Cricket News

Hamilton Masakadza has urged Zimbabwe "not to change too much" in the short turnaround ahead of the second Test against Pakistan starting Tuesday in Harare

Misbah-ul-Haq wanted Younis Khan to reach his double-century before calling an end to Pakistan's second innings but said the senior batsman would have been fine even if the declaration had come earlier

The probability of Zimbabwe holding out for a draw was extinguished early on the final morning, not by the expected threat Saeed Ajmal, but by Junaid Khan and Abdur Rehman

Zimbabwe will look to Younis Khan for inspiration as they set out to save the first Test against Pakistan in Harare

Test victories do not come easy for an underdog striving to cause an upset, and Younis Khan capitalised on his reprieves to bury Zimbabwe's chances with his fourth double-century

Younis Khan rated the quality of Zimbabwe's bowlers so highly that he regards the two-Test series in Harare as ideal preparation for Pakistan's next challenge against the No.1 ranked Test team

Misbah-ul Haq and Younis Khan defied Zimbabwe with a century stand but the home side still retained the edge after three days

Malcolm Waller is hopeful Zimbabwe's tail can wag with the vigour Pakistan's did if the home team are avoid batting in conditions which may be too difficult to chase a target

Saeed Ajmal took four wickets but couldn't prevent a resilient Zimbabwe from taking a 32-run lead

Despite an unimpressive performance by the top order, leading to Pakistan finishing the opening day nine wickets down, batsman Azhar Ali felt his side was in a reasonably good position

Zimbabwe's bowlers did a superb job to reduce Pakistan to 172 for 8 before Saeed Ajmal battled to lift the total towards 250

Zimbabwe will qualify for the ICC's Test rankings after the Harare Test, but face a big challenge against batsmen who are best suited to the gentle pace of the long format and a very potent bowling attack

Though Pakistan went on to win the three-match series 2-1, the series was a lesson in avoiding complacency and the risks of underestimating the hosts in their territory, and these will be important lessons for Pakistan before the Tests