Pakistan held off a determined Zimbabwe side to win a tight match that went down to the final over, after surviving early trouble and capitalising on late mistakes in the field.
Pakistan were under pressure early when Ayub, struggling for rhythm, fell for 22 off 26 balls, miscuing a slog-sweep off Graeme Cremer to deep square leg.
His dismissal left the visitors 54 for four after 10 overs, giving Zimbabwe the upper hand.
But Fakhar Zaman and Usman Khan steadied the innings with a vital 61-run partnership, scoring at nearly ten runs an over to swing momentum back Pakistan’s way.
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Zaman played positively for his 45 off 32 balls before falling while attempting a ramp shot off Richard Ngarava, edging through to Brendan Taylor.
With 33 needed from the last four overs, the chase was finely balanced.
Mohammad Nawaz joined Usman and kept Pakistan in the contest with clever strike rotation.
Zimbabwe still had a chance with 17 runs needed from the final two overs, but crucial errors hurt their defence including a dropped catch, a misfield that rolled away for four and a costly waist-high no-ball in Brad Evans’ final over which gifted Pakistan 12 important runs.
Nawaz then sealed victory in the final over, hitting the first two balls from Maposa for back to back boundaries.
He finished unbeaten on 21, while Usman anchored the chase with a calm 37 not out.
Despite the loss, Evans impressed with the ball, ending with two for 26 in a disciplined spell that kept Zimbabwe in the game for long periods.
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