Zimbabwe and Pakistan have built a cricketing rivalry spanning more than three decades, and this Zimbabwe National Cricket Team vs Pakistan National Cricket Team timeline traces every major series, upset, and statistical milestone from their first meeting in 1992 through their most recent clashes in late 2025. Pakistan has dominated the overall record across Test, ODI, and T20I cricket, yet Zimbabwe’s rare wins have produced some of the most memorable shocks in the sport’s history. This guide breaks down the complete series-by-series history, key head-to-head statistics, and the moments that continue to define this Full Member matchup.
Overall Head-to-Head Record
Pakistan leads Zimbabwe decisively across every format-12-3 in Tests, 56-6 in ODIs, and 18-3 in T20Is-since the two sides first played each other in 1992. Despite the lopsided numbers, Zimbabwe has recorded historic wins in 1995, 2013, 2022, and 2025 that keep this rivalry relevant among cricket fans and stats followers tracking bilateral series and World Cup meetings.
Read more: Zimbabwe National Cricket Team vs Pakistan National Cricket Team Timeline.
When Did Zimbabwe and Pakistan First Play Each Other?
Zimbabwe and Pakistan met for the first time in international cricket on 27 February 1992 at Hobart during the Benson & Hedges World Cup, where Pakistan won by 53 runs after posting 254 for 4 and restricting Zimbabwe to 201. That fixture arrived during Pakistan’s eventual title-winning World Cup campaign under Imran Khan, giving the rivalry an early stamp of significance despite the one-sided scoreline.
Zimbabwe had only recently gained full ODI status at that tournament, and the experience gap was obvious from the outset. Pakistan followed up with further wins in Sharjah and Harare within the same year, quickly establishing a pattern of dominance that would largely hold for the next three decades.
Early Bilateral Fixtures Through the 1990s
Additional ODIs followed in Rawalpindi and Karachi through late 1992 and 1993, with Pakistan winning every encounter comfortably during this opening phase. This early stretch set the stage for the format’s Test debut between the two nations, which arrived just months later and introduced an entirely new dimension to the rivalry.
Complete Test Match Timeline: Zimbabwe vs Pakistan
Zimbabwe and Pakistan have played 15 Test matches since December 1993, with Pakistan winning 12 and Zimbabwe winning 3, including a historic innings victory in 1995 and a tense drawn series in 2013.
The two teams played their inaugural Test in Karachi from 1-6 December 1993, where Pakistan won by 131 runs, before completing a 2-0 series sweep with a further win in Rawalpindi. What makes this Test rivalry compelling isn’t just the frequency of Pakistani wins, but the two occasions when Zimbabwe turned the tables completely.
- 1993/94: Pakistan won the three-Test series 2-0, including a 131-run win in the series opener at Karachi
- 1994/95: Zimbabwe secured their maiden Test win over Pakistan, triumphing by an innings and 64 runs in Harare
- 1996/97: Pakistan bounced back to win a two-Test series
- 1998: Pakistan won a closely fought three-Test series 2-1
- 2002/03: Pakistan swept the two-Test series 2-0 on Zimbabwean soil
- 2011: Pakistan won the standalone Test comfortably
- 2013: The two-Test series finished level at 1-1, with Zimbabwe winning one Test outright
- 2021: Pakistan completed a 2-0 whitewash, their most recent Test series against Zimbabwe
Why Zimbabwe’s 1995 Test Win Still Matters
Zimbabwe’s innings-and-64-run victory in Harare in 1995 remains one of the most significant results in the country’s Test history, since it came against a Pakistan side featuring some of the era’s finest fast bowlers. This win proved Zimbabwe could compete with genuine authority in the longest format, not merely survive against superior opposition, and it remains a reference point whenever this fixture’s history comes up in cricket discussions.
The 2013 Series and Its Lasting Significance
The 2013 series deserves separate mention because it showed Zimbabwe could match Pakistan even outside the home comforts of a single standout performance. A drawn series against a team that had otherwise dominated them 12 times out of 15 signaled genuine progress in Zimbabwean red-ball cricket, even if that momentum didn’t fully carry forward into the 2021 series, which Pakistan won comfortably.
ODI History: The Most Frequently Contested Format
Pakistan and Zimbabwe have played 65 ODIs since 1992, with Pakistan winning 56 matches, Zimbabwe winning 6, and the remainder ending in no-result or tied outcomes, making ODIs by far the most one-sided format between the two nations.
The ODI head-to-head carries the largest sample size in this rivalry, stretching from the 1992 World Cup through a series played as recently as late 2024. Several individual series stand out for shaping the broader narrative:
- 1992/93: Pakistan won the opening ODI series 1-0
- 1993: The series split 1-1 across two matches, an early sign of Zimbabwean competitiveness
- 1996: Pakistan swept a three-match series 3-0
- 1998: Pakistan won 2-1 in a three-match series
- 2015: Pakistan again won 2-1 in a closely fought series
- 2018: Pakistan completed a dominant 5-0 sweep across a full five-match series
- 2020: Pakistan won 2-1, though Zimbabwe forced a Super Over in one of the matches
- November 2024: Zimbabwe won the series opener by 80 runs via the DLS method at Bulawayo, before Pakistan responded to win the series 2-1
The 2024 Bulawayo ODI Shock
Zimbabwe’s win in the opening ODI of the November 2024 series broke a long stretch of near-total Pakistani control in bilateral white-ball cricket. An 80-run margin under DLS conditions against a higher-ranked opponent is a genuinely significant result, and it briefly shifted momentum before Pakistan reasserted dominance across the remaining fixtures of that tour. Zimbabwe had also beaten Pakistan via a Super Over in late 2020, showing this wasn’t an isolated case of late-innings resilience.
T20I Timeline: Where the Gap Has Narrowed the Most
Pakistan leads the T20I head-to-head 18-3 across 21 completed matches, but Zimbabwe’s wins at the 2022 T20 World Cup and during the 2025 tri-series show this format has become noticeably more competitive than the historical numbers suggest.
T20I cricket between the two sides began later than Tests and ODIs, but has grown busier with the rise of tri-nation tournaments and expanded bilateral tours. Key results include:
- 2013 and 2015 bilateral series: Pakistan won both 2-0
- October 2022, ICC T20 World Cup, Perth: Zimbabwe won by 1 run, one of the most dramatic finishes in tournament history
- December 2024, Bulawayo series: Pakistan won the opener by 57 runs, lost the second match by 10 wickets, and then Zimbabwe closed out a 2-wicket win in the decider.
- November 2025, Pakistan T20I Tri-Series: Pakistan won the tri-series opener by 5 wickets on 18 November, before Zimbabwe answered with a 69-run win on 23 November in Rawalpindi
The 2022 Perth Result That Changed the Conversation
Zimbabwe’s one-run win over Pakistan at the 2022 T20 World Cup remains the single most replayed moment in this rivalry’s short-format history. A margin that thin, against a side with considerably more depth and international experience, demonstrated that Zimbabwe could genuinely compete in T20 cricket even when the broader head-to-head told a different story. That result complicated Pakistan’s net run-rate calculations at a critical stage of the tournament and continues to feature in discussions of the biggest World Cup upsets in the format’s history.
Head-to-Head Records Across All Formats
| Format | Matches Played | Pakistan Wins | Zimbabwe Wins | Other Results |
| Tests | 15 | 12 | 3 | 0 |
| ODIs | 65 | 56 | 6 | 3 (NR/Tied) |
| T20Is | 21 | 18 | 3 | 0 |
This table captures the full arc of the Zimbabwe National Cricket Team vs Pakistan National Cricket Team timeline: consistent Pakistani superiority across every format, tempered by a handful of results that have proven genuinely historic for Zimbabwean cricket.
Biggest Wins and Most Memorable Matches
Several results stand well above the rest whenever fans search for the defining moments of this rivalry:
- Zimbabwe’s innings-and-64-run Test win in Harare (1995)-their first-ever Test victory over Pakistan
- The drawn 2013 Test series proved that Zimbabwe could match Pakistan over a full series, not just a single innings
- Zimbabwe’s 1-run win at the 2022 T20 World Cup in Perth, arguably the most famous shock in the entire rivalry
- Zimbabwe’s 80-run DLS win in the November 2024 ODI series opener at Bulawayo
- Pakistan’s 5-0 ODI sweep in 2018 was one of the most one-sided series either side has produced
- Zimbabwe’s 69-run T20I win in Rawalpindi, their most recent statement result from November 2025
Latest Meeting Between the Two Teams
The most recent completed international between Zimbabwe and Pakistan was played on 23 November 2025 in Rawalpindi, a T20I fixture that Zimbabwe won by 69 runs during a tri-nation series also featuring other participating sides. This came just five days after Pakistan had won the tri-series opener by 5 wickets on 18 November, meaning the two nations essentially split their most recent head-to-head meetings, a meaningful departure from the historical pattern of Pakistani dominance in bilateral and multi-team T20I cricket.
Why This Rivalry Still Draws Attention Today
Zimbabwe’s gradual improvement in white-ball cricket against a traditionally stronger opponent reflects a wider trend among developing Full Member nations closing the gap in limited-overs formats. Bilateral tours between the two boards also carry significance beyond the scoreline, since Zimbabwe has historically supported Pakistan’s international calendar during periods when other countries were hesitant to tour. That context adds real depth to what could otherwise look like a routine mismatch on paper, and it explains why interest in the Zimbabwe National Cricket Team vs Pakistan National Cricket Team timeline spikes every time a new series or ICC tournament brings the two sides together.
Fantasy cricket users and stats-focused readers track this head-to-head especially closely, since Zimbabwe’s giant-killing performances in ODIs and T20Is make match predictions and squad selection considerably less predictable than the raw win-loss column suggests. With both boards continuing to schedule regular bilateral tours and tri-nation series, fresh chapters keep getting added to this rivalry’s long and occasionally surprising history.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Zimbabwe and Pakistan first play each other in international cricket?
They first met on 27 February 1992 at the Benson & Hedges World Cup in Hobart, where Pakistan won by 53 runs.
How many Test matches have Zimbabwe and Pakistan played?
The two sides have played 15 Tests, with Pakistan winning 12 and Zimbabwe winning 3.
Has Zimbabwe ever won a Test series against Pakistan?
Zimbabwe has not won an outright series, but they recorded a famous innings-and-64-run Test win in Harare in 1995 and drew the 2013 series 1-1.
How many ODIs have Zimbabwe and Pakistan played against each other?
They have played 65 ODIs, with Pakistan winning 56 and Zimbabwe winning 6, along with a small number of no-results and one tied match.
What is Zimbabwe’s biggest recent ODI upset against Pakistan?
Zimbabwe’s 80-run win via the DLS method at Bulawayo in November 2024 stands out as their most significant recent ODI result.
What happened in the 2022 T20 World Cup match between the two teams?
Zimbabwe won by just 1 run in Perth, considered one of the biggest shocks in T20 World Cup history.
When did Zimbabwe last beat Pakistan?
Zimbabwe’s most recent win came on 23 November 2025, a 69-run T20I victory in Rawalpindi during a tri-nation series.
How many T20Is have Zimbabwe and Pakistan played in total?
The two sides have played 21 T20Is, with Pakistan winning 18 and Zimbabwe winning 3.
Who holds the better overall head-to-head record?
Pakistan holds a significantly stronger record across all three formats since the rivalry began in 1992.
Why does this rivalry still generate interest despite the lopsided record?
Zimbabwe’s occasional major upsets in white-ball cricket, combined with the historical significance of bilateral tours between the two boards, keep this matchup relevant for fans following the Zimbabwe National Cricket Team vs Pakistan National Cricket Team timeline season after season.