Pakistan crumble against the new ball

15 overs Pakistan 39 for 4 (Inzamam 22*, Razzaq 2*) against Zimbabwe
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details

The more things change, the more things stay the same so far as Pakistan are concerned. For all the talk of a brave new era under Bob Woolmer's stewardship, their essential unpredictability is never far from the surface. And so it proved in the opening exchanges of the first one-day international against Zimbabwe at Harare, as Tinashe Panyangara and Doug Hondo obliterated Pakistan's top-order inside the first 15 overs.

The last time Panyangara took the new ball at the start of a series, against England at Edgbaston in the recent Champions Trophy, he very nearly failed to get his first over, which included seven wides. Today, on the other hand, he was right on the spot from the very first delivery, which Yasir Hameed edged straight through to Tatenda Taibu behind the stumps (0 for 1).

Hondo didn't make quite such an instant impact - he required all of four deliveries of his first over to make his first incision, as Shoaib Malik attempted to whip across the line and was adjudged lbw by an inducker for 1. And when Yousuf Youhana, who amassed 405 runs in five matches (average: 405) on Pakistan's previous trip to Zimbabwe, feathered a good-length ball through to Taibu, Hondo had struck for the second time in two overs to reduce Pakistan to 6 for 3.

At least Inzamam-ul-Haq, who had been a doubt because of a back injury, could not be blamed this time for choosing to bat first on winning the toss. But, together with the debutant, Bazid Khan (son of Majid) he faced a delicate rebuilding process. He nearly perished in the process as well, as Taibu dropped a leg-side chance while Inzamam was on 7, but Taibu made no such mistake when Panyangara sent down a wide one, for Bazid to chase and edge for 12.