HARARE, March 21:

A record 110-run eighth wicket partnership between Guy Whittall and Bryan Strang saved Zimbabwe the humiliation of a cheap dismissal on the first day of the first day of the second Test against Pakistan here on Saturday.

Having won the toss, the home team did well to get a reasonable start but in the second session of the play, Zimbabwe were reduced to 153 for seven when the stand between the two put them on a relatively sound footing as they recovered to make 277 in the end.

Pakistan in reply had made 18 without loss. Pakistan had taken the field without Ijaz Ahmed who was omitted and so were Saqlain Mushtaq and Shoaib Akhtar due to injuries. Opener Aamir Sohail also failed a fitness test in the morning. Wasim Akram, Mushtaq Ahmed and Mohammad Wasim, who missed the first Test, were included.

Thin on batting and having allowed Zimbabwe to recover, Pakistan will now have to bat well to make sure that they do not falter once again and concede a lead. Zimbabwe also had changes in the side. Gavin Rennie and Bryan Strang replaced Dirk Viljoen and Paul Strang. Strang had broken his finger in the first Test. He brother Bryan, however, more than compensated for his absence with a fighting 53 in a record stand for the eighth wicket.

Zimbabwe had chosen to bat first after Alistair Campbell had won the toss and they did well to finish at lunch having lost only one wicket for 72. The man out was the left-hander Gavin Rennie who was caught at the wicket by Rashid Latif off Azhar Mahmood for 13 after he had put on 47 for the first wicket with Grant Flower. He was lucky to survive to do that as he played and missed on more occasions than made contact with the bat. Grant Flower and Murray Goodwin were together when play resumed after lunch. But only three runs were added when Grant Flower lost his patience to drive an outgoing ball from Azhar mahmood to be caught at the wicket when 39.

Goodwin, the century maker in the first Test, was batting with authority as he reached his fourth 50 in Tests with nine fours in 124 minutes batting. With Alistair Campbell, he steadied the innings to take the score to 142 adding 67 runs for the third wicket when Pakistan struck through leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmad.

Campbell was caught at short cover off bat and pad by Yousuf Youhana with the Zimbabwe captain on 23. With his dismissal, Zimbabwe lost four more wickets in quick succession in only 11 balls.

Andy Flower was leg before to Waqar younis for 1 without offering a short and in the next over Goodwin hold out to Inzamamul Haq at mid-wicket off a top edge when he mistimed a Mushtaq delivery. Goodwin made 53 very useful runs in 137 minutes of disciplined batting in which he struck nine fours.

Trevor Madonda responding to second run of Guy Whittall was run out by Youhana and Heath Streak was caught at second slip by Mohammad Wasim off Waqar younis for 6 as Zimbabwe slumped from 143 for 3 to 153 for 7.

At tea Zimbabwe were 7 for 158 with Whittall and Bryan Strang on the wicket. The two continued to defy stubbornly to get past 50 partnership in 62 minutes batting. They punished Pakistan's rather wayward bowling n the last session to get past 94, the best stand for Zimbabwe for the eighth wicket which was shared between Campbell and Streak against New Zealand at Wellington a month ago.

The century of the stand between Whittall and Strang came in 105 minutes and from 151 balls. Not much later, Strang reached his first 50 in Tests in 107 minutes having faced 78 balls with five fours and a six. Whittall, minutes later, got his half century with 10 fours in 133 minutes stay. The stand of 110, however, was ended by Waqar Younis with the second new ball who had Strang caught off his own bowling but not before he had made 53 in 118 minutes. He hit five fours and a six.

Adam Huckle was bowled next ball by Waqar but Pom Mbangwa averted the hat-trick. Whittall throwing caution to the wind, struck a couple of blistering fours before he was the last man out off Wasim Akram who had him caught in the slip for 62. He had batted for 51 minutes and hit 12 fours and a six.

Day 5: Pakistan win Test and series after jingly-jangly ride

HARARE, March 25:

Pakistan notched up a three-wicket win over Zimbabwe in the second and final Test to wrap up the two match series 1-0 here on Wednesday.

This was the sixth win in a Test against Zimbabwe but not without those usual hiccups. Pakistan, in fact, made heavy weather of it through some reckless batting.

That Pakistan managed to get to the required target of 192 was mainly due to some good batting by Saeed Anwar who made 65 and a highly disciplined innings by Yousaf Youhana who made 52 invaluable runs.

Pakistan had started the day at 58 for one, needing still 134 runs to win the Test and the series. Mohammad Wasim, who had made 192 in the first innings, was run out in the second over of the day at his overnight score of eight. There was a comfortable single as he drove to mid-on region but Saeed Anwar sent him back. The two put on 45 runs for the second wicket.

Minutes later, Inzamamul Haq, like in the first innings, played another wild stroke to hit the bowler out of sight and had to pay the price for it. Adam Huckle had invited him to play a massive drive which he missed and was stumped by Andy Flower for 10.

Saeed Anwar was timing his shots well and looked like winning the match on his own when his downfall came. Having reached his 16th Test fifty with seven fours and a six in 95 minutes batting. He was 65 when he played uppishly at short mid-wicket to substitute Andy Whittall off Guy Whittall and was caught low down.

With Yousaf Youhana he had added 28 runs.

With his dismissal, Pakistan hadonce again started to look in danger of losing their way. Just before lunch Pakistan lost yet another wicket, that of Moin Khan who offered a simple catch to Alistah Campbell at second slip.

Pakistan were 149 for 5 at lunch and needing another 43 runs to win. Yousaf Youhana and Ali Naqvi, who had come late in the order because of a twisted ankle, were at the crease.

Naqvi not able to move his feet properly was, however, given out immediately after lunch off spinner Adam Huckle by the Zimbabwean umpire Russell Tiffin. Naqvi was astounded and left the crease reluctantly. He did not seem to have touched the ball as Andy Flower appealed for a catch at the wicket.Youhana, however, was well disciplined and never missed any opportunity of picking up runs. He reached his third fifty of the series in 123 minutes batting with the help of five fours and a six off Huckle. Minutes, later, he was out at 52 off Guy Whittall when Murray Goodwin caught him at gully. Pakistan needed six more runs to win which was duly reached without any further damage.

Rashid Latif hit the winning single to wrap up the series.

Mohammad Wasim was the Man-of-the-Match and Waqar Younis was named the Man-of-the-Series for his 13 wickets in two Tests at an average of 17.76.

Pakistan play two one-day games here at Harare on Saturday and Sunday before going back to South Africa for the Triangular Series.