Pak take series after Zim,running on empty,fall considerably short

Having won the toss and elected to field,Zimbabwes bowlers contained Pakistan well in the first 25 overs.

Three run outs cost Zimbabwe dear as they slumped to a 108-run loss and a 2-1 series defeat to Pakistan in the third one-day international at Harare Sports Club on Saturday. Set 261 to win,Zimbabwe made a solid start,but poor running cost them the key wickets of skipper Brendan Taylor,Sean Williams and Prosper Utseya as they slumped to 152 all out in 40 overs.

It was a disappointing end to the series for the home side,who won the first match on Tuesday. Saturdays decider was overshadowed by the teams dispute with the Zimbabwe cricket board over unpaid salaries.

Having won the toss and elected to field,Zimbabwes bowlers contained Pakistan well in the first 25 overs,even if they found wickets hard to come by.

But when Mohammad Hafeez left the field injured in the 23rd over,it brought captain Misbah-ul-Haq to the wicket and the tempo changed.

Pakistan scored 94 runs in the first half of their innings and 166 in the second,with Misbahs 67 a key factor. Ahmed Shehzad batted patiently for 54,while there was some power hitting from Umar Amin 33 and Sarfraz Ahmed 22 towards the end of the innings.

Tendai Chatara was the pick of the home bowlers,with three for 48 from his 10 overs. Zimbabwe began their chase cautiously and never managed to get into a position where it looked as though they would threaten the target.

When Taylor 26 was run out by a direct hit from Misbah they had slumped to 66 for three,and the Pakistan skipper struck again to remove the dangerous Williams 2.

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Utseya 23 briefly looked to build a partnership with innings top-scorer Malcolm Waller 48,but he too was involved in a mix-up in the middle and run out. All seven Zimbabwe wickets that fell to bowlers were claimed by spinners as Pakistan strangled the scoring rate on a slow,turning track.

Brief scores: Pakistan 260/6 in 50 overs Ahmed Shehzad 54,Misbah 67; Tendai Chatara 3/48,Hamilton Maskadza 1/9 bt Zimbabwe 152 in 40 overs Malcolm Waller 48; Abdur Rehman 2/23,Saeed Ajmal 2/15

Hales hits 94,England draw T20 series

Durham: England opener Alex Hales belted a blistering 94 in 61 deliveries to set up a 27-run victory over Australia in County Durham on Saturday and a 1-1 draw in the two-match series of Twenty20 internationals.

Hales and Michael Lumb 43 put on 111 for the first wicket as England piled up 195 for five at Chester-le-Street.

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Opener David Warner hit a quickfire 53 off 42 balls to raise Australian hopes of a second successive victory but paceman Jade Dernbach grabbed three wickets as they collapsed from 111 for three to finish on 168 for nine.

On Thursday,Aaron Finch smashed a record 156,the highest score in a Twenty20 international,to lead Australia to a 39-run win in the opening encounter at Southampton.

Brief scores: England 195/5 in 20 overs Michael Lumb 43,Alex Hales 94; Fawad Ahmed 3/25 bt Australia 168/9 in 20 overs David Warner 53G Maxwell 27; Jade Dernbach 3/23