Zimbabwe vs. Pakistan, 3rd ODI: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info and Preview

Zimbabwe and Pakistan will meet on Monday, October 5 in Harare to decide who wins their one-day international series, with the teams tied 1-1 after the hosts' controversial win on Saturday. Ten Sports will provide TV coverage for viewers from India and Pakistan through their channel Ten Cricket, with live streams available online by clicking here.

Pakistan came agonisingly close to chasing down Zimbabwe's total of 276/8 thanks to a wonderful late rally, led by Shoaib Malik, but bad light forced the umpires to call the match, giving the hosts a five-run win via the D/L method. Pakistan's comeback was nearly complete, and with the umpires not giving advanced warning, the visitors had every right to feel aggrieved.

Here's everything you need to know about the third and final ODI between these two teams.

Date: Monday, October 5

Time: 8:30 a.m. BST/9:30 a.m. CAT

Venue: Harare Sports Club, Zimbabwe

Preview

Zimbabwe's win on Saturday was well deserved after a fantastic performance from their bowlers, but in light of the way the match ended, fans and pundits alike were obviously disappointed. People watching from Pakistan were particularly upset:

Malik was in the midst of one of the best international innings of his career, having scored 96 from 106 and leading Pakistan back to the brink of victory after defeat seemed certain. Zimbabwe had done a magnificent job of limiting Pakistan's production, with just four batsmen scoring double digits, but the partnership of Malik and Yasir Shah (32 from 22) was motoring.

The umpires were monitoring the light, however, and as soon as play stopped, the hosts were quick to shake hands and head for the exit, even though play had only been suspended. Malik entered in a discussion with the umpires, knowing his team were close to bridging the gap via D/L method, but ultimately, the match was called without another ball bowled, leaving Pakistan six runs short of their modified target.

Sports Writer Faizhan Lakani gave the Pakistani team plenty of credit for an amazing battle:

As reported by ESPN Cricinfo, Azhar Ali didn't want to dwell on the decision to halt play and instead focused on the positives: "It was a lovely game, Malik and Yamin made us comeback in the game when it looked like a one-sided game. Zimbabwe played really well, we could have retricted them to under 250, but they played well at the end. But we lost too many wickets at the start."

Where Pakistan's spinners dominated the first ODI, it was Zimbabwe's turn to impress with the ball on Saturday. Ali and Bilal Asif, Pakistan's openers, were limited to just a single run between the two of them before both lost their wicket.

Asad Shafiq also managed just one, while Sarfraz Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan and Wahab Riaz were limited to single-digit totals to slow down the chase.

Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi/Associated Press

Zimbabwe's aggressive bowling was a group effort, with Tinashe Panyangara leading the way with two wickets. All the bowlers comfortably kept their economy rate under seven, and with the luxury of a handful of early wickets, they took plenty of risks.

It wasn't until Malik started speeding up toward the end of the innings, realising his team were still within striking distance, that Zimbabwe's bowling started showing signs of weakness. By then it was too late, with the fading light sealing Pakistan's fate.

The 33-year-old took to Twitter to apologise to his fans:

Chamu Chibhabha shone brightest with the bat for Zimbabwe, scoring 90 off 125, while captain Elton Chigumbura added 67 from 55. Wahab Riaz ended the innings with four wickets, but even he allowed the hosts to do far too much damage early, giving up 63 runs in 10 overs.

Pakistan remain the favourites to win the series, having already taken both Twenty20 matches between the two sides, but they'll need to get back to their strengths to win Monday's clash. Their bowling made the difference in the first ODI, with wickets falling quickly thanks to a spin masterclass, and the visitors shouldn't be afraid to go back to that on Monday.

All statistics are courtesy of ESPN Cricinfo. 

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