[Match Thread] Zim v Pak 1st Test

[betterdays]

this is their last batting pair - one more tonight would be blissful

[brmtaylor.com admin]

Pretty hard to fine them 10% of nothing.

[betterdays]

what's the theory with this bowling angle by Prosper ... very hard to see any good coming from it

[CrimsonAvenger]

Good to see Gavin Rennie after a long time. 90 run lead looks pretty scary with 6 wickets in hand for them. Last session of the day was the only session Pakistan has won in this test. Hope we can run through them tomorrow morning...

[brmtaylor.com admin]

Here's the league he was talking about: https://www.facebook.com/harare.friendlies

They had no problem finding sponsorship it seems. And it confirms Lamb has retired.

[foreignfield]

Here's the league he was talking about: https://www.facebook.com/harare.friendlies

They had no problem finding sponsorship it seems. And it confirms Lamb has retired.

While it's nice to find quite a few household names from the past there amongst the runs and wickets, with Mark Vermeulen on top of the runs scorers list (http://www.hararefriendlies.com/runs), I'm sorry to say that it's pretty deflating to see a cricket league in Harare in the year 2013 that is 95% white, maybe 4% Asian, and has exactly two black bowlers listed (one of them Peacemore Zimwa -- good on him!).

That's just an observation from an outsider's perspective. Not blaming anyone here.

But back to what's happened today. I only followed our bowling display peeking at the ball-by-ball from time to time, but it looks like two sessions of good old fashioned Test cricket. Nothing to get downhearted by. If we were in Pak's position I would think we were doomed. Of course I also think we are doomed in the position we find ourselves in now, but the great things is this, we are fighting hard, we are not giving anything away, we are right there in this match. Bring on tomorrow. I love Test cricket!

[Kriterion_BD]

With Pak and ZIM, the possibility of a drawn test is always there with the low run rates.

PAK could still have their typical phenomenal collapse, and leave ZIM with less than 200 to chase to win.

[eugene]

Lance Malloch-Brown was the leading bowler!!! How is that possible?

[Jemisi]

A tough evening session but we are still in with a show.

I pretty much agree with you FF, we feel doomed in either teams' position.

We can lose this with a terrible collapse, or by letting these two get another hundred together, but with a sleep and getting up on Day 4 with a chance to win the game, we still have a chance to make it happen.

[jaybro]

I really can't believe the great position the boys have found themselves in and from all reports its been from hard work and discipline which has been lacking for years ( Bhundu might be starting to make head way). Even though we didn't get the 100 run lead and now the Pakis are ahead by 90 we're still in a great position hopefully there is abit of movement early in the morning and we get a few quick ones we could still chase less than 200 maybe even 150 ......

Ajmal is the real danger here 7-95 in the 1st innings great returns and from all reports the pitch is turning even more. Prosper Utseya has kept things tight and took 2 1st innings wickets but we needed him to make an impact in the 2nd innings, if Ajmal could take 7 than Pro needed at least a few. It's a catch 22 with the debate over Pro or Cremer, there is no way Cremer would have kept things so tight but with the ball turning he may have taken a few more wickets. Either way Prosper has played a great match and exceeded all my expectations maybe I rode him off too soon ....

Tinashe Panyangara is another I criticised prior to the 1st Test but he has played a great match and I will again say I may have jumped the gun on him aswell .....

I'm torn on what to do tonight as I will finally be able to watch the match but I feel I may be bad luck for the boys lol ... Im spewing I've missed it but as watching Zimbabwe play a competetive test match against a top team is something I've been dying to see for a very long time .....