Umar Gul made an impressive international debut, bowling at a lively pace and maintaining excellent control over his line and length. He was rewarded in his third over, when Craig Wishart swished at one outside off and was snapped up by Rashid Latif for 8 (21 for 1). Travis Friend was included in this match as a specialist batsman, but he did little to justify that status, inside-edging an indipper from Gul past leg stump for four, before edging the same bowler to Taufeeq Umar at slip for 9 (47 for 2).

That brought Grant Flower to the crease, in his 200th one-day international, and just 14 shy of 6000 ODI runs. He got the first 13 of those, then smashed a cover-drive off Danish Kaneria which Mohammad Hafeez snaffled with a magnificent diving effort (87 for 3).

Marillier kept the run-chase going with some cheeky paddle shots and reverse-sweeps, hitting eight fours in his knock before Kaneria castled him with a quicker one (104 for 4). With no Andy Flower to shore up the middle order, and the asking rate approaching seven, Zimbabwe were struggling to make a match of it.

Zimbabwe kept the runs in check for most of the innings – at the end of 46 overs, Pakistan had managed just 209. Then came Razzaq’s awesome one-man show. Zimbabwe’s bowlers insisted on serving full-tosses, which kept disappearing into the crowd. The last two overs – from Sean Ervine and Douglas Hondo – went for 47, as Razzaq smashed an incredible six sixes from the last 12 balls of the innings, turning what had been a close contest completely Pakistan’s way.

The flurry of runs at the end was in stark contrast to the limp display from the top order at the start, as Pakistan lost their first five batsmen with only 101 on the board. Taufeeq Umar and Mohammad Hafeez began cautiously on a slow track. Hafeez got his first international runs with an exquisite back-foot cover-drive off Heath Streak, but soon nicked him to Tatenda Taibu for 12 (32 for 1). Naved Latif never looked the part at No. 3, and was bowled through the gate by Andy Blignaut for 3 (38 for 3).

Worse was to follow when Taufeeq and Yousuf Youhana fell in quick succession. After labouring to 16 off 50 balls, Taufeeq inside-edged a pull off Streak onto his stumps (50 for 3), while Youhana’s steer to third man off Sean Ervine was smartly plucked up by a diving Taibu (69 for 4).

Not for the first time, it was left to Pakistan’s lower middle order to engineer the revival. Younis was the protagonist, with two partnerships which laid the platform and allowed Razzaq to launch the blistering onslaught at the end.

The 58-run stand with Latif came at a run a ball, and injected some much-needed momentum to the innings. Latif contributed 34, mixing urgent running between wickets with splendid, innovative strokeplay. An over from Doug Marillier was especially memorable – a paddle-sweep for four, followed by a hoick over midwicket for six, followed by an audacious reverse-sweep for three.

The partnership was finally undone by a smart piece of fielding by Travis Friend, who rifled in a return from fine leg to catch Latif short of the crease (159 for 6). Younis, meanwhile, played a measured knock, knocking the ball around for singles but also striking meaty blows when the bowlers erred in direction. By the time he fell, hoicking Blignaut to Ervine at backward square leg (203 for 7), he had done enough to get Pakistan back in the match. Then, Razzaq decided to show who’s boss.

Mohammad Hafeez, opening the innings with Taufeeq Umar, looked the part in his first international match, getting off the mark with a classy back-foot cover-drive off Heath Streak. His promising knock was cut short, though, by an ill-advised waft off Streak, presenting Tatenda Taibu with a regulation catch (32 for 1). Hafeez made 12.

Next over – the eighth of the innings – Andy Blignaut dismissed Naved Latif for 3, nipping one back off the seam and crashing into off stump (38 for 2). It got worse for Pakistan when Taufeeq Umar, who had hung around for 50 balls in making a scratchy 16, attempted a pull off Streak and only managed a bottom edge onto his stumps (50 for 3).

Yousuf Youhana produced a couple of flowing cover-drives and flicks to suggest better times for Pakistan, but Taibu pulled off an exceptional one-handed catch when Youhana tried to steer Sean Ervine to third man (69 for 4).

Younis Khan attempted to inject some much-needed momentum into the innings, tonking Doug Marillier for a six over midwicket, but a poor piece of running between the wickets ruined a promising 32-run partnership with Shoaib Malik.

Younis flicked Grant Flower, started for a run, then changed his mind. Malik, already committed for the run, had no chance of making his ground (101 for 5). Rashid Latif walked out to join Younis, and Pakistan had quite a rebuilding job to do.

Pakistan’s line-up had only four names who played in their last match, against Zimbabwe in the World Cup. There were two debutants - Mohammad Hafeez at the top of the order and Umar Gul, the fast-medium bowler.

Zimbabwe were about to learn about life without Andy Flower. However, apart from him, Guy Whittall was the only other player not in the line-up from their last match. Gavin Rennie and Travis Friend were the two replacements.

Teams:

Pakistan: Taufeeq Umar, Mohammad Hafeez, Naved Latif, Yousuf Youhana, Younis Khan, Abdul Razzaq, Rashid Latif (capt & wk), Shoaib Malik, Danish Kaneria, Mohamamd Sami, Umar Gul.