Pakistan 308 for 7 (Imam 128, Asif 46, Chatara 2-49) v Zimbabwe
A career-best 128 from opening batsman Imam-ul-Haq helped Pakistan set Zimbabwe 309 in the first ODI at Queen’s Sports Club. It was an innings that began as a dawdle for the left-hander, but one he managed to turn around and finish with a strike rate of nearly 100 towards the end.
It was an unusually circumspect batting performance from Pakistan, who have often shown intent in their ODI approach for a couple of years. The run rate was under four for the first 15 overs, though that may have also been due to the overcast skies. However, they didn’t seem to get out of second gear even after that.
It wouldn’t be remiss to give the Zimbabwean bowlers some credit for that, though. The opening pair was excellent with the new ball, Blessing Muzarabani and Tendai Chatara maintaining a steady off stump line that repeatedly threatened to draw Imam’s outside edge. Despite being slow, the innings was played almost entirely on Pakistan’s terms. When Fakhar Zaman and Imam did begin to accelerate slightly, Zimbabwe looked short on ideas as to how they would be contained.
They brought on 18-year old offspinner and captain of the Under-19 Zimbabwean team Liam Roche, a debutant with a pleasing high arm action and a mop of hair almost just as eye-catching. And he struck the big blow, removing Fakhar with a sharp catch off his own bowling to claim his first international wicket, and give Zimbabwe a breakthrough not even their most ardent fans would have seen coming.
Imam carried on unperturbed. It still wasn’t the modern one-day innings you might have come to expect from a 21-year old opener, it took him 75 balls to reach his 50, but after that, he was chiefly responsible for picking up the pace of the innings. It began when he smashed Roche out of the attack shortly after Fakhar fell, hitting four boundaries in his seventh over and hurtling towards his second ODI century.
Babar Azam, returning from injury, looked sharp for a man who hadn’t played competitive cricket for over six weeks, scoring at a run-a-ball to set Pakistan up for the final third of the innings. He couldn’t however kick on.
As Imam began to tire after reaching his century – given a reprieve when wicketkeeper Ryan Murray put down a tough diving chance on 77 – it was debutant Asif Ali who gave the innings the impetus it lacked for the first 40 overs. The power hitter Pakistan have been crying out for in leaner times over the years, the 26-year old smashed four fours and two sixes in a 25-ball 46, catapulting Pakistan towards and beyond 300.
While Asif was in full flow, it looked as if Pakistan would get close to 325, but Chatara, who ended up arguably the best Zimbabwean bowler on the day, removed him two overs before the close to drag Pakistan back. Even so, it was a total that had looked out of reach around the time of Pakistan’s languid start, but it is one their full-strength bowling attack will probably be comfortable defending against this young, inexperienced Zimbabwean side.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo