Raza lifts Zimbabwe to 268

LAHORE: The Zimbabweans didn’t succumb tamely in the series opener and they didn’t do on Friday either.
A hundred from Sikandar Raza and 99 from Chamu Chibhabha took the tourists to 268-7 in the second One-day International at the Gaddafi Stadium after being put into bat by Pakistan,
It looked like a competitive total on paper, but was significantly low when compared to the scores at Gaddafi Stadium in the preceding Twenty20 internationals and the first ODI.
Chibhabha became the first Zimbabwean to be dismissed for 99 when given out caught down the leg side in a questionable umpiring decision. Until then he had dominated the scoring - Zimbabwe were 156 when he fell in the over before batting Powerplay became due. Zimbabwe faced the risk of falling apart, but Raza carried the baton as the Pakistan quicks once again failed to rise above a flat track. It was the spinners who inflicted major damage. Yasir Shah got two including the dangerous Sean Williams, Shoaib Malik accounted for Chibhabha and along with Mohammad Hafeez, the three spinners conceded only 86 runs in 19 overs for four wickets.
Chibhabha, making his comeback after missing the first ODI, could have done with a more urgent opening partner. As he struck at a run a ball, Vusi Sibanda got stuck, scoring only 13 off 47 in an 83-run opening stand. Damningly for the Pakistan quicks it took a spinner to break the stand. In all four international innings on the tour, Zimbabwe have posted half-century opening stands. This time it was a straighter one from Mohammad Hafeez that outdid the increasingly desperate Sibanda.
Chibhabha, on the other end, didn’t need to become desperate. Pakistan kept feeding his cut, and he moved sweetly along even though Shah took two big wickets in his figures of 10-0-40-2. Before Williams lobbed one back at Shah, stand-in captain Hamilton Masakadza fell caught by the keeper on the reverse-sweep although there didn’t exist any conclusive evidence to support umpire Shozab Raza’s decision.
The umpire would be involved in another dubious call, in the 35th over, with Chibhabha looking for a single to bring up a maiden century and then set up for the Powerplay. From round the wicket Malik pitched outside leg, with the ball turning further down, and with the limited technology available pictures weren’t clear with regards to any contact with the bat or glove. Chibhabha’s reaction, though, and the painstaking walk back suggested this should have been called a wide.
With Richmond Mutumbani scoring a Sibanda-esque 7 off 26, Zimbabwe were in real danger of being kept to a tame total. Except that Raza found good touch against the team from the country of his birth. He made room, peppered the cover boundary time and again, including scooping a near-yorker over short third man for four. Despite Raza’s hundred off 84 balls, Zimbabwe enjoyed little support from the other end, and took only 112 off the last 15 overs. It was an underwhelming effort by modern ODI standards, but it was just enough to keep Zimbabwe interested, especially given Pakistan’s unpredictable batting.
Score Board
Pakistan won toss
Zimbabwe
V Sibanda b Hafeez 13
C J Chibhabha c Sarfraz b Shoaib 99
*H Masakadza c Hafeez b Yasir 18
S C Williams c & b Yasir 5
S Raza not out 100
†R Mutumbami c Asad b Anwar 7
C K Coventry c Sarfraz b Wahab 10
A G Cremer c sub (Ahmed) b Wahab 2
T Panyangara not out 4
Extras (lb 5, w 4, nb 1) 10
Total (7 wickets; 50 overs) 268
To bat: T Mupariwa, B V Vitori
Fall: 1-83, 2-114, 3-122, 4-156, 5-209, 6-238, 7-258
Bowling: Sami 9-1-53-0 (2w); Anwar 9-0-55-1; Wahab 10-0-55-2 (1nb, 1w); Yasir 10-0-40-2; Hafeez 6-0-33-1 (1w); Hammad 3-0-14-0; Shoaib 3-0-13-1
Pakistan team
M Hafeez, *Azhar Ali, Shoaib Malik, Haris Sohail, Asad Shafiq, †Sarfraz Ahmed, Hammad Azam, Wahab Riaz, Yasir Shah, Anwar Ali, M Sami
Umpires: Shozab Raza and R B Tiffin (Zimbabwe). TV umpire: Ahmed Shahab. Match referee: Azhar Khan