da jogodeouro： Pakistan, barring an unexpected intervention from the weather, are practicallycertain to win the first Test match against Zimbabwe at the Harare Sports Club,thanks to contrasting centuries by Inzamam-ul-Haq and Taufeeq Umer againstinept Zimbabwean
John Ward11-Nov-2002Pakistan, barring an unexpected intervention from the weather, are practicallycertain to win the first Test match against Zimbabwe at the Harare Sports Club,thanks to contrasting centuries by Inzamam-ul-Haq and Taufeeq Umer againstinept Zimbabwean bowling. Zimbabwe, needing 420 to win, finished with 19for one.Zimbabwe began the day with hopes that history might repeat itself and asimilar victory from behind as that at Peshawar in 1998/99 might bepossible. Henry Olonga, a hero on that occasion, soon bowled a lifting ballthat struck Younis Khan (8) painfully on the fingers and flew to AlistairCampbell in the slips, reducing Pakistan to 25 for two. Then Inzamam gotoff the mark with a snick that flew just over the head of Andy Flower atfirst slip and went to the boundary. Had it been just a little lower, thestory of the day’s play might have been very different.But that was Zimbabwe’s last sniff, and they had only themselves to blame asthey surrendered the match in the pre-lunch session. Olonga never put ittogether consistently, and at one stage bounced a ball so high over the headsof batsman Inzamam and wicket-keeper Tatenda Taibu that it went for a totalof five wides. His partners at the other end were no more efficient, andshort medium-fast deliveries outside off stump are meat and drink toInzamam. He enjoyed a feast of boundaries and his fifty came up off 53balls, containing no fewer than 12 fours. When he reached 32 he became onlythe second Pakistani, after the legendary Javed Miandad, to reach 6,000 runsin Test cricket. The television suggested, though, that he was perhapslucky to survive an lbw appeal when on 40 to Raymond Price as soon as hecame on to bowl, umpire Dave Orchard disagreeing.Zimbabwe’s economic disasters have not destroyed the generous nature of herpeople, and Pakistan were so grateful for the vast number of four-balls onoffer that the hundred came up in the 19th over. Zimbabwe’s fielding becamerather ragged, and in the last over before lunch Inzamam joined the selectband who have scored a century before lunch in a Test match, although it wasan extended session due to time lost on the second day. It took him 102balls and 138 minutes. All credit to Pakistan; they were given theirchances and took them superbly.After lunch the contest briefly became keen again. Inzamam hammered Olongafor two more fours and then smashed a ball straight to Grant Flower atbackward point. He departed reluctantly, perhaps sensing anothertriple-century wasted. Yousuf Youhana uncharacteristically hung his bat outto be caught at the wicket off Andy Blignaut without scoring, and suddenly,briefly, Zimbabwe threatened again. Taufeeq became becalmed, while HasanRaza took a long time to get going. But slowly they put Pakistan back ontop, and after Raza departed to a catch at mid-off the debutant KamranAkmal, after a slow start, hit some impressive blows.Taufeeq crawled towards his century, moving from 70 at lunch to 97 at tea,27 off 83 balls. A misfield by Price allowed him to reach three figures off197 deliveries, in five hours. He finally fell for 115, caught down the legside off Blignaut and walking without waiting for the apparently indecisiveumpire Orchard. Kamran had already been bowled by Price and now Blignautbowled Waqar Younis.Pakistan were 318 for eight, to add to their lead of 60 on first innings.Then came a period of village green cricket, as tail-enders Saqlain Mushtaqand Shoaib Akhtar tried to indulge in some spectacular baseball oragricultural strokes against the second new ball, taken by Blignaut andOlonga, neither of whom seemed able to put the ball on the wicket or producethe leg-stump yorker that would almost certainly have ended the slog.Zimbabwe seemed to have lost all purpose, and the last two wickets wereallowed to add 51. Olonga finished with five wickets, but one cannot say hewas impressive.Zimbabwe, batting just before the close until bad light again curtailedplay, soon lost Hamilton Masakadza (0), superbly caught by short leg SaleemElahi off Shoaib Akhtar. Dion Ebrahim and Alistair Campbell at leastsurvived with sensible positive play until the close.