Wisden
Tour review

Zimbabwe v Pakistan, 2011

Test match (1): Zimbabwe 0, Pakistan 1
One-day internationals (3): Zimbabwe 0, Pakistan 3
Twenty20 internationals (2): Zimbabwe 0, Pakistan 2

This, at last, was a chance for Pakistan to embark on a low-key tour, with the focus solely on legitimate interaction between bat and ball. That was the first goal. The second was to bid a fitting farewell to coach Waqar Younis, and the third to try out new players and rest some seniors. Against most predictions - and perhaps, given recent history, against the odds - Pakistan achieved the lot, and won all six internationals.

Waqar cited "health concerns" as his reason for stepping down. Asked whether the concerns were mental rather than physical, he laughed. "It has certainly been a tough time recently," he said. "It always is with Pakistan. There is a lot of stress."

Umar Gul and Wahab Riaz were the most prominent of the established players to be left at home, but the newcomers weren't all youngsters. The 31- year-old debutant seamer Aizaz Cheema was rewarded for several consistent first-class seasons and looked instantly at ease in the national side, running in during the Test as hard and fast at the end of the day as he did at the start.

Leg-spinner Yasir Shah and batsman Asad Shafiq showed the depth of talent in Pakistan, little seen by the rest of the world, and Younis Khan was a resounding success as the senior pro in support of captain Misbah-ul-Haq. But the star was Mohammad Hafeez, who won four match awards in six games with a combination of top-order batting and canny off-spin.

Zimbabwe had a golden opportunity to prove their worth against high- quality opposition after beating a disappointing Bangladesh only a month earlier, in their first Test for six years. They exceeded even their own expectations for a while, but then collapsed dramatically on the fourth afternoon to hand Pakistan a straightforward win.

"It was horrible to lose the Test match in that fashion, when we had worked so hard for three and a half days, but it was encouraging to see and hear the level of disappointment the players felt," said convenor of selectors Alistair Campbell. "When we were preparing for our return, most people said we would do well to avoid humiliation. Yet we scored over 400 and for a long time seemed likely to avoid defeat. Fielding is our traditional strength, yet we dropped catches that cost over 200 runs. We could have won the match. But we didn't, and we have many young cricketers who need to learn that 'if' and 'but' don't matter in Test cricket."

The tour did indeed provide a fond farewell for Waqar, who left the door open to another stint as national coach later on. "I just want some time at home for now," he said. "Who knows about the future? It's a challenging job, and I love a challenge."

Match reports for

Tour Match: Zimbabwe XI v Pakistanis at Bulawayo, Aug 28-29, 2011
Scorecard

Only Test: Zimbabwe v Pakistan at Bulawayo, Sep 1-5, 2011
Report | Scorecard

1st ODI: Zimbabwe v Pakistan at Bulawayo, Sep 8, 2011
Report | Scorecard

2nd ODI: Zimbabwe v Pakistan at Harare, Sep 11, 2011
Report | Scorecard

3rd ODI: Zimbabwe v Pakistan at Harare, Sep 14, 2011
Report | Scorecard

1st T20I: Zimbabwe v Pakistan at Harare, Sep 16, 2011
Report | Scorecard

2nd T20I: Zimbabwe v Pakistan at Harare, Sep 18, 2011
Report | Scorecard

© John Wisden & Co.