HARARE: New-ball spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi took a career-best five for 52 as Pakistan annihilated the hapless Zimbabwe by an innings and 147 runs early on the fourth day of the second Test while wrapping up a clinical 2-0 rout at the Harare Sports Club on Monday.

Pakistan needed just one wicket at the start of the day and it took a little over 20 minutes for Shaheen to induce an edge from Zimbabwe Test debutant Luke Jongwe (37) to wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan, wrapping up the contest as Zimbabwe were bowled out for 231 in their second innings.

Pakistan won last week’s first Test at the same venue by an innings and 116 runs and have now completed a comprehensive series victory, which followed limited overs success in South Africa.

The tourists had elected to bat and posted a massive 510 for eight declared, boosted by a maiden double-ton for opener Abid Ali, who spent almost 11 hours at the crease for his 215.

Seamer Hasan Ali claimed 5-27 in Zimbabwe’s reply, skittling the home side for 132, before slow left-armer Nauman Ali (5-86) and Shaheen did the damage with the ball in the follow-on innings, claiming all the wickets to fall.

Only Regis Chakabva (80) and stand-in skipper Brendan Taylor (49) offered much resistance to the Pakistan victory charge, with most of the damage done on the third day when the visitors picked up 15 wickets.

Pakistan captain Babar Azam, meanwhile, lauded his players after they completed a successful southern Africa tour and then looked ahead to his team’s planned tour of the West Indies in July.

Speaking at the post-match presentation, Babar said his players had shown character and he was particularly pleased with the performance of the batsmen, especially player-of-the-match Abid.

“The partnership between Abid and Azhar Ali was crucial,” the captain said. Azhar scored 126 in a second-wicket stand of 236. “The confidence of our batsmen will be high and we have an important series in the West Indies coming up.”

Pakistan are due to play three Tests and three Twenty20 internationals in the Caribbean.

Fast bowler Hasan Ali was named player-of-the-series. He had match figures of nine for 89 in the first Test at the same venue and took a career-best five for 27 in the first innings of the second Test.

Pakistan also claimed a slice of history with Afridi’s 5-52 making him the third Pakistan bowler in the same Test to take a five-wicket haul. He and Nauman took five each in the second innings after Hasan’s five in the first.

It’s the first time Pakistan has had three bowlers with five wickets in a match, and the first time it has happened in Tests since 1993.

Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor said he was disappointed with his team’s batting in both Tests but praised the Pakistan bowlers.

“They’re always at you. They’re a world-class attack and they made it very difficult for us,” he said.

“I would like to have seen more positives,” said Taylor. “To finish both games in three days or just after three days is off the mark. We’ve got a lot of things to address, particularly with the batting, maybe the mental side of that. A little more discipline. The wicket played well enough to take it five days.”

But Taylor said there had been some promising signs in a side depleted by injuries to four leading batsmen.

“I can’t fault the guys’ efforts. They are a young side, full of enthusiasm, wanting to learn and to get better day by day.”

It was Pakistan’s fourth successive series win on a seven-week southern Africa tour. They beat South Africa 2-1 in One-day Internationals and 3-1 in Twenty20 Internationals before defeating Zimbabwe 2-1 in a T20 series.

Scoreboard

PAKISTAN (1st Innings) 510-8 declared (Abid Ali 215 not out, Azhar Ali 126, Nauman Ali 97; B. Muzarabani 3-82).

ZIMBABWE (1st Innings) 132 (R.W. Chakabva 33; Hasan Ali 5-27).

ZIMBABWE (2nd Innings, overnight 220-9):

K.T. Kasuza b Nauman 22

T.K. Musakanda c Rizwan b Shaheen 8

R.W. Chakabva c Babar b Nauman 80

B.R.M. Taylor c Rizwan b Shaheen 49

M. Shumba c Imran b Nauman 16

L.M. Jongwe c Rizwan b Shaheen 37

D.T. Tiripano lbw b Nauman 0

R. Kaia c Sajid b Nauman 0

T.S. Chisoro b Shaheen 8

R. Ngarava b Shaheen 0

B. Muzarabani not out 4 EXTRAS (B-1, LB-5, NB-1) 7

TOTAL (all out, 68 overs) 231

FALL OF WKTS: 1-13 (Musakanda), 2-63 (Kasuza), 3-142 (Taylor), 4-170 (Chakabva), 5-188 (Shumba), 6-196 (Tiripano), 7-196 (Kaia), 8-205 (Chisoro), 9-205 (Ngarava), 10-231 (Jongwe).

BOWLING: Shaheen Shah Afridi 20-5-52-5 (1nb); Tabish Khan 11-3-46-0; Hasan Ali 10-7-9-0; Sajid Khan 6-132-0; Nauman Ali 21-3-86-5.

RESULT: Pakistan won by an innings and 147 runs to win two-match series 2-0.

UMPIRES: L. Rusere (Zimbabwe) and M. Erasmus

(South Africa).

TV UMPIRE: I. Chabi (Zimbabwe).

MATCH REFEREE: A.J. Pycroft (Zimbabwe).

PLAYER-OF-THE-MATCH: Abid Ali.

PLAYER-OF-THE-SERIES: Hasan Ali.

FIRST TEST: Harare, Pakistan won by an innings and 116 runs.

Published in Dawn, May 11th, 2021