Malik and Wahab shut Zimbabwe out
Shoaib Malik celebrates his ton by kissing the turf he made it on at home.
Shoaib Malik celebrates his ton by kissing the turf he made it on at home.

RETURN of international cricket to Pakistan might have been fraught with threat of violence, but the first ODI in the country in six years brought about the most non-violent 375 you could imagine, setting up a 41-run win. In an incredibly cool and calculated innings, hardly a shot was hit in anger as Azhar Ali (79), Mohammad Hafeez (86), Shoaib Malik (112) and Haris Sohail (89*) chipped and chopped an innocuous attack to the highest total in Pakistan for the loss of three wickets.
Elton Chigumbura scored a chancy century, Hamilton Masakadza a fifty, but the chase only kicked into life towards the end, by which time the asking rate had reached 15 an over – a task too tall with four Wahab overs to contend with.
This was the first time all of their top four scored fifty or more, and the first Pakistan innings to feature two 150-run stands. Malik’s 112 off 76 was his fastest century. Pakistan hit 35 fours and 10 sixes in all, but that masked the lack of frenetic hitting and powerful strokes you associate such big scores with.
Azhar and Hafeez began sedately before opening up in a 170-run stand, Pakistan’s third-highest opening partnership at home.
Clean hits cleared the fence, mis-hits fell to ground, Zimbabwe missed quite a few yorkers, the fielding was poor, and 112 came off the last 10. In the 49th over Malik raised the first international century in Pakistan in six years.
Sohail, who relied on some power-hitting over the leg side in his 89 off 66, ran out of time, but time was a bigger problem for Zimbabwe who were about 40 minutes behind schedule in finishing their 50 overs.
They didn’t show much more urgency in the chase, looking for the most part content with batting out their 50 overs.
Chigumbura and Masakadza added 124 for the third wicket, but they did so in 20 overs, which meant the asking rate had reached 14.5 for the last 17 overs.
Chigumbura, who survived a plumb lbw shout and benefited from two dropped catches, brought brief interest to the chase, racing away to his first ODI century, in the process hitting Sami for a hat-trick of fours and then for 22 in another over.
Riaz, though, proved too good for him, troubling him with bouncers before cleaning him up with a quick yorker, also ending the game in the process.

 

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