Zimbabwe win!
HALAAAAAALA!!!
That's what we say here in Africa in celebration. HALAAAAAALA ZIMBABWE, HALAAAAAALA!
What an incredible end to this match. Brad Evans had 11 runs to defend of the last over and he conceded nine. His first delivery went for three, his second went for four and his third for one. It looked like it was over for Zimbabwe but then Mohammad Nawaz tried to hit Evans over mid-off and found Craig Ervine. The Zimbabwean captain, who almost lost his hand in an accident as a child, held on. Pakistan needed three of the last ball, Shaheen Shah Afridi tapped and ran, the fielder was in to prevent the second and did. Regis Chakabva ran Shaheen out as he tried to complete the run that would force the Super Over and Pakistan are now in danger of not making it to the semi-finals.
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That six!
There it is... off the fourth ball of the 19th over. The shot that could win the match. It's Mohammad Nawaz, who has taken an Ngarava yorker-gone-wrong and flicked it over deep fine.
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What's needed now
Squeaky-bum time folks. How many times have we been here before? If you're Zimbabwe, plenty, and you'll know it's the hope that hurts. If you're Pakistan, also plenty, and its the heart-stoppingly hard-work they're creating for themselves that's going be difficult to explain.
22 off the last 12 balls
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Sikandar does it again
He has given it everything at this tournament and Sikandar Raza has put in another massive performance. His 3 for 20 finished with an over in which Shan Masood was stumped down the leg side to leave Pakistan's lower-order in Zimbabwe's sights.
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Into the last five we go
This is what Pakistan require now. Zimbabwe scored 32 off their last five overs.
38 off 30 balls
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Shan and Shadab put on 50 but Sikandar stuns again
Pakistan's fourth-wicket pair did it understated fashion but scored 52 runs in 36 balls between them to keep them on track to chase a modest total. Shadab even broke the boundary drought, that lasted 29 balls, when he launched a Raza carrom ball into the stands for six. Raza had the last laugh when Shadab miscued the next one to Williams at long-off. Raza dismissed Haider Ali lbw off the next ball to become the third bowler to be on a hat-trick in this match, and the third not to get to it.
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Squeezing with spin
Sean Williams and Ryan Burl are keeping things quiet on the boundary front
21 balls since the last boundary
But they're not bowling many dot balls. Williams' last over cost 10 runs and they've delivered two dots in these 21 balls. Sikandar Raza was responsible for three deliveries, and one dot.
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Buckle up for the end
This is the equation has we head into the last quarter of the match:
77 off 60 balls
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Not Ifthikhar's night
He dropped two catches in the field and only scored five before being caught down the legside off the medium-pace of Luke Jongwe.
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Zimbabwe's seamers remove Pakistan openers
Blessing Muzarabani claimed the wicket of Mohammad Rizwan, who top-edged Evans over the keeper's head, for a chance no-one could get to, and then inside-edged onto his stumps. Pakistan have lost both openers in the space of eight balls. Pakistan's powerplay score of 28 for 2 is their lowest against Zimbabwe.
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Brad gets Babar
It's a night for newcomers to the tournament. Brad Evans, playing in his first match, has reeled in the biggest fish to cap off a good start for Zimbabwe. Blessing Muzarabani and Richard Ngarava have opted for more full than short, like Pakistan did upfront, and its worked pretty well for them but its Evans who got the seam movement, squared Babar up and had him caught at point.
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Babar's batting now ...
... but you can't forget this.
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Wasim wins the night
The accolades keep coming for Pakistan's quicks. Wasim is playing his first match of the tournament and what a statement he's made. Fabulous changes of pace and he has picked up a career-best haul. He removed Wessly Madhevere upfront to stop Zimbabwe after a strong start, then took two wickets in two balls to burrow through their middle-order and claimed one at the end. Zimbabwe finish on 130 for 8, a long way from the 160 they seemed set to get.
Wasim's best T20I figures
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Haris halts Zimbabwe
Haris Rauf's most economical T20I spell
And it included 15 dot balls.
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Crash and Burn
Zimbabwe are falling apart. They've lost four wickets in the last six balls. And not scored a run.
The first two wickets fell to Shadab Khan, whose spell is complete so he can't complete a hat-trick. And the next two to Muhammad Wasim, who sent his hat-trick ball wide.
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Chakabva's concerns continue
Oh dear. And oh my word! Regis Chakabva was moved down the order to No.6 but the change in batting position did not bring a change in fortune. He came in immediately after Williams was bowled, with a delivery left in Shadab's spell. Chakabva was drawn forward and prodded tentatively as the ball took the edge. It was headed over Babar Azam at slip, but the Pakistan captain stuck his right hand in the air and the ball stuck. That will be one of the catches of the tournament and has left Zimbabwe reeling.
And this could well be one of the the best moments of the tournament. We're picking them with our video experts in a daily show. And if you want to actually own a piece of those moments, they are available as digital memorabilia on FanCraze, ESPNcricinfo’s digital collectible partners. On FanCraze, you can pre-buy iconic moments from each match of the World Cup called the Crictos of the Game.
5 Regis Chakabva's average at this tournament
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And again!
Williams is living dangerously and has been let off again. He tried to take on the fielder at deep mid-wicket - one of the longer boundaries on the ground - and slog swept Shadab Khan to Iftikhar. He couldn't hold on again and let the ball slip underneath him and escape for four. Williams was on 9 when he was dropped the first time and 28 the second time. Shadab has had to the job himself, again. As Williams moved early for the reverse-sweep, Shadab Khan had enough time to pull his length back and bowled Williams, on 31.
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Dropped, then taken
As Zimbabwe approach the halfway stage, they've had the worst and best of Pakistan's fielding. Sean Williams pulled Shaheen Shah to Iftikhar Ahmed at midwicket. He had the ball in his hands and then let it go as he tumbled to give Williams a second-chance on 9. Five balls later, Shadab Khan received a chance from Milton Shumba off his own bowling and had to take the catch low down. He completed it cooly. Zimbabwe lost 3 for 22 in 29 balls.
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All about that bounce
Pakistan started off a little too full, perhaps as a response to playing on the pitch with the most bounce in Australia (and perhaps even the world). But just looked what happened when they bowled a good length. Muhammad Wasim pulled the length back a touch and hit Madhevere high on the thigh flap. He convinced Babar to go for the review and ball tracking showed it was hitting the top of off. Zimbabwe ended the Powerplay on 47 for 2.
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Zimbabwe's second-highest opening stand at a T20WC
Vusi Sibanda and Brendan Taylor shared a first-wicket stand of 74 against England in 2007. This is Zimbabwe's best opening partnership in T20 World Cup's since.
42 The partnership between Craig Ervine and Wessly Madhevere
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Afridi's opening over travels
Well, well. Looks like Shaheen Shah Afridi has gone a little too full upfront and Madhevere has cashed in.
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Madhevere replaces Chakabva at the top
With scores of 0, 13, 4 and 8, Regis Chakabva has been replaced at the top of the line-up by Wessly Madhevere. He scored an unbeaten 35 against South Africa in Hobart and has seven T20I fifties to his name.
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Group 2 standings
Here's a reminder of the group standings. India are at the top with two wins, followed by South Africa and Bangladesh. Zimbabwe are currently higher than Pakistan, because they got that point in the abandoned match against South Africa and Pakistan are yet to get off the starting blocks.
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Zimbabwe win the toss and bat
Craig Ervine says his batters are "going to have to be," ready for Pakistan's pacers as he has chosen to front-up first. He wants to get a decent score on the board and aim to put Pakistan under pressure. Zimbabwe have made one change to the XI that took a point off South Africa but it's not the one you think. Richard Ngarava, who slipped and fell on the Hobart pitch, is fit. Tendai Chatara is out and Brad Evans gets a game.
Babar Azam happy to bowl first, in anticipation of some early swing. Pakistan have included an extra seamer in Mohammed Wasim and left out Asif Ali.
We're obviously expecting conditions to suit the quicks. There's bounce on offer and some big boundaries, bigger than what Zimbabwe faced in their matches so far. But for Pakistan, it's about getting over that defeat to India, getting points on the board and getting ready to push for a final four spot.
Pakistan: 1 Babar Azam (capt), 2 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 3 Shan Masood, 4 Iftikhar Ahmed, 5 Haider Ali, 6 Shadab Khan, 7 Mohammad Nawaz, 8 Mohammad Wasim 9 Haris Rauf, 10 Shaheen Shah Afridi, 11 Naseem Shah
Zimbabwe: 1 Craig Ervine (capt), 2 Regis Chakabva (wk), 3 Sean Williams, 4 Sikandar Raza, 5 Wessly Madhevere, 6 Milton Shumba, 7 Ryan Burl, 8 Luke Jongwe, 9 Richard Ngarava, 10 Brad Evans 11 Blessing Muzarabani
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Catch the show live
While we wait for the toss, our Live Show will have some expert opinion on the game that was, and the one to come.
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Welcome to the treble-header
Have you had enough of cricket for today? No? Well good, because here we are with the third match of the day. It's coming to you from Perth, where Pakistan will take on Zimbabwe.
We haven't had the most competitive fixtures today after the morning started with South Africa thumping Bangladesh while the sun was rising here in our nation. And as we speak, India are on their way to a big win over Netherlands. So that makes it even more important for Pakistan to claim a full-house of points in this match, one of their so-called "easier" fixtures in the group.
If you need to catch up on pre-match reading, do check out the preview. And standby for the toss.
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