LAHORE - Tremendous ton by Shoaib Malik and brilliant batting by top-order batsmen helped Pakistan defeat spirited Zimbabwe by 41 runs in the first One-Day International (ODI) here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Tuesday night and provided 1-0 lead to the hosts in the three-match series.
The highlights of the first ODI were sterling 112 by Malik, outstanding 170-run opening stand between M Hafeez and captain Azhar Ali, and then third-wicket 201-run partnership between Malik and Haris Sohail, which helped Pakistan set the highest home target against Zimbabwe. Captain Elton Chigumbura’s sparkling ton was the major batting contribution for Zimbabwe which helped the visitors cross massive 300 runs.
Zimbabwe’s strong reply exposed the pathetic bowling of Pakistan, which allowed the guest team to score more than 300 runs. For the first-wicket stand, Vusimuzi Sibanda and Pakistani-born Sikandar Raza collected 56 runs. In the fourth ball of the 10th over, Sikandar was caught by M Hafeez on the ball of Anwar Ali when he was playing at 36. Wahab then caught and bowled opener Sibanda on the last delivery of the 13th over. The opener gathered 23 off 36 balls with three fours. Hamilton Masakadza was the key player for Zimbabwe, after captain Chigumbura, who remained successful batsmen for the guest team. He scored 73-ball 73 runs with the help of four boundaries and two sixes.
Chigumbura was the player of the day for the visitors as he hit 10 fours and four sixes to score 117 runs off 95 balls. When the captain was at the crease, he was playing freely and collecting scores easily and at one moments, it was being felt that Zimbabwe could record an upset by achieving such a huge target, but as soon as he was sent packing by Riaz, the visitors hopes of victory were shattered and they continued struggling to bring their total to 300 plus, in which they remained successful. Sean Williams also played well and slammed 36 while Richmond Mutumbami and Prosper Utseya remained unbeaten for 21 runs each.
Pakistan bowling was also very pathetic like Zimbabwe’s as Pakistani bowlers were punished by the opponents especially their captain hit them hard and completed his maiden century. Only Wahab was a figure among cyphers as he managed to claim three wickets while Malik and Anwar Ali got one wicket each.
Earlier, Pakistan were off to good start as they first completed their 50 runs in the 10.3 overs in 63 balls and completed hundred runs in 18.1 overs, improving their strike rate. When the scoreboard showed 150 runs for Pakistan, it were 24.2 overs and both the openers had the same individual score 74 runs. The first wicket of hosts fell in the 25.6 overs when Azhar Ali was out on the ball of Utseya. With Azhar’s dismissal, the superb first-wicket partnership between Azhar and Hafeez came to an end when the team’s total was 172-1. Azhar hit nine boundaries and two sixes in his sparkling 76-ball 79 runs knock. After just one over, Hafeez gifted his wicket to Utseya, which was his second on the very next delivery as in his previous ball, he showed Azhar pavilion. Hafeez swashbuckling innings included eight fours and four sixes as he played 83 balls to hammer 86 runs.
For the third-wicket partnership, former captain Malik and Haris added 201 runs in 119 minutes and 138 seconds. In the second ball of the 49th over, Malik completed his eighth century and perfumed Sajda. The entire crowd started cheering for Malik and appreciated his tremendous ton by giving him standing ovation. Malik last scored his ton against India in 2009’s Champions Trophy. The superb strike rate of Malik was 147. 36 as he smashed 12 fours and two sixes to score 112 runs off 76 balls. He gave his wicket to Panyangara on the very last delivery. Haris remained unbeaten for 89 as he played 66 balls and slammed six boundaries and two sixes. PCB’s Zakir Khan handed over a souvenir to Aleem Dar for completing 300 hundred international matches. The man of the match award went to Shoaib Malik while Wahab named best bowler, M Hafeez and Chigumbura shared most number of sixes award. Chigumbura once again received most colourful innings award while maximum number of boundaries award went to Malik.
Shaharyar hopes to build on tour gains: Shaharyar Khan, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, hailed the spirit shown by fans in the country since international cricket returned after a six-year hiatus earlier this month, and promised to gradually attract more teams to visit the trouble-hit nation.
“The response is great and beyond expectations,” said Shaharyar on the sidelines of the first One-Day International on Tuesday “The crowds have been magnificent. People have overcome the security hassles but no one complained and put up a disciplined show and we will definitely build on that gradually.” Shaharyarsaid the cricketing world has also responded positively. “Zimbabwe has been appreciative that they got the best welcome. The cricketing world has appreciated our efforts and that gives us great satisfaction,” he said.
“Giles Clarke (former chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board) and ICC chairman Narayanaswami Srinivasan phoned me and congratulated me on the revival of cricket in Pakistan. Sri Lankan interim committee chief Sidath Wettimuny will come to see the matches and we are also waiting on the response from Board of Control for Cricket in India secretary Anurag Thakur’s response on an invitation to tour Pakistan. We want to build on that gradually as we have more venues under consideration besides Lahore. Karachi, Faisalabad, Multan, Mirpur and Muzaffarabad are good venues and we can have proper series, with Test matches included, likely next year.”
Shaharyar confirmed that the International Cricket Council (ICC) would be informed in their meeting in Barbados next month about the progress on matches in Pakistan. “We will show a documentary of the Zimbabwe tour in the ICC Board meeting and hopefully perceptions about Pakistan will change gradually,” said Shaharyar. As for the proposed series against India – the first of six in eight years – later this year, Shaharyar said, “No one from India has suggested us to play the December series in India. It was agreed in the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that the series will be played in UAE and that is the final situation.”
Scoreboard
PAKISTAN:
M Hafeez b Utseya 86
Azhar Ali c Panyangara b Utseya 79
Shoaib Malik c Masakdza b Panyangara 112
Haris Sohail not out 89
Did not bat: Asad Shafiq, Sarfraz Ahmed, Anwer Ali, Hammad Azam, Wahab Riaz, Yasir Shah, M Sami
EXTRAS: (b4, lb1, nb1, w3) 9
TOTAL: (3 wkts; 50 overs) 375
FOW: 1-170, 2-174, 3-375
BOWLING: Panyangara 10-0-75-1 (1nb), Vitori 10-1-77-0, Mpofu 10-0-70-0 (3w), Williams 5-0-42-0, Utseya 10-0-63-2, Raza 5-0-43-0
ZIMBABWE:
V Sibanda c and b Riaz 23
Sikander Raza c Hafeez b Anwer 36
H Masakadza c Azam b Malik 73
E Chigumbura b Riaz 117
S Williams c Ahmed b Riaz 36
R Mutumbami not out 21
P Utseya not out 21
EXTRAS: (lb2, w5) 7
TOTAL: (5 wkts; 50 overs) 334
FOW: 1-56, 2-65, 3-189, 4-263, 5-293
BOWLING: Sami 7-0-63-0, Anwer 10-0-81-1 (1w), Riaz 10-0-47-3 (2w), Azam 5-0-29-0 (1w), Shah 6-0-35-0, Hafeez 8-0-44-0 (1w), Malik 4-0-33-1
TOSS: Pakistan
UMPIRES: Aleem Dar (PAK) and Russell Tiffin (ZIM)
TV UMPIRE: Ahmed Shahab
MATCH REFEREE: Azhar Khan (PAK)