Match overview
Pakistan Cricket beat Zimbabwe Cricket by 69 runs in a T20 international at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on 23 November 2025. Pakistan won the toss, chose to bat, and posted 195/5 from their 20 overs. Zimbabwe's reply never gained traction: three wickets in the powerplay left them at 43/3, and six further dismissals in the middle overs effectively ended the contest. They were bowled out for 126. Usman Tariq took the Player of the Match award in a victory that extended Pakistan's T20I winning run in 2025 to five matches.
The margin of 69 runs is comfortable rather than exceptional given what Rawalpindi tends to produce. With the venue averaging 214 in the first innings and 208 in the second across 79 T20 matches, Pakistan's score was actually below par. Zimbabwe's challenge, then, was not the target itself but the wickets they lost chasing it.
Venue and conditions
Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium has staged 79 T20 matches, and the numbers paint a picture of a batter-friendly surface where both sides tend to score freely. The average first-innings score sits at 214 and the second-innings average of 208 suggests the pitch holds up well throughout; there is no dramatic deterioration in the second half of the game. Chasing teams have won around 60% of completed fixtures here, which makes the toss decision to bat something of a departure from the prevailing trend.
In the powerplay, the venue average is 41 runs. Pakistan returned 53 runs for 1 wicket in the first six overs, which was above average and set up the innings effectively. The death overs at this ground average 34 runs; Pakistan scored 69 in that phase, though they lost 4 wickets doing so. Zimbabwe's powerplay of 43/3 was roughly average for runs but catastrophically expensive in wickets. Toss winners have chosen to field in 58% of matches at this venue, so Pakistan's decision to bat first went against the grain and cost them nothing.
How to watch
Pakistan home T20Is are available in the United Kingdom via Sky Sports Cricket. Subscribers can access live coverage through Sky Go on mobile and desktop, and NOW TV offers a day or monthly pass for those without a full Sky subscription. Match start times in Pakistan typically fall between 14:00 and 15:00 GMT during November, so most matches are watchable live across the UK afternoon and evening. Check the Sky Sports website or app for the confirmed schedule and any changes to broadcast arrangements.
Recent form
Pakistan come into this result carrying genuine momentum. Their five-match winning sequence in 2025 spans opponents of differing quality: three victories over Sri Lanka either side of wins against Zimbabwe. That breadth suggests the squad is settled and rotating players without losing results, which is exactly the kind of form a side wants heading into a bilateral series.
Zimbabwe's record is more varied. They beat Sri Lanka, Namibia, Kenya and Tanzania in 2025 but lost their previous meeting with Pakistan in this same series. The win over Sri Lanka shows they can compete against Asian opposition on their day, but the defeats against Pakistan in both 2024 and now 2025 point to a persistent gap when the two sides meet on Pakistani soil.