adminPaul Munyuki Sports reporter
BRIAN VITORI starred with the ball, as he took five wickets in his first cricket Test in 20 months, to help an inspired Zimbabwe dominate day three of the second battle against Pakistan at Harare Sports Club yesterday.
Just like as they did in the first Test, Zimbabwe found themselves on top after day three although Pakistan will find renewed belief in that they got rid of two top batsmen, Hamilton Masakadza and Tinotenda Mawoyo, who had looked well set, late yesterday.
Zimbabwe closed day three on 121-4 but this was effectively 185-4, given the first innings lead they enjoyed, and Brendan Taylor will be buoyed by the fact that two of the batsmen to fall yesterday were tailenders, Prosper Utseya who had been promoted to open and Tinashe Panyangara who came in as a nightwatchman.
Masakadza was unfortunate as he was dismissed by a ball that pitched in line but the angled ball was clearly missing off stump by a mile and, not for the first time in this Test, umpire Steve Davies brewed a shocker that could prove defining in this contest.
Zimbabwe up a much better performance yesterday with both the bat and the ball and their pacemen ripped through the Pakistan defence with the new ball as the visitors crashed from 211-4 to 230 all out, Vitori leading the way in the carnage.
Vitori took 5-60, a deserved return his super effort, and he was well supported by Tinashe Panyangara, who took three wickets, including the key wicket of Younis Khan, and Tendai Chatara, whose one wicket did not do justice to his grand effort.
Starting from an overnight score of 163 for 3, Pakistan appeared to be going on nicely but somehow they lost their way and a first innings score of 230 was way below expectations.
Going for lunch, Pakistan were 211 for 5 with Younis Khan on 76 (77 off 223 with nine fours) but by tea Zimbabwe were 30 for 1, after the loss of Utseya who opened with Mawoyo in a makeshift combination, in a dramatic swing in the match.
Captain Misbuh-ul-Huq (33 off 120 with four fours) was the first Pakistan wicket to fall when he edged Vitori to Masakadza in the slips.
That ended the fourth-wicket overnight partnership that had yielded 86 runs.
From there onwards it was downhill for Pakistan.
After regular opener Vusi Sibanda failed to take his place at the top of the order, having complained of a stomach ailment, Zimbabwe lost Utseya early but the reliable Masakadza and Mawoyo rebuilt the innings with a century partnership.
The first Test changed on day four with Younis Khana’s double hundred and today could also prove decisive.
Scorecard
Zimbabwe 1st Innings: 294
Pakistan 1st Innings
(Overnight 163-3)
K Manzoor run out (Chigumbura) 51
M Hafeez c Masakadza b Vitori 22
AAli lbw b Panyangara 7
Y Khan c Mawoyo b Panyangara 77
M-ul-Haq c Masakadza b Vitori 33
A Shafiq b Chatara 10
A Akmal c Taylor b Vitori 6
A Rehman lbw b Panyangara 0
S Ajmal c Mutumbami b Vitori 7
J Khan b Vitori 3
R Ali not out 1
Extras: 13
TOTAL: (all out) 230
Overs: 104.5
Fall of wickets: 1-29, 2-62, 3-96, 4-182, 5-211, 6-212, 7-212, 8-224, 9-229.
Zimbabwe 2nd Innings
T Mawoyo lbw b Rehman 58
P Utseya c Shafiq b RAli 5
HMasakadza lbw b RAli 44
T Panyangara c AAli b Rehman 0
B Taylor not out 0
Extras: (3b, 6lb, 5w) 14
TOTAL: (for 4 wickets) 121
Overs: 50.2
Fall of wickets: 1-13, 2-117, 3-121, 4-121.
Online Reporter