BULAWAYO: Pakistan recorded an easy seven-wicket victory on the fifth
and the final say of the one-off Test against Zimbabwe here at the
Queen’s Sports Club ground on Monday.Needing 88 runs to win, they completed the chase losing three wickets just before the lunch on the final day.Mohammad
Hafeez, who hit a century in the first innings made 38 while Azhar Ali
contributed 22 and opener Taufeeq Umar scored eight runs.Veteran Younis Khan and captain Misbah-ul-Haq remained not out on 14 and six, respectively.Having
been put into bat by Pakistan captain Misbah ul Haq, Zimbabwe reached
412 all out in their first innings before the tourists replied with 466
all out to establish a first-innings lead of 54.There was
not much in it at that stage but Zimbabwe's second effort collapsed to
135-8 at the close of the fourth day, leaving the Pakistanis with the
prospect of a routine mop-up operation.Man of the match was Pakistan's Mohammad Hafeez, who scored 119 and took four wickets for 31.With
one more wicket he would have recorded a 'viper' in cricket terms a
century plus five wickets in an innings -- but he did not get a bowl in
the final session.Zimbabwe's opening innings score of 412
looked likely to secure at least a draw, which was their prime target in
terms of their need to gain respectability in top cricket circles after
being readmitted to Tests after a gap of six years.And if
they had not dropped seven Pakistan wickets in their first innings, plus
a fumbled run-out opportunity, the tourists' response might have been
much lower than 466.The Zimbabweans' batsmen were exposed by both Pakistan seam and spin in the second innings.
The wicket had deteriorated and they showed inexperience in dealing with it. Five wickets were lost before they even got past the 54-run deficit.Only Tatenda Taibu and Kyle Jarvis stood between a single figure total and the 141 runs they eventually managed to scrape together.They put on 66 for the ninth wicket during the late afternoon of the fourth day not quite a face-saving effort, more a reprimand to their colleagues.However, the Zimbabwe innings lasted only 15 balls on Monday morning, Taibu and last man Christopher Mpofu falling to Cheema.Pakistan lost Hafeez, Tafeeq Umar and Azhar Ali in reaching the winning line, but concentration levels required could not have been of the highest.The first of three one-day internationals will be played here on Thursday, followed by the other two in the series and two Twenty20 matches to round out the Pakistan tour in Harare.
The wicket had deteriorated and they showed inexperience in dealing with it. Five wickets were lost before they even got past the 54-run deficit.Only Tatenda Taibu and Kyle Jarvis stood between a single figure total and the 141 runs they eventually managed to scrape together.They put on 66 for the ninth wicket during the late afternoon of the fourth day not quite a face-saving effort, more a reprimand to their colleagues.However, the Zimbabwe innings lasted only 15 balls on Monday morning, Taibu and last man Christopher Mpofu falling to Cheema.Pakistan lost Hafeez, Tafeeq Umar and Azhar Ali in reaching the winning line, but concentration levels required could not have been of the highest.The first of three one-day internationals will be played here on Thursday, followed by the other two in the series and two Twenty20 matches to round out the Pakistan tour in Harare.
