Despite a Zimbabwe Rearguard, Pakistan Win

Raw Pace
By Saj Sadiq
November 12 2002

After the recent defeats to Australia this was always going to be a nerve-racking experience for the Pakistani players, with the unthinkable being a defeat to lowly Zimbabwe who have been struggling of late.

Pakistan completed victory by 119 runs on day 4 in Harare. What most observors thought would be victory by a huge margin, turned out to be a rather frustrating day for the Pakistani bowlers, with the Flower brothers and Ebrahim all hitting 60s.

The 4 Pakistani bowlers must be congratulated for their tenacity and hard work, as going into a test match with only 4 recognised bowlers is always a big risk.

Taufeeq Umar was correctly declared man of the match with scores of 75 and 111 respectively. What must have been pleasing to all Pakistani fans was the way that he played the anchor role in the second innings alowing the likes of Inzamam to play their natural agressive game. The Pakistani team has been crying out for an anchor man and perhaps Taufeeq has the right mental attitude for this role.

The Inzamam and Taufeeq partnership in the second innings was the defining moment in this match as this took the game out of the African's reach.

As far as the Pakistan batting is concerned, questions are still being asked of Younis Khan's temprament and technique although one can't see him losing his place in the team just yet. Saleem Elahi will no doubt be replaced by Afridi for the second test in what I would expect to see as the only change barring injuries.

Overall this was a victory achieved in 2nd and at times 3rd gear, but it was a major confidence booster to a team that has had a rough ride of late. The momentum must continue with no room for complacency as the South African tour will be the real test.