmal took 5 for 24 against India in 2013. Besides Asif, only three other offspinners have taken a five-wicket haul in ODIs for Pakistan.2 Pakistan players to have taken a five-wicket haul and scored 30-plus runs in ODIs before Asif. Asif’s effort today, though, is only the fifth such performance for Pakistan in ODIs, with Shahid Afridi achieving this feat thrice.4 Instances of a spinner taking five or more wickets in an ODI without any contribution from other fielders, before Bilal’s 5 for 25 in this match. Bilal bowled three Zimbabwe batsmen and caught two others off his own bowling. The last such instance was in 2008 by Muttiah Muralitharan, also against Zimbabwe. The other spinners to do this are Anil Kumble, Arshad Ayub, and Canada’s Sunil Dhaniram.61 Runs added by Zimbabwe’s last eight wickets, their second lowest after their second wicket had fallen at a score of 100 or more. The lowest they have added for their last eight wickets in such situations is the 50 runs which came against Sri Lanka in 1999, when they collapsed from 101 for 2 to 150 all out.9 Wickets conceded to Pakistan spinners by Zimbabwe in this match. The hosts could score only 64 off the Pakistan spinners in this match. Whereas, the Zimbabwe batsmen had not conceded a single wicket to the spinners in the last game, having scored 123 runs off them. Overall, Zimbabwe batsman conceded 24 wickets to Pakistan’s spinners in three ODIs and two T20Is this series, and averaged just 14.29 runs per dismissal against them.2003 The last time a wicketkeeper captained Pakistan in ODIs before Sarfraz Ahmed. On that occasion, Rashid Latif led against England at Lord’s. Sarfraz is only the fourth keeper to captain Pakistan.52.45 Ahmed Shehzad’s strike rate in his 61-ball innings of 32. The last Pakistan opener who scored slower than this in a fifty-plus ball innings in ODIs was Shehzad himself, in 2013 against South Africa in Cape Town. His knock in this match was also Shehzad’s second lowest strike rate in an innings of 30 runs or more in ODIs.11 Number of bilateral series won by Pakistan against Zimbabwe, equaling the second highest bilateral series wins by a team over an opposition in ODIs. Pakistan themselves, and Australia have 12 such wins each against Sri Lanka and England respectively.437 Balls this match lasted, the second shortest uninterrupted ODI with a result between these two teams. The shortest uninterrupted ODI with a result between Zimbabwe and Pakistan was in 1993 in Karachi, when the match lasted 431 deliveries.
