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ZIM vs PAK | 2nd Test: Pakistan thrash African minnows, left-armers bag fifers apiece

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Twenty minutes into the fourth day of the second Test match, Pakistan completed a 2-0 whitewash against Zimbabwe, thrashing the African minnows by an innings and 147 runs. Right from day 1, there never came a situation where Zimbabwe got any sort of momentum either in the batting or the bowling front. 

 

Eventually, it was a clinical bowling display on the second and third day from Pakistan which resulted in a convincing victory for them. Also for the first time in history, two left-arm bowlers from Pakistan took all the ten wickets in the sec0nd innings. 

 

The toss turned out to be an important factor for Pakistan. Babar Azam didn’t have any hesitations batting first and there was no way back for them. Riding on a sensational double century from the blade of Abid Ali and a century from Azhar Ali, Pakistan posted a mammoth 510 on the board in their first innings.

 

For Zimbabwe, it was a fiery spell from Blessing Muzarabani which fetched him three wickets. However, he wasn’t quite consistent for longer periods of time. 

 

The only blip up for Pakistan remains Babar Azam’s return in this series. He fell after scoring just two runs but a partnership of 236 runs between Abid Ali and Azhar Ali had already set the tone for Pakistan. To top it off, it was a sensational 8th wicket partnership between Hasan Ali and Nauman Ali which took Pakistan beyond the 500-mark. 

 

Zimbabwe were never up to the mark in either of the innings. They were not ready to play the waiting game and kept giving away their wickets cheaply to the Pakistan bowlers. Hasan Ali was the star for Pakistan with the ball in the first innings bagging yet another fifer for his country. 

 

He bowled deadly lines and the Zimbabwe batsmen kept succumbing one after the other. Regis Chakabva was the top scorer for Zimbabwe with 33 as they were skittled out for a meagre 132 runs in just a shade over 60 overs. Barring Hasan Ali, Sajid Khan also bagged a couple. 

 

There was no hesitation in Babar Azam’s mind on enforcing the follow on. Zimbabwe was a tad better in the second innings but was nowhere close to avoiding the innings defeat. The pair of Shaheen Afridi Nauman Ali was the two wreckers in chief bagging fifers apiece. 

 

Chakabva again looked composed in the middle and was the highest scorer again with a knock of 80. A partnership of 80 off runs with Brendan Taylor settled the nerves a bit but from there on, the two left-arm pacers tightened the screws around the Zimbabwe batsmen as wickets kept falling on a consistent basis. Eventually, they were bundled out for 231, handing Pakistan an innings victory. 

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ZIM vs PAK | 2nd Test: Pakistan one wicket away from clean sweep as Hasan and Nauman Ali pick fifers

The Pakistani team remains just one wicket away eve after grinding a whole day of play at the Harare Sports Club in Harare to get hosts Zimbabwe all out twice, to finish the second and last game of the series on day three of the Test match itself. Having enforced follow on after getting Brendan Taylor’s side out for 132 in the first innings, the Pakistani bowlers couldn’t run through the defences of the top order as easily as in the last innings. In fact, Regis Chakabva and skipper Taylor made a good case of themselves, going for the attack and scoring some important runs. However, they threw their wickets away to some unnecessary shots. While wicket-keeper batsman Chakabva is once again the top scorer with the bat, scoring his fifth Test half-century (80 off 137 balls), Taylor missed out on what could have been his 11th Test fifty by a solitary run. The 9 run partnership between the duo has so far been the highest in this innings for the Chevrons. For Pakistan, Nauman Ali and Shaheen Afridi were the picks of the bowlers in the second innings, sharing between them all the nine wickets that have fallen so far. While 34-year-old Nauman got rid of dangerman Chakabva and the rest of the middle order, Shaheen, having picked Taylor and Tisarai Musakanda early on, came back late in the day to pick two quick wickets to rattle the Zimbabwe lower order. He almost raised a glimmer of hope in the fielding unit that they might not have to come back another day and the game would be done and dusted today itself. However, it wasn’t to be as Zimbabwe remained 220-9 at the end of the day’s play. Luke Jongwe (31*), playing his maiden Test stood there for the last five overs of the day alongside number 11 Blessing Muzarabani, forcing Pakistan to come back tomorrow and have another go. Jongwe on the other hand would try and get as many runs as possible for himself and the team. Earlier in the day, Hasan Ali wreck havoc on the Zimbabwe lineup with his in swing and control over the ball. The 26-year-old picked four of the six Zimbabwean wickets to fall on the morning of May 9. Backed by the best bowling figure in his Test career, Pakistan bundled out Zimbabwe for 132. Debutant Sajid Khan picked was the second-highest wi ket taker in the innings with two scalps.