ZIM vs PAK 1st Test, Day 1: Pakistan outscored Zimbabwe by 176.
Pakistan outscored Zimbabwe by 176 and magnified the lead to 103 without losing in response after the first day of the first test on Thursday.
Seamers Hasan Ali and Shaheen Shah Afridi took four wickets apiece, then starter Abid Ali was not out 56, and teammate Imran Butt 43 was not out.
Hasan Ali and Afridi played with discipline, while the host team did not apply themselves well enough to a good hitting pitch and was guilty of soft firings.
Hasan Ali, who ranged his deliveries admirably, set the tone for Pakistan before lunch by having Zimbabwe starter Kevin Kasuza play with his stumps at 14, and backup skipper Brendan Taylor lead at 5 while chasing a wide delivery. Reduced to 30-4, Zimbabwe limped to lunch at 59-4.
After lunch, rookie Roy Kaia fell in love with the 48 when Hasan Ali caught him with a yorker after bombarding the newcomer with short pitch balls. The other Zimbabwean hitter to make his debut, Milton Shumba, was left without 27. The newcomers combined for a team-best 59-run position.
Regis Chakabva was Hasan Ali’s fourth wicket when he managed a complete delivery in the 19th on the third slip.
Afridi, much faster, eliminated the other starter, Prince Masvaure, to catch him in the slips, and eliminated the tail by throwing the last three _ Tendai Chisoro (9), Blessing Muzarabani (14), and Richard Ngarava (1) just before the tea.
Afridi was 4-43 and Hasan Ali 4-53.
Zimbabwe, which was already losing three experienced players for the two-round series, saw its problems further aggravate when captain Sean Williams was unable to recover from a soft tissue injury on the eve of the test.
The team also gave a debut to left-arm stitching bowler Ngarava who, like his fellow bowlers, was unable to make a dent in Butt and Abid Ali.
Pakistan debuted the Sajid Khan bowling all-rounder at Harare Sports Club.
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