Zimbabwe find themselves on the verge of a whitewash at stumps, Day 2, in the second Test of the Harare Sports Club. They struggled to reach 52/4 after Abid Ali’s maiden double ton helped Pakistan declare on a mammoth 510/8.
Zimbabwe carried on from where they left on Day 1, picking up three crucial wickets in the first session to reduce Pakistan to 341/7. Sajid Khan was the first victim of the day, when he edged a shortish delivery to Regis Chakabva, who had to dive to his right to grab the ball.
Mohammad Rizwan (21) hit three boundaries early in the innings. He was looking in good touch but his stay at the crease was abrupted when he stepped down the track to hit Tendai Chisoro over the fence, but found long-on.
Hasan Ali departed without opening his account. Zimbabwe were well-positioned to finish things off by lunch, but a terrific partnership from Abid and Nauman Ali played spoilsport.
Nauman began cautiously but upped his gear after reaching fifty. He kept finding the occasional boundary. A few minutes before tea, he hit four fours and two sixes in the space of two overs, bowled by Luke Jongwe and Milton Shumba.
Meanwhile, Abid raced away to his double century with an emphatic pull over the mid-wicket. Nauman, however, missed out on the century by just three runs, and Pakistan declared immediately after his dismissal. His 97 came in just 104 balls, with the help of nine fours and five sixes. They added 169 for the eighth wicket to deflate Zimbabwe’s attack.
In reply, Zimbabwe lost opener Tarisai Musakanda in the second over to Tabish Khan, the 36-year-old pacer who became the oldest debutant for Pakistan in over six decades. Zimbabwe lost three more wickets in the last session and has perhaps already ruled the other possible outcomes of a win or a draw.
Brief scores:
Pakistan 510/8 decl. (Abid Ali 215*, Azhar Ali 126; Blessing Muzarabani 3-82) lead Zimbabwe 52/4 (Regis Chakabva 28*, Sajid Khan 1-0) by 458 runs.