All through this Test match, there's been a wait for Zimbabwe's inexperienced team to falter. Sure they bowled well when the pitch was fresh in the first session of the game, but could they do it when the track eased up? They did. Sure they bowled well on the first day, but could their brittle batting stand up to Pakistan's highly rated bowling? They did.
The third day was supposed to be the best day for batting in Harare; would their new-look bowling be able to do the job? They certainly started well, bagging three early wickets to consolidate on the 78-run advantage they had after the first innings, causing plenty of excitement over the possibility of Zimbabwe's first Test win over a top eight side in 12 years.
Then they came up against the seasoned firefighters, Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan, who with some old-fashioned Test batting helped Pakistan erase the deficit.
There has been a clamour in Pakistan for inducting more youngsters in the team, but it was Pakistan's two oldest batsmen who revived the side from a precarious 23 for 3 with a 116-run partnership.
Both Younis and Misbah were content with preserving their wicket, not searching for quick runs. They were happy to leave everything they could and put away the flashy shots - the reverse-sweep was brought only to counter a 7-2 leg-side field when offspinner Prosper Utseya was operating round the wicket. The pair neutralised Zimbabwe's limited attack for more than three hours and though they were plenty of half-chances - stumping appeals, inside-edges and bottom edges - the wicket proved elusive.
Younis ended the day unbeaten on 76, a significant innings for a man who had only one 50-plus score in his past 10 Test innings, and was phased out of the ODI side earlier this year. He has made his name as a man who scores when the team is down, a reputation he underlined with another combative innings.
Though the favourite adjective to describe Pakistan cricket is 'mercurial', there is one near certainty when they play - a Misbah half-century. In 10 of his past 13 international innings, he has passed 50, almost all of them after the top order has combusted. On none of those occasions has he gone on to a hundred, and he didn't today either.
Zimbabwe would have been downcast if Pakistan had gone to stumps with only three wickets down. Instead, soon after Misbah reached his fifty, he pushed a catch to cover. Zimbabwe knew just how big a moment it was. The bowler Shingi Masakadza set off on a celebratory run, before pumping his arms and screaming at the skies. In contrast, Misbah was on one knee, bat on the floor with his arms covering his face.
Younis and Shafiq safely negotiated the final 11 overs of the day, taking the lead to 90 and ensuring two specialist batsmen were still in the middle.
The rescue operation was needed after some good work from Zimbabwe's bowlers. As in the first innings, they produced the early breakthroughs not with magic deliveries but by sticking to the basics of line and length.
The sixth over of the innings, bowled by Tinashe Panyangara, which produced the wicket of Khurram Manzoor showcased their method of operation - pitching the ball up and constantly attacking the stumps, making the batsman play. With several deliveries swerving away in the over, Manzoor decided to shoulder arms to one, which turned out to be a straight ball that thudded onto his pads. It looked a touch high but the umpire thought otherwise, and for the second time in the game, Manzoor's innings ended early through a tough decision.
Azhar Ali, who played a vital role in rescuing Pakistan after their top-order failed in the first innings, couldn't do the job this time, as the accurate Panyangara had him trapped lbw for a duck. Neither of the opening bowlers provided any cheap runs, and Panyangara's figures read 7-4-6-2 at one stage.
Mohammad Hafeez has had a forgettable 2013 in Tests, and could have added a golden duck to his string of low scores this year, but his first-ball edge landed short of slips. He didn't last too long anyway, falling tamely after driving a low catch to short cover. His dismissal for 16 left him with a paltry 64 runs in eight innings this year.
That strikes only buoyed a resolute Zimbabwe, whose lower order had hung around for more than an hour in the morning session to fatten what had been a slender overnight lead. Saeed Ajmal's variations proved too much for them, though, and he wiped out the final three wickets to end up with a seven-for, the second of his career. His threat looms large over Zimbabwe over the next two days as well.
Tea Pakistan 249 and 87 for 3 (Misbah 37*, Younis 29*) lead Zimbabwe 327 (Waller 70, Chigumbura 69, Raza 60, Ajmal 7-95) by 9 runs
All through this Test match, there's been a wait for Zimbabwe's inexperienced team to falter. Sure they bowled well when the pitch was fresh in the first session of the game, but could they do it when the track eased up? They did. Sure they bowled well on the first day, but could their brittle batting stand up to Pakistan's highly rated bowling? They did.
The third day was supposed to be the best day for batting in Harare; would their new-look bowling be able to do the job? They've certainly started well, bagging three early wickets to consolidate on the 78-run advantage they had after the first innings.
The major obstacle Zimbabwe faced on the third day was the experienced pair of Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan, who with some old-fashioned Test batting helped Pakistan erase the deficit. There has been a clamour in Pakistan for inducting more youngsters in the team, but it was Pakistan's two oldest batsmen who revived the side from a precarious 23 for 3.
As in the first innings, Zimbabwe's bowlers produced the early breakthroughs not with magic deliveries but by sticking to the basics of line and length. They still got the ball to curl around a little, but there wasn't any dramatic movement.
The sixth over of the innings, bowled by Tinashe Panyangara, which produced the wicket of Khurram Manzoor showcased their method of operation - pitching the ball up and constantly attacking the stumps, making the batsman play. With several deliveries swerving away in the over, Manzoor decided to shoulder arms to one, which turned out to be a straight ball that thudded into his pads. It looked a touch high but the umpire thought otherwise, and for the second time in the game, Manzoor's innings ended early through a tough decision.
Azhar Ali, who played a vital role in rescuing Pakistan after their top-order failed in the first innings, couldn't do the job this time, as the accurate Panyangara had him trapped lbw for a duck. Neither of the opening bowlers provided any cheap runs, and Panyangara's figures read 7-4-6-2 at one stage.
Mohammad Hafeez has had a forgettable 2013 in Tests, and could have added a golden duck to his string of low scores this year, but his first-ball edge landed short of slips. He didn't last too long anyway, falling tamely after driving a low catch to short cover. His dismissal for 16 left him with a paltry 64 runs in eight innings this year.
That brought together Younis and Misbah, both of whom grafted for much of the second session. They were initially more concerned with preserving their wickets than with piling on the runs, steadfastly defending everything to thwart Zimbabwe's bowlers. Both Misbah and Younis have built their reputation as firefighting, regularly producing their best efforts when the top order had combusted. Their 64-run stand has now neutralised Zimbabwe's bowlers for 24 overs, and the old doubts over whether Zimbabwe can sustain their challenge can't be far from resurfacing.
Zimbabwe's resolve was certainly strong in the morning session, when Elton Chigumbura eased to his third half-century to fatten the slender overnight lead. It was an important innings not just in the context of the match but also for Chigumbura, on whom the pressure to deliver runs has increased in recent times as his bowling has faded.
The lower-order assisted him admirably, as they kept out Pakistan for over an hour, before Saeed Ajmal's variations proved too much for them. Ajmal wiped out the final three wickets to end up with a seven-for, the second of his career.
Lunch Pakistan 249 and 21 for 1 (Hafeez 16*, Azhar 0*) trail Zimbabwe 327 (Waller 70, Chigumbura 69, Raza 60, Ajmal 7-95) by 57 runs
At stumps on the second day, Zimbabwe held a slender lead but they knew they needed to fatten that if they were to keep the pressure on Pakistan. Elton Chigumbura helped achieve that, stretching the lead to 78 as the Zimbabwe's lower order batted resolutely for over an hour on the third morning. The advantage could have been greater, but for the wiles of Saeed Ajmal, who grabbed seven wickets to end Zimbabwe's innings on 327.
Chigumbura is known for his ability to hit out, but this was one of his more composed innings. He concentrated on playing straight as he eased to his third Test half-century. Only occasionally did he indulge in the cut, a shot that has proved profitable for him over his career. The innings was important not just in the match context but also for Chigumbura, whose Test bowling has fallen away, increasing the need for him to contribute with the bat.
He placed plenty of faith in his lower-order team-mates, and it was justified as both Shingi Masakadza and Tinashe Panyangara showed a reasonable defensive technique.
Ajmal proved too good for them, though. Masakadza stuck around for nearly an hour but was caught on the back foot by a big offbreak from Ajmal, before Chigumbura gave a bat-pad catch. The last man, Tendai Chatara, lasted just one ball as an Ajmal doosra resulted in an outside edge to slip.
The third day is expected to be the best for batting, so Pakistan still have a good chance of fighting back despite the significant first-innings deficit. Mohammad Hafeez's horror run in Tests could have been extended with a golden duck when he edged, but the ball landed short of slip.
The other opener, Khurram Manzoor, wasn't as fortunate, as for the second time in the match he was adjudged lbw when the ball looked like it would go over the stumps. His late decision to shoulder arms to a straight one convinced umpire Steve Davis to rule him lbw, Zimbabwe's only success in a disciplined seven overs before lunch.
No comments:
Post a Comment