Mohammad Hafeez hit a half-century and took three wickets to guide Pakistan to a five-run victory over Zimbabwe in the second Twenty20 international yesterday.
Adjudged man of the match, Hafeez hit 51 off 38 balls at Harare Sports Club, smashing five boundaries and a six as Pakistan finished on 141 for seven.
Zimbabwe started the last over needing 20 runs to win, coming down to six runs from the last ball. They finished on 136 for seven with Tatenda Taibu 37 not out.
Hafeez ended with bowling figures of three for 11 by removing Cephas Zhuwao (12), Brendan Taylor (10) and Hamilton Masakadza (3).
"We showed better character today compared to the last game," Brendan Taylor, the Zimbabwe captain, said. "We came back stronger, but against quality international sides like that, it is always hard to get over the line ... But definitely there were positives."
Hafeez was again impressive with the bat, going for his shots early to unsettle the Zimbabwe bowlers.
"I think the whole tour you can say Hafeez was tremendous," Misbah-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, said. "He just performed well and today he was key for us, the way he batted and bowled, he was the major factor.
"We were just looking at anything above 150-170 but then, when we were batting, I thought the wicket was a bit slow and said even 140 was good enough."
Pakistan won the two-match series 2-0, beating Zimbabwe by 85 runs in the first T20. They also won the one-off Test and three ODIs to sweep the tour in all formats.
* Associated Press
