ZIMBABWE batting collapsed on the third day of the first Test handing Pakistan a victory by an innings and 116 runs.
Hasan Ali took nine wickets in the match, including a career-best five for 36 in the second innings to set up the victory an hour just after tea on the third day.
Zimbabwe conceded a 256 lead to the Asian side after bowling Pakistan out for 426 runs in the first session of the day.
The host started their second innings brightly with a first-wicket stand of 48 runs between Kelvin Kasuza and Tarisai Musakanda.
Just as the partnership was blossoming and both batsmen looking comfortable at the crease, Hassan got the ball to reverse and caught Kasuza plumb at the crease, and he was out leg before wicket for 28 runs from 55 balls.
Effectively Zimbabwe were two down because Zimbabwe opening batsman Prince Masvaure suffered a soft tissue
injury to his left hand while fielding and was therefore unable to bat.
Debutant Milton Shumba was sent ahead of captain Brendan Taylor but could only manage four runs before he chased a Nauman Ali wide one, and he was given out caught behind, although replays showed that he had missed the ball.
Taylor and Musakanda tried to steer Zimbabwe out of murky waters of another batting collapse. As happened before, just as another partnership was developing, the host gave their wickets away.
Musakanda was run out whilst attempting a third run which was not there but was found well short of his ground, and the set batsman who was looking good for a big one was out for 43.
The fall of Rhinos batsman signalled a batting collapse. Roy Kaia went back to the pavilion without troubling the scorers after shuffling across a Faheem Ashraf’s delivery that would have clipped leg stump. He was given out lbw.
Since his return from injury, Taylor, who looked out of sorts, tried to hit himself back into form though, he played one shot too many. He perished as he attempted to hit Nauman over mid-off for four but could only find the hands of Hassan, who back paddled to take a brilliant catch.
The wild celebrations that followed the fall of Taylor’s wicket suggested that Pakistan were looking to wrap it up inside three days.
After that, it was a procession as Zimbabwe batsmen went back to the changing room one after another.
After the fall of the sixth wicket, Pakistan only required ten more overs to wrap up the innings.
It seems like Zimbabwe batters had not learnt their lessons from their first innings or even from how the visitors had gone about their business.
The Chevrons have two extra days to find solutions to their batting woes before the second Test match.
Taylor spoke to the media about the defeat and some of the team’s tactics when they were bowling.
“Getting bowled out in two sessions on day one let us down, and to then field for 130 overs put us behind the eight ball,” Taylor said.
Many had expected Zimbabwe to take the new ball once it was available to take wickets when Pakistan lost two wickets in succession.
But Taylor did not take the new ball allowing Mohammad Rizwan to settle because the old ball was not doing much.
“I had to monitor the workloads of the bowlers. Do I bowl them into the ground or try to keep them fresh? The scoreboard was not moving, so we hung onto the old ball longer, and you saw it was hard and moved around in the morning today. We need to work on our batting as a group,” said the top-order batsman.
Pakistan captain Babar Azam was happy with the team’s all-around performance.
“The way we started in the first session, the bowlers bowled well, the way we dismissed them in the first innings was good, Hasan was outstanding, the openers then batted well, we carried on the momentum,” Azam said.
“Fawad finishing how he did was outstanding, We had planned to put 300-plus (lead) on the board, and then we had planned to bowl them out for 150-200, it was an outstanding finish by Hasan, now we have a few days off, we will rest, have nets, have a look at the wicket and then decide the composition for the next game.”
Pakistan 426 (Fawad 140, Butt 91, Abid 60, Muzarabani 4-73) defeat Zimbabwe 176 (Kaia 48, Afridi 4-43 Hasan 4-53) and 134 (Musakanda 43, Hasan 5-36) by an innings and 116 runs
