Winners, Losers as Pakistan Draw Level

Not many would’ve imagined the series being 1-1 after Thursday’s ODI, but Pakistan will be breathing a sigh of relief after an improved batting display saw them beat Zimbabwe by 90 runs and stay alive in the series.

Pakistan’s commanding 299 after being put into bat was all the more special considering their lead batsman, their captain and this year’s highest run-getter in ODIs, Misbah-ul-Haq, could only manage three runs off 23 deliveries. He had 10 half-centuries in 16 ODIs prior to Thursday but was just unable to get into second gear. His deputy Mohammad Hafeez, however, ensured runs came smoothly and mightily to keep his side afloat.

Zimbabwe did threaten a repeat of their opening ODI upset, with captain Brendan Taylor at the forefront of it, but Junaid Khan and the hosts’ inability to sustain pressure under the mounting asking rate proved to the catalyst in their collapse as they lost six wickets for just nine runs.

Here we analyse players who performed well—and those who need a kick up their back sides—in time for the series-decider on Sunday (that’s something we wouldn’t have imagined saying in a Zimbabe-Pakistan series either).

Mohammad Hafeez: Winner

Mohammad Hafeez’s ODI batting average of just over 28 doesn’t scream class—it was just over 18 when he made his comeback in 2010—but his ability to milk the minnows and his hunger to perform when the team needed him the most made him a clear winner.

Hafeez was equally effective against the spinners as he was against the pacers, often jumping down the track to Prosper Utseya and depositing him over the long-on and midwicket boundaries. Questions have been asked of his batting technique and whether he has enough talent to justify the No.3 spot. But Hafeez, with just over 3,500 runs in ODIs now, and a successor to Misbah if things go according to plan, silenced those critics for a wee bit longer.

Of his six ODI centuries, two have been against Zimbabwe and one each against Ireland, New Zealand, West Indies and India. His performance on pacey tracks against quality opposition is still unconvincing, but the unbeaten 136 on Thursday mattered most to Pakistan as they avoided a repeat of the humiliation handed out two days ago.

Elton Chigumbura: Loser

Elton Chigumbra has had patchy contributions in the ODI series so far—much like his show in the two Twenty20s.

When Pakistan batsmen were sprinting along with utmost ease, Brendan Taylor wanted someone senior to step in and use the experience to not only stop the flow but also chip in with a wicket. Extras, singles and doubles and the occasional boundary ensured Pakistan’s healthy run-rate.

Chigumbura came in with Pakistan at 91-3 and Umar Amin yet to get off the mark. A no-ball ensured Hafeez got a free-hit that he got under with ease, helping the ball over midwicket to ease up the nerves. Chigumbura did not do much else wrong in the over, but that, probably, was a reason enough for Taylor not to revert to his senior medium-pacer again in the match.

Demoted to seven in the batting order, Chigumbura failed to trouble the scorers and had to walk back without scoring. The golden duck was a bit harsh on the all-rounder, given out to a ball that pitched outside leg stump, but Zimbabwe’s refusal to use him higher up the order and more with the ball meant that Chigumbura is left with some serious thinking before the decider on Sunday.

Brendan Taylor: Winner

Zimbabwe’s captain had not scored a half-century in 13 ODIs.

A win on Thursday would have completed the unlikeliest of results in the series—not just another ODI win but the series as well. The openers, who had put on 53, 50 and 107 in the last three matches against Pakistan, failed to carry the momentum as Vusi Sibanda fell cheaply.

But Taylor, with a win firmly set in his heart and mind, went about his way without fear. He played the Pakistani spinners with ease, reverse-sweeping even Saeed Ajmal, while chasing after the mounting asking-rate.

As things looked comfortable for Taylor in the middle, it was that very combination—a sweep and Ajmal—that brought about his downfall. Not before he gave Pakistan mighty scares and perhaps diving into the video archives to help them against the hosts’ captain for Sunday.

Zimbabwe’s Death-Bowling: Loser

By the end of the 35th over, Pakistan had crawled—in the current crash-and-bang days—to 150. 
With the exception of Shahid Afridi, the tourists did not have any sloggers to come down the order and a score of perhaps 265 was what they were looking at—providing Afridi did not perish for a golden duck.

Almost 150 runs were added in the next 15 overs with the batting powerplay fetching 43 of those. That laid the platform for first Umar Amin, then Hafeez and then Afridi to come and work their magic as the bowlers looked helpless and hapless against the rejuvenated tourists.

Wide of the off stump, down the leg side, banged in short mid-pitch and slower balls going wrong, that was the story of the last 15 overs as Pakistan feasted on the inexperience that helped them run away with the match, costing Zimbabwe a chance to seal the series.

Umar Amin: Winner

Umar Amin was surprisingly chosen over Haris Sohail in the playing XI as the tourists opted for an extra bowler this time round.

Amin does provide a handy backup bowler choice but with bat in hand, Sohail should have been the preferred choice. However, walking in after his captain’s dismissal, and Pakistan in a precarious position in the series, Amin needed to repay the selectors’ and team management’s trust in him.

He started casually, opting for singles—something that Misbah failed miserably at in his 23-ball knock—and took his time settling in. At one stage, Amin had scored just 12 off 27 balls and 21 off 43 balls. But the patience reaped heavy rewards as the powerplay helped Amin unleash his stroke and free his arms.

He hit five boundaries in the next five overs, including his first six in international cricket, and by the time he was run out for a well-constructed 59, Amin had done enough to set Pakistan on their way and his confidence buzzing.