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THE Chevrons have been dealt a huge blow, with skipper Sean Williams being ruled out of the first Test against Pakistan, which gets underway at Harare Sports Club this morning.
Brendan Taylor, who led the team to their stunning Twenty20I win over the Asian giants, will lead his country in Williams’ absence.
The all-rounder failed to fully recover from a soft tissue injury to his left hand.
The injury, which had forced him to sit out the second T20I last Friday, flared up during the third game on Sunday.
Zimbabwe’s first and last Test victories on home soil were against Pakistan.
Over the years, the Chevrons have played perhaps more classic Test matches, against Pakistan, than against any other country.
There have been 17 Test matches, between the two nations, Pakistan have won 10 of them, while Zimbabwe have won three, which is more victories than they have achieved against any other senior Test-playing nation.
Excluding a one-off Test against India in 1992/93, the season in which Zimbabwe first gained Test status, Pakistan were Zimbabwe’s first real tour abroad.
It was a very inexperienced Zimbabwe team, as many of the top players who had done well for Zimbabwe the previous season, could not make the long tour for three Test matches.
Many were worried about how Zimbabwe would fare, as Pakistan were one of the great Test nations of the time, including the fearsome fast bowlers Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis.
But, the Chevrons young team battled like tigers and made the home side fight hard for their two victories, with one drawn match.
The following season, 1993/94, was a truly memorable one for Zimbabwe, as they achieved their first Test match victory in the first Test at Harare Sports Club.
The highlights were centuries from the Flower brothers, Andy and Grant, and superb bowling from Heath Streak, as Zimbabwe made Pakistan follow on, and won by an innings and 64 runs.
It was also most appropriate that this Test match should also see the début of Henry Olonga, Zimbabwe’s first black Test cricketer.
Pakistan fought back to win the second Test, on a difficult pitch in Bulawayo, but back in Harare, Zimbabwe were set 239 to win the third Test and the series.
Unfortunately, they did not have the confidence to achieve this.
Pakistan were generous in playing Zimbabwe frequently, during those years, and in two-match series, away and at home, in 1996/97 and 1997/98, Pakistan won one Test match and the other was drawn both times.
Then came the memorable tour to Pakistan in 1998/99.
Zimbabwe had one of their best pace attacks of Streak, Olonga and Pommie Mbangwa and destroyed Pakistan for 296 and 103.
Zimbabwe were set 162 to win, and a fine 73 not out, by Murray Goodwin, took them home safely by seven wickets.
Zimbabwe fought to secure a draw in the second Test, and the third was remarkably abandoned without a ball being bowled due to a thick fog that enveloped the ground for all five days.
This gave Zimbabwe their first, and so far their only, series victory against a senior Test-playing nation.
The Chevrons had a bittersweet time in the United Arab Emirates, last month, where they took on Afghanistan in a two-match Test series.
They began on the right note, with a thumping 10-wicket win in the opening Test.
However, despite Williams’s gritty hundred in the second innings of the second Test, Zimbabwe’s batsmen succumbed to Rashid Khan’s persistence and the series was tied 1-1.
One of the problems for Zimbabwe, in the second Test against Afghanistan, was when confronted with a flat deck, both the seamers and spinners were unable to make an impact.
Only Victor Nyauchi, Sikandar Raza and Ryan Burl were successful in picking up a scalp each.
The batting unit, too, failed to capitalise the good conditions for batting in the first innings, getting bowled out for a score of less than 300. The Zimbabwe camp will hope Luke Jongwe turns on the style.
The seamer impressed in the recently-concluded T20I series against Pakistan, bagging nine wickets.
The tall and much improved, Blessing Muzarabani is the main paceman in the attack.
On the batting front, Taylor could be the key man.
Unfortunately, the Chevrons will miss Sikandar Raza, who is down with a bone marrow infection, and Williams and in Tests, where key all-rounders make a huge difference, this is a big blow.
Pakistan are looking to continue on their fine show against South Africa at home.
Fawad Alam, who has composed gritty centuries versus South Africa and New Zealand in his last three Tests, will again be one of the mainstays.
Babar Azam, the skipper, and Mohammad Rizwan, the gutsy wicketkeeper-batsman, are also expected to shore up the batting order. Faheem Ashraf’s useful contributions with the bat versus South Africa also augurs well for the camp.
In the absence of the injured Yasir Shah (knee problem), Nauman Ali is set to lead the spin department, with the experienced Sajid Khan likely to make his Test debut. — Sports Reporter/Cricbuzz/Zimcricket.
Online Reporter