Mawoyo shines, grabs maiden ton

score on the second day of the only Test cricket match against Pakistan at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo yesterday.
Mawoyo batted for 645 minutes, faced up to 453 deliveries and cracked 20 fours to go into third position for the longest spell by a Zimbabwean batsman in Test cricket. He also became the third Zimbabwean batsman to carry their bat through a Test innings after Mark Dekkerand Grant Flower as Zimbabwe were bowled out for 412 in 150,4 overs.
Dekker andFlower also achieved the feat against Pakistan. At the close of play last night,Pakistan, aided by a quickfire half century from opening batsman Mohamed Hafeez had reached 116 for the loss of one wicket in 29 overs, still trailing Zimbabwe by 296 runs.
The match entered its second day, Zimbabwe245 for the loss of four wickets in 90 overs with Mawoyo on 82 while CraigErvine was on 38 runs.
Ervine played some brilliant coverdrives only to miss out on a maiden Test half century, handing Junaid Khan hisfirst Test wicket, caught and bowled for 49 runs off 106 balls, eight of thoseballs converted into fours. Tino Mawoyo survived three leg before wicket appeals, two from left arm seamer and off spinner Saeed Ajmal.
He lived some anxious moments on 98, he was nearly stumped when he beaten by Ajmal, with Mawoyo out his crease, wicketkeeper Adnan Akmal did not dislodge the bails. Mawoyo finally got his century, guiding Khan down the leg side for a single, having faced 327 deliveries in 448 minutes at the crease and smashing 12 fours.
Debutant Gregory Lamb faced eight deliveries to get off the mark but after that he settled down to the business of getting Zimbabwe to the 300 run mark, with a boundary off Aizaz Cheema. Going into the lunch interval, Zimbabwe had progressed to 314 runs for five from 119 overs, Mawoyo 117 runs and Lamb 21.
Mawoyo and Lamb piled on the misery onthe Pakistanis with a 95 run partnership for the sixth wicket, a stand finally broken when Ajmal got a leg before wicket decision against Lamb to dismiss him for 39 from 105 balls. Raymond Price contributed six runs tothe Zimbabwe total in the 14 minutes before pushing a delivery from Cheema tobe taken at forward shot leg by Azhar Ali. Mawoyo got to the 150 mark after facing up to 421 deliveries having batted for 586 minutes and dispatched 18 fours.
Brian Vitori made 14 from 17 deliveries prior to becoming Cheema’s second victim, caught at first slip by Younis Khan. Vitori initially stood his ground and the on field umpires consulted with the television umpire who confirmed that the ball had carried through.
Cheema picked up his third, Kyle Jarvis out for a five ball, bowled with a yorker which uprooted his off stump. Last man in Christopher Mpofu had his fun at the crease, smashing a six, the only maximum for Zimbabwe throughout. Mpofu was given a benefit of doubt fromthe TV umpire when he attempted a sweep and the ball went towards Mohamed Hafeez at second slip who claimed the catch but the Mpofu was given not out. Cheema ended Zimbabwe’s innings, Mpofu going forward and losing his middle stump to depart for eight runs which came off 15 deliveries.
Cheema took four wickets for 79 runs from 30,4 overs with 11 maidens, Ajmal had the same number of wickets at the expense of 143 runs from 54 overs 13 of which did not cost any runs while Sohail Khan and Junaid Khan had one wicket each.
Pakistan lost their first wicket witheight runs on board in the second over, Taufeed Umar trapped leg before by Jarvis for four runs. Hafeez was put down on 11 runs by Taylor at second slip off Vitori’s bowling.
That drop proved costly as Hafeez went onto make Zimbabwe pay for the let off, racing to his fifth Test half century from 64 balls, getting to the half century mark with a powerful pull shot offthe bowling of Vitori which went for four runs.
Vitori who is supposed to be Zimbabwe’s star bowler was the most expensive of the five bowlers used Taylor, leaking away 55 runs in his eight overs at an awful economy rate of 6.87 runs an over and was hit for 11 fours. Lamb was not spared by Hafeez, greetedwith a six in the third ball of the first over he bowled. Hafeez ended unbeaten on 79 runs off 93 balls, with 15 fours and one six with Ali on 27 runs. The match enters its third day this morning with Zimbabwe looking for early wickets to swing the advantage in their favour.