Pak XI's Zimbabwe Tour

[Mirza Ghalib]

Shehzad, Afridi mastermind Pakistan victory
August 23, 2013

HARARE: Ahmed Shehzad shone with the bat and Shahid Afridi struck with the ball as Pakistan opened their tour of Zimbabwe with a comfortable victory in the first Twenty20 international on Friday.

Shehzad's measured 70 allowed Pakistan to post a strong total of 161 for five, before Afridi snubbed out Zimbabwean resistance with three wickets to secure a 25-run victory.

Although Zimbabwe were much improved from the side that lost a recent one-day series against India 5-0, they let things slip in the field midway through the Pakistan innings and also lost their way after a promising start with the bat.

Shehzad's patience up front proved key to the match as he saw out a tricky opening period when Pakistan lost Nasir Jamshed and captain Mohammad Hafeez to Tendai Chatara, before slowly taking control against Zimbabwe's other seamers.

"Early on it was doing a bit. They bowled a good channel and that's why they picked up a couple of wickets, but after six overs the ball was coming on nicely and I was able to manoeuvre the ball," Shehzad said.

The opener took 17 runs off Elton Chigumbura's first over to put the pressure back on Zimbabwe, and shared in a 55-run stand with debutant Sohaib Maqsood.

Shehzad struck six fours and a six in his 50-ball innings before he was eventually caught on the boundary off the bowling of Shingirai Masakadza.

Afridi ensured that Pakistan finished strongly, hitting 23 not out from 16 deliveries, and then made key breakthroughs in the Zimbabwean innings in claiming figures of 3 for 25.

The home side started brightly with a 53-run opening stand between Hamilton Masakadza and Vusi Sibanda, but their inability to accelerate from a solid base meant that they never really threatened to achieve their target.

Afridi picked up the wickets of Sibanda and Timycen Maruma after laboured innings by both batsmen, and also dismissed the dangerous Chigumbura cheaply.

Although Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor came in at number three and finished unbeaten, he was often starved of the strike as he faced just 30 balls in top-scoring with 32.

Malcolm Waller's late salvo saw him take a six and a four off Saeed Ajmal's final over, but with too much to do Zimbabwe finished well short of the line.

"We always know that once we score 150-plus, it will be tough for the opposition to score the runs with our good bowling side," Hafeez said.

The two teams will face off again at the same venue in the second and final Twenty20 international on Saturday.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-11499 ... -victory--

[Mirza Ghalib]

Shehzad, Hafeez heroics give Pakistan series win over Zimbabwe

Published at 2013-08-24

HARARE: Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez shared a 143-run partnership with Ahmed Shehzad and then took three crucial wickets to set up a 19-run win over Zimbabwe in the second Twenty20 international on Saturday, clinching a 2-0 series win for the tourists.

Zimbabwe finished on 160-6 in 20 overs chasing Pakistan's 179-1.

Shehzad hit 98 not out and Hafeez an unbeaten 54 for the bulk of Pakistan's total, with their 143-run stand for the second wicket coming off just 86 balls as Zimbabwe's bowlers were battered for the 14 overs the pair were together.

Hafeez also made a key contribution with the ball to claim the first three Zimbabwe wickets with his offspin, including top-scorer Hamilton Masakadza for 41. Elton Chigumbura hit 35 not out from 19 balls at the end in a losing effort for Zimbabwe, which got slightly closer than the first game on Friday, when the hosts lost by 25 runs.

Zulfiqar Babar took 2-21 to back up Hafeez's three wickets for Pakistan.

Shehzad won the man of the match and man of the series awards after his second straight half-century of the series.

The opener's 98 on Saturday came off just 64 balls and he just missed out on a maiden T20 century after needing three runs off the last ball of the innings to go to three figures. He only managed a single having already smashed six fours and six sixes in his brutal knock.

Hafeez's half-century was off 40 deliveries and the pair carved Zimbabwe's attack apart from the sixth over after Nasir Jamshed was out for 23 and Pakistan was 36-1.

Seamer Shingirai Masakadza was the only wicket taker with 1-42 and six of Zimbabwe's seven bowlers went for more than seven runs an over.

Shehzad clubbed sixes in the 19th and 20th overs to race toward his century but was thwarted right at the end when, on 97, he could only clip the ball to midwicket for a single. Pakistan still had enough.

Zimbabwe openers Vusi Sibanda and Hamilton Masakadza shared a 50-run opening stand, but Hafeez removed Sibanda, captain Brendan Taylor and Masakadza in the space of 45 runs to dent Zimbabwe's hopes.

Babar dismissed Sean Williams and Timycen Maruma in the space of three balls to leave Zimbabwe reeling at 104-5 and the home team couldn't recover despite Chigumbura's two fours and two sixes near the end. The countries also will contest three one-day internationals and two tests on the three-week tour.

http://www.dawn.com/news/1038050/shehza ... r-zimbabwe

[Mirza Ghalib]

Pakistan beat Zimbabwe to level series
By Mushtaq A Subhani

August 29, 2013

HARARE: Pakistan defeated Zimbabwe by 90 runs in the second One-day International to level the three-match series here at the Harare Sports Club ground on Thursday.

Chasing a huge target of 300, Zimbabwe were going well towards victory with 200-4 in 39th over when Saeed Ajmal dismissed Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor who top scored with 79.

Then pace bowler Junaid Khan got two wickets in one over and later Abdul Rehman also got two to wrap up the match as the hosts were all out for 209 in 42.4 overs.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-11584 ... vel-series

[Mirza Ghalib]

Hafeez, Junaid wrap up big win for Pakistan

2013-08-29

HARARE: A commanding century by Mohammad Hafeez and a four-wicket haul from left-arm seamer Junaid Khan led Pakistan to a series-levelling victory over Zimbabwe in the second one-day international on Thursday.

After Hafeez had carried Pakistan to an imposing total of 299 for four with an unbeaten 136, Junaid stubbed out a promising run chase by the Zimbabweans to secure a a 90-run win and set up a series decider on Saturday.

Captain Brendan Taylor led Zimbabwe's reply from the front with an assured 79, but his dismissal saw the hosts collapse from 200 for four in the 39th over to 209 all out in the 43rd as Junaid finished with figures of 4 for 15.

Taylor had shared partnerships with Hamilton Masakadza, Sean Williams and Malcolm Waller as Zimbabwe laid a platform for what would have been the highest successful run chase at Harare Sports Club, only for Junaid and Saeed Ajmal to snuff it out.

Ajmal induced a top-edge from Taylor that was taken one-handed by seven-foot Pakistan bowler Mohammad Irfan, and in the next over Junaid dismissed both Waller and Elton Chigumbura to end any hopes of victory for Zimbabwe.

Pakistan's batsmen had struggled in the first ODI on Tuesday, which they lost by seven wickets, leading captain Misbah-ul-Haq to call on them to end a prolonged run of substandard performances in 50-over cricket.

Hafeez answered that call with a superb knock, hitting five sixes but also showing restraint after Pakistan had stuttered to 84 for three in the 22nd over.

The 32-year-old gained control of the innings in a 129-run stand with Umar Amin, who recorded his maiden half-century.

Although the pair added just 66 runs over their first 23 overs together, they cashed in on the batting powerplay when they hammered 43 runs in five overs.

Amin was brilliantly run out by Tendai Chatara soon after, but Hafeez went to his century in the following over and was well supported by Shahid Afridi in the final stages of the innings.

“We were not thinking to score 300 to be honest, we were thinking of about 260, but the two partnerships with Umar Amin and Shahid Afridi really made the difference,” said Hafeez.

Afridi clubbed three sixes on his way to 39 not out as Pakistan took 64 runs from the final five overs of the innings, leaving Zimbabwe with a target that proved well beyond them.

“They just ran away from us, and scoring 300 against that attack is always going to be difficult,” Taylor said.

“Credit to them - they came back strong, and we're going to need our best performance on Saturday.”

Lineups:

Zimbabwe: Hamilton Masakadza, Vusi Sibanda, Brendan Taylor, Timycen Maruma, Sean Williams, Malcolm Waller, Elton Chigumbura, Prosper Utseya, Tinashe Panyangara, Tendai Chatara, Brian Vitori.

Pakistan: Nasir Jamshed, Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Amin, Shahid Afridi, Sarfraz Ahmed, Abdul Rehman, Saeed Ajmal, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Irfan.

http://www.dawn.com/news/1039157/hafeez ... r-pakistan

[Mirza Ghalib]

Pakistan win third ODI and series against Zimbabwe

By Mushtaq A Subhani
August 31, 2013

HARARE: Pakistan defeated Zimbabwe by 108 runs in the third and final One-day International to take the three-match series 2-1 here at the Harare Sports Club ground on Saturday.

After being sent into bat by Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor, Pakistan made 260 for six in 50 overs and then their spinners bowled Zimbabwe out for 152 in 40 overs.

Off-break bowlers Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Hafeez, and left-arm spinner Abdul Rehman grabbed two wickets each while leg-spinner Shahid Afridi took one wicket.

Only Malcolm Waller provided some resistance, coming at number six and was the last man to be out for a valuable 48 with four boundaries.

Among others, three batsmen scored in the twenties while the remaining batsmen could not reach the double-figures.

Earlier, Misbah-ul-Haq led from the front to take Pakistan to a competitive total. He was the mainstay of the batting as usual scoring 67 off 85 balls with 6 fours while opener Ahmed Shehzad made 54 off 85 balls.

Umar Amin (33 off 25 balls) and Sarfraz Ahmed (22 off 13 balls) tried to accelerate towards the end.

Mohammad Hafeez who had retired hurt earlier with a hamstring injury, came to bat again after Sarfraz’s dismissal and remained not out for 26.

Pace bowler Tendai Chatara was the pick of the Zimbabwe attack picking up three for 48.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-11616 ... t-Zimbabwe

[Mirza Ghalib]

Younis, Misbah lead Pakistan fightback

Ajmal took all three wickets that fell on Wednesday as the host nation added 46 runs to their overnight 281 for seven

Published at2013-09-05 18:12:09

HARARE: Veteran Younis Khan and captain Misbah-ul-Haq led a Pakistan fightback after his side lost three early second-innings wickets on the third day of the first Test against Zimbabwe at the Harare Sports Club on Thursday.

Pakistan were 168 for four at the close, a lead of 90 runs, with Younis unbeaten on 76.

Both senior Pakistani players ground out a fourth-wicket stand of 116 after their side, who trailed by 78 runs after the first innings, slipped to 23 for three against Zimbabwe's new ball bowlers Tinashe Panyangara and Tendai Chatara.

It was slow going against accurate bowling on a pitch of occasional low bounce. The partnership occupied 48.4 overs and Pakistan were still in trouble when Misbah played too early at a slower ball from Shingi Masakadza and gave a simple catch to cover.

Misbah made 52 off 157 balls, with four fours.

Younis and Asad Shafiq saw out the day and will resume on Friday, with a new ball due after 10 more overs. Younis, who came to the crease soon after lunch, had faced 174 balls by the close and hit seven fours, while Shafiq was 15 not out.

They will aim to take their side to a total which will give off-spinner Saeed Ajmal a chance of bowling Zimbabwe out. Ajmal took seven for 95 in Zimbabwe's first innings of 327.

Ajmal took all three Zimbabwe wickets that fell on Thursday as the host nation added 46 runs to their overnight 281 for seven. It was his eighth haul of five or more wickets in Tests, but his best figures remain seven for 55 against England in Dubai in January 2012.

Elton Chigumbura became the third Zimbabwe batsman to score a half-century, making 69 before he was ninth out, caught off bat and pad at short leg by Azhar Ali after a 129-ball innings which included eight boundaries.

Pakistan made a disastrous start to their second innings, losing Khurram Manzoor before lunch, with Azhar Ali and Mohammad Hafeez following soon after the interval.

Tinashe Panyangara took two wickets for 12 runs in an opening spell of eight overs. Predominantly swinging the ball away from the right-handed batsmen, he gained both his wickets with deliveries which cut back, trapping Manzoor and Azhar leg before wicket.

Tendai Chatara claimed the third wicket when Hafeez drove a catch to short cover.

http://www.dawn.com/news/1040746/younis ... -fightback

[Mirza Ghalib]

Younis double century sees Pakistan to lead of 341

September 06, 2013

HARARE: Younis Khan reached his double century with a six and Pakistan immediately declared its second innings on 419-9, a lead of 341 over Zimbabwe on day four of the first test on Friday.

Younis just made it to 200 not out before the planned declaration from captain Misbah-ul-Haq, leaving Zimbabwe way behind and just over three sessions to survive in the series opener.

Younis hit 15 fours and three late sixes in his double hundred, and shared century partnerships with Misbah and Adnan Akmal (64) to lift Pakistan out of trouble after the tourists trailed by 78 runs following the first innings.

Younis was almost solely responsible for the turnaround, facing 404 balls and taking Pakistan from 23-3 early in its second innings to a position of dominance. (AP)

http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-11705 ... d-of-341--

[Mirza Ghalib]

Rehman, Ajmal combine to take Zimbabwe down

Published at2013-09-07 15:45:47

HARARE: Pakistan removed nine Zimbabwe batsmen in a session to race to a 221-run victory on the final day of the first test as the host crumbled to 120 all out at Harare Sports Club on Saturday.

Spinners Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman had four wickets each to rip the heart out of Zimbabwe's batting lineup, which came nowhere near the 342 it needed to win on the final day.

Ajmal had 4-23 and Rehman 4-36 to complete the fightback for Pakistan, which had surrendered a 78-run first-innings deficit before turning the match around in the second innings.

Younis Khan's 200 not out was the game-changing contribution as the tourists made 419-9 declared to set the Zimbabweans an improbable target.

Zimbabwe lasted just 46.4 overs in its second innings.

Scores: Pakistan 249 and 419-9 declared (Younis Khan 200 not out; Prosper Utseya 3-137) def. Zimbabwe 327 and 120 (Elton Chigumbura 28; Saeed Ajmal 4-23, Abdur Rehman 4-36) by 221 runs.

[Mirza Ghalib]

Mediocrity won't win you Tests, Misbah tells batsmen
Agencies

HARARE: Pakistan's batting woes returned to haunt them as Zimbabwe pulled off a dramatic 24-run win to level the series on the fifth day of the second Test at the Harare Sports Club on Saturday.

Inexperienced Zimbabwe fast bowler Tendai Chatara took five for 61 as Pakistan were bowled out for 239 despite an unbeaten 79 by Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq.

“The batting is a bit of a worry,” said Misbah, looking ahead to Pakistan's next Test series, against world champions South Africa in the United Arab Emirates next month.

“All the batsmen have to learn from their mistakes. You can't win Test matches with twenties and thirties. You have to score big runs like Younis Khan did in the first Test.”

Younis scored the only century of the series, an unbeaten 200 in the first Test, which Pakistan won by 221 runs at the same venue.

Misbah and opening batsman Khurram Manzoor both scored two half-centuries in the second Test, while Younis contributed 77 in the first innings. But the rest of the batting failed against the spirited Zimbabwean attack.

“Zimbabwe deserved the victory,” said Misbah.

“They played excellent cricket in the first Test as well. From the start they were positive and they kept us under pressure throughout the game.”

Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor praised his team. “It takes a lot of character to come back from a big loss. Beating a world-class team is a wonderful feeling.”

He said the bowlers had performed particularly well considering the team did not have a bowling coach.

Taylor said Zimbabwe's performance in the first Test, in which they were on top for much of the match, had shown the importance of not relaxing.

“Even though we won the Test we learnt a lot from the way Pakistan went about playing.”

It was only Zimbabwe's fifth win against a major Test nation - their third against Pakistan - and their most significant victory since they beat India in 2000/01.

Resuming at 158 for five, Pakistan suffered an early blow when Chatara trapped Adnan Akmal leg before wicket with only five runs added. Akmal, who made 20, went back to a ball which angled in towards his stumps.

Abdur Rehman scored 16 in a seventh wicket partnership of 34 with Misbah, who was content to continue to bat watchfully, as he had done on the fourth afternoon, before Rehman was caught behind off Tinashe Panyangara.

Chatara returned to the attack and immediately claimed the wicket of Saeed Ajmal in almost identical fashion to the way he dismissed Akmal, with the batsmen going back to a ball which cut back sharply and hit him on the pads.

Misbah faced 161 balls in reaching 58 at lunch. He stepped up the pace after the interval, keeping the strike with singles in the first two overs from Chatara and Brian Vitori, then taking 11 runs off an over from Chatara, including two boundaries. Two more fours came from Vitori's next over.

The second four off Vitori meant, however, that Junaid had to face the second new ball, which was taken with 26 runs needed. Chatara had Junaid caught at gully with the fourth delivery.

Last batsman Rahat Ali edged a single off the next delivery. Seeking to retain the strike, Misbah pushed the last ball of the over into the covers but sent Rahat back as Hamilton Masakadza swooped to pick up the ball.

Rahat was unable to regain his crease and was run out comfortably, sparking exuberant celebrations by the Zimbabwe players.

http://dawn.com/news/1042839/mediocrity ... ls-batsmen