Zimbabwe pulled off a thrilling two-wicket victory in the final fixture of their three-match T20I series against Pakistan on Thursday.

Tinotenda Maposa helped the hosts chase a target of 133 with his last-over showing, ensuring that Zimbabwe did not suffer a series whitewash.

After electing to bat first, Pakistan found themselves three wickets down after three overs, with Omair Bin Yousuf (0), Sahibzada Farhan (four) and Usman Khan (five) falling early on.

Salman Ali Agha top-scored for Pakistan with 32 runs from 32 deliveries before he was run out by Brian Bennett in the 14th over to leave the tourists 92-6.

Knocks from Qasim Akram (20), Arafat Minhas (22) and Muhammad Abbas Afridi (15) saw Pakistan reach a below-par 133-8 at the end of their 20 overs.

Zimbabwe started impressively in their run chase, with Bennett's effort of 43 from 35 balls sending the tourists on their way before he was dismissed by Sufiyan Muqeem (1-19).

But a middle-order collapse spearheaded by Afridi (3-24) and Jahandad Khan (2-30) set up a nervy finish, with Zimbabwe needing 12 runs from the final over to win.

And it was debutant Maposa who proved to be the unlikely hero, sealing the win with 11 of the 12 required runs in the final over to conclude their three-match series in Bulawayo.

Zimbabwe pick up a consolation win by 2 wickets in a match that went down to the wire at Queens Sports Club! #ZIMvPAK #VisitZimbabwe pic.twitter.com/1qQSPKWve0
— Zimbabwe Cricket (@ZimCricketv) December 5, 2024

Data Debrief: Chevrons on the board

After disappointing showings in the first two matches, Zimbabwe put on an impressive display to make sure they had something to show for this series, which Pakistan won 2-1.

The hosts have now won nine of their 20 T20Is in 2024 (L12); only in 2022 (W12) and 2023 (W9) have they logged more victories in a calendar year in the history of the format.