Zimbabwe vs. Pakistan: Scorecard, Recap and More from the First T20 in Harare

Pakistan's tour of Zimbabwe began with a T20 in Harare, and they won emphatically after batting first and defending a target of 161 by 25 runs.

Zimbabwe, who went winless when they hosted India earlier in the month, were competitive, but ultimately a clear second.

The star of the show for Pakistan was Ahmed Shehzad, who hit the only half-century of the match and ensured Pakistan had a sizeable total to defend.

Here's the breakdown of the match and the scorecard.

Pakistan innings: 161-5 (20 overs, Shehzad 70 from 50)

Ahmed Shehzad's 50-ball 70 helped Pakistan post a decent score in their 20 overs after a shaky start.

Shehzad, opening for the tourists, held the innings together as his top-order partners disappeared cheaply.

"

Zimbabwe lost to Pakistan by 25 runs - their 18th T20I loss in their last 19 games since May 2010 #ZimvPak #T20I

— Mohandas Menon (@mohanstatsman) August 23, 2013"

Nasir Jamshed (2) and skipper Mohammad Hafeez (3) were both victims of opening bowler Tendai Chatara, while Umar Amin then laboured to an 18-ball 14 before his exit to the supremely economical Prosper Utseya (4-0-15-1).

Shehzad was unspectacular at first, mustering just 26 from as many balls by the halfway point of the innings. 

He opened up soon after, though, aided by a feisty cameo from Sohaib Maqsood, ended on 26 from 16 balls when Vusi Sibanda took a superb running catch in the deep.

Shehzad perished in the same region later, standing his ground in vain as Malcolm Waller took a smart catch of his own on the rope, but Shahid Afridi's unbeaten 23 saw Pakistan home to a defendable total.

Zimbabwe innings: 136-5 (20 overs)

Zimbabwe made a solid start to the chase. Their opening partnership of Sibanda (31) and Hamilton Masakadza (18) added 53 runs before Masakadza was caught plumb in front by Anwar Ali.

Brendan Taylor laid the foundations for another partnership, but by the mid-point of the innings, the scoring had slowed and the required run rate had crept up to 9.8 an over.

When Afridi and Hafeez came on, they strangled the run rate further, taking a wicket each to leave the hosts toiling.

Taylor was stranded on an unbeaten 32 as the total receded further and further from sight, and by the final over, the target of 32 runs was well out of reach.

The two sides meet again in the second T20 on Saturday.

Here's the scorecard, courtesy of the BBC:

Pakistan Innings 161 for 5 (20.0 overs)       Runs Minutes Balls 4s 6s Shehzad c Waller b S Masakadza 70 72 50 6 1 Jamshed c Vitori b Chatara 2 6 5 0 0 Hafeez c Taylor b Chatara 3 6 8 0 0 Amin c Taylor b Utseya 14 24 18 1 0 Maqsood c Sibanda b Chigumbura 26 21 16 1 2 Shahid Afridi not out   23 21 16 1 1 Anwar Ali not out   10 7 7 1 0 Extras 0nb 8w 0b 5lb 13   Total for 5 161 (20.0 ovs) Bowler Overs Maidens Runs Wickets Utseya 4.0 0 15 1 Chatara 4.0 0 30 2 Vitori 4.0 0 26 0 S Masakadza 4.0 0 37 1 Williams 2.0 0 18 0 Chigumbura 2.0 0 30 1 Fall of Wicket   14 Jamshed 21 Hafeez 51 Amin 106 Maqsood 135 Shehzad   Zimbabwe Innings 136 for 5 (20.0 overs)       Runs Minutes Balls 4s 6s H Masakadza lbw b Anwar Ali 18 29 16 3 0 Sibanda   b Shahid Afridi 31 50 42 3 0 Taylor not out   32 48 30 3 0 Williams lbw b Hafeez 9   7 1 0 Maruma st Sarfraz Ahmed b Shahid Afridi 10 14 13 1 0 Chigumbura   b Shahid Afridi 6 2 5 1 0 Waller not out   14 6 7 1 1 Extras 0nb 9w 5b 2lb 16   Total for 5 136 (20.0 ovs) Bowler Overs Maidens Runs Wickets Tanvir 4.0 0 23 0 Irfan 3.0 0 18 0 Anwar Ali 3.0 0 21 1 Ajmal 4.0 0 30 0 Shahid Afridi 4.0 0 25 3 Hafeez 2.0 0 12 1 Fall of Wicket   53 H Masakadza 80 Sibanda 89 Williams 111 Maruma 117 Chigumbura