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BULAWAYO. — Pakistan completed a One-Day International cricket series whitewash over Zimbabwe with a 131-run win yesterday in the fifth and final match at Queens Sports Club. On another record-setting day for the visitors, Fakhar Zaman became the fastest player in history to reach 1 000 career runs in one-day international cricket as Pakistan amassed 364 for 4.

The opener has bettered Windies great Sir Vivian Richards, England’s Kevin Pietersen and Jonathan Trott, compatriot Babar Azam and South Africa’s Quinton de Kock, who reached 1 000 runs in 18 knocks.

Zaman began yesterday’s fifth ODI against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo with 980 runs from 17 innings and cut home seamer Tendai Chatara for four to move from 17 to 21 and break the record during an innings of 85.

The left-hander only made his ODI debut during the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy in England last June, hitting 114 in his fourth innings as Pakistan beat India by 180 runs in the final at The Oval.

Zaman became the first Pakistani to hit a double ton in ODI cricket during Friday’s fourth fixture against Zimbabwe when he racked up an unbeaten 210 from 156 deliveries in his team’s total of 399-1.

The 28-year-old shared the first 300-run opening partnership in ODI history with Imam-ul-Haq (113) to tee up a crushing 244-run victory, which put Pakistan 4-0 up in the series. Sarfraz Ahmed’s men then completed a 5-0 whitewash yesterday after posting 364-4 – Imam (110) completing back-to-back centuries and Babar striking an unbeaten 106 from 76 balls – before restricting Zimbabwe to 233-4 to win by 131 runs.

Zaman’s opening partner Imam-ul-Haq was also in the runs once again, the pair adding their fourth century stand of the series.

They took the score to 168 in the 25th over before Zaman was caught behind for 85.
While he missed out on what would have been his third hundred of the series, Zaman did also claim the records for most runs in a five-match bilateral series with 515 and most runs scored between dismissals in ODIs, having scored 455 runs since he was last dismissed in the first match of the series.

On a morning for batsmen, Imam-ul-Haq went on to reach his third century of the series, and though Shoaib Malik and Asif Ali fell cheaply, the carnage continued with Babar Azam then racing to a century of his own from 72 deliveries, his second fifty haven taken just 17 balls.

In response, Zimbabwe showed much more stickability with the bat than had been the case in the first four games of the series.

Hamilton Masakadza and Tinashe Kamunhukamwe got going with a 66-run opening stand, Zimbabwe’s best of the series, and though Zimbabwe never looked like threatening Pakistan’s total, the middle order did at least hold firm. — AFP.