by The Professor » Thu May 26, 2016 7:08 am
On this day in 2015 Pakistan played their first home game for six years against Zimbabwe.
Azhar Ali, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik and Haris Sohail played cunningly and craftily to reach 375, almost without anyone realising. Azhar and Hafeez began well, opening up a 170-run stand, Pakistan's third-highest opening partnership at home. However they fell within an over of each other to give Zimbabwe some hope. Malik and Sohail stepped into the breach quickly though and hit the ground running. Zimbabwe's bowlers looked all at sea against such precision. Prosper Utseya got both openers out but his economy was high. Zimbabwe's poor bowling was also not helped by mistakes in the field which will frustrate the team as a whole.
From their bowling contingent it was only Wahab Riaz that really performed, which left them facing a dicey period against the Zimbabwe charge. Luckily for Pakistan, the charge was not particularly impressive. Whilst partnerships grew, they did so at an incredibly slow rate. Elton Chigumbura was the only Zimbabwean batsman to show any desire to stick around. The highlights of his day included a maiden ODI century, a hat-trick of fours and 22 in an over. Characteristically it was Riaz that got him out and ended the game.
"It has been said of the unseen army of the dead, on their everlasting march, that when they are passing a rural cricket ground the Englishman falls out of the ranks for a moment to look over the gate and smile."