Zimbabwe's batters stumbled for the third successive time and were in danger of a clean sweep before 21-year-old Maposa smashed left-arm fast bowler Jahandad Khan for a four and a six in the final over, with the home team reaching their target on 8-133 with a ball to spare.Â
Maposa's contribution was a critical 12no off four balls.
WATCH: A moment to treasure forever for Tinotenda Maposa as he receives his first T20I cap from skipper — Zimbabwe Cricket (@ZimCricketv) @SRazaB24. 🧢#ZIMvPAK #VisitZimbabwe pic.twitter.com/czKh6SJWu2December 5, 2024
Pakistan, who made four changes after taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series, were earlier restricted to 7-132 after the visitors won the toss and elected to bat.
Tall fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani picked up two wickets inside the power play while Maposa struck with his medium pace and removed Tayyab Tahir (21) just when Pakistan looked to rebuild the innings.
Captain Salman Ali Agha held one end up with run-a-ball 32 and contributed 30 with Qasim Akram (20), who fell in the 12th over to a splendid catch by Dion Myers at backward point.
Zimbabwe didn't allow Salman to accelerate in the death overs with the Pakistan skipper getting run-out in a mix-up with Arafat Minhas, who remained unbeaten on 22.
Zimbabwe had lost eight wickets for 31 in the first game to lose by 57 runs and then fell to a new low when they got bowled out for their lowest T20 score of 57 in the second game and lost by 10 wickets.
But in the absence of rested fast bowler Haris Rauf, Pakistan's second-string pacers struggled in the powerplay as Brian Bennett (43) and Tadiwanashe Marumani (15) clobbered 40 off the first 19 balls.
Bennettt was hard on Rauf's replacement Mohammad Hasnain as he smacked four boundaries against the pacer in one over which went for 19.
Marumani fell to off-spinner Salman in the fourth over when he spooned at catch at square leg before Bennett holed out in the deep against the left-arm wrist spinner Sufiyan Muqeem, who grabbed five wickets for just three runs in the second match.
Muqeem (1-19) kept up the pressure and bowled his final-over maiden as Zimbabwe lost six wickets for 47 with fast bowler Abbas Afridi claiming 3-24.
With 12 needed in the final over, Maposa struck Jahandad for a boundary to fine leg off the first ball before smacking the fast bowler over the mid-wicket for a big six next ball.
Jahandad couldn't run out Maposa on the third ball as he missed the stumps at the non-striker's end.Â
With two needed off three balls Tashinga Musekiwa holed out at wide mid-on but Richard Ngarava took the home team over the line by driving the seamer to mid-on for victory.
