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Kamran Ghulam's maiden ODI century and a well-rounded bowling display ensured Pakistan orchestrated a successful comeback to take away the ODI series by 2-1 on Thursday against Zimbabwe.
In the third ODI, it was yet another dominant display from Pakistan to seal an emphatic 99-run victory at Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo. After winning the toss, Pakistan decided to bat and enjoyed a cautious 58-run opening stand between Saim Ayub (31) and Abdullah Shafique (50). After Faraz Akram got the crucial breakthrough, Shafique stitched up a 54-run partnership with Ghulam. The rest of the innings saw Ghulam hold on to his wicket, play with his usual swagger, and forge brief yet influential stands with the rest of the batters. While striking at 104.04, Ghulam hammered 103 in 99 deliveries, laced with 10 fours and four sixes. His maiden ton propelled Pakistan to a mammoth total of 303/6, backed by valuable contributions from skipper Mohammad Rizwan (37), Salma Agha (30), and Tayyab Tahir (29*). In reply, Zimbabwe lost two early wickets to Saim Ayub's off-spin. Joylord Gumbie (5) and Dion Myers (4) were back in the dugout in the first three overs. Tadiwanashe Marumani and Craig Ervine tried to keep Zimbabwe's chase from falling apart with a 39-run partnership. But Abrar Ahmed swooped in to put a halt before the hosts could start thinking of making a comeback. Marumani got pinned in front of the stumps by Abrar's mystery spin at 24(30). Zimbabwe's most experienced duo, Ervine and Sean Williams, tried to turn the situation around by putting Pakistan under pressure. Their attempts weren't very fruitful after Williams (24) chopped the ball onto the stumps off Haris Rauf. Ervine (51) followed in the footsteps of his colleague four balls later after he saw his catch dropped. Sikandar Raza (16) tried to lead the charge but holed it to Shafique while trying to play a pull shot off Aamer Jamal. A roar of celebration from Jamal indicated how close Pakistan stood en route to stamping their authority in the series. Despite a late-resisting act from Brian Bennett (37), Pakistan bowlers went on to wrap up the game and seal a 99-run victory to take away the series by 2-1. (ANI)
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