The first T20 international between Pakistan and Zimbabwe was all about the emotions, as the former finally hosted a Test-playing nation for the first time in six years. Having negotiated those emotions pretty well, the 2nd T20I will be more about business as usual, as Pakistan look to lock the series with a victory.
Lahore was treated to a first high-profile international game in Pakistan for the first time since 2009, and the fans did not leave disappointed as the teams produced an exciting match.
Batting first, Zimbabwe put the cat amongst the pigeons and threatened to spoil the Pakistan-playing-back-at-home party by scoring a commendable 172/6 in their 20 overs, thanks to impressive knocks from Hamilton Masakadza and Elton Chigumbura.
However, Pakistan began the chase like they were in a hurry to finish off this most momentous of games, with openers Mukhtar Ahmed and Ahmed Shehzad putting on 142 runs for the first wicket.
That partnership ensured Pakistan could not lose the game, and even if there was a bit of a collapse towards the end, in as fitting a manner as they come, the Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi hit the winning runs with three balls to spare.
"The welcome we got at the Gaddafi Stadium, it was hard to control emotions," Pakistan coach Waqar Younis said. "Your emotions are different when you play in front of your own crowd and I told the players they have to concentrate on the game.
"It's a big achievement on part of both the PCB and the government that the Zimbabwe cricket team came. It's an icing on the cake when we won, it's a good achievement."
To make that icing just that little bit more sweeter, Pakistan will look to finish off the two-match T20 series with another win in Lahore.
It will be far from easy, however, considering the way Zimbabwe played in the first T20I. The primary target for the visitors will be to knock down that Pakistan top order quickly, because that proved to be the difference between victory and defeat in the end.
"I thought it was a good target but unfortunately in the first six we didn't bowl well and gave away too many runs and that's why we lost the game," Chigumbura said. "In Twenty20, big partnerships bring you into the game.
"They put on a hundred-run partnership in 10 overs to put us under pressure and that made a big difference helping them to win this game."
Where to Watch Live
The 2nd T20I between Pakistan and Zimbabwe is set to begin at 7 pm local time (7.30 pm IST, 3 pm BST, 10 am ET) with live coverage in India on Ten Cricket and Pakistan on Ten Sports and PTV Sports. India viewers can catch the match live on Ten Sports Live, while Pakistan viewer can live stream the action on the same website and also PTV Sports Live.
Audience in the US can catch the game live on Willow TV, while the action can also be live streamed on Willow TV Online.
