Daily Times

On Sunday, 22 July 2018, Pakistan added another ‘feather to their cap’ when they scored their 7th five-match series clean sweep by beating a lowly and hapless Zimbabwe team 5-0 in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. The series between the countries was an unequal one, with little competition or intrigue to offer. This ‘comprehensive win’ against minnows Zimbabwe by a margin of 5-0 helped Pakistan surpassed their archrivals India in the list of teams winning most five-match ODI series by winning each match of it. Pakistan’s list of 5-match clean sweeps include wins against Zimbabwe in 2002, Bangladesh in 2003, New Zealand in 2003, Zimbabwe in 2008, Bangladesh in 2008, Sri Lanka in 2017 and Zimbabwe in 2018. India have six such five-match ODI series wins followed by South Africa with five, West Indies, Australia and Sri Lanka with four five-match series clean sweep.

Even before the start of the ODI series, it was written all over the wall clearly: MISMATCH. Zimbabwe were a very weak side as most of their main players were either injured or dropped themselves out due to differences with their cricket board. So there is no point for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) or the people of this ‘Land of the Pure’ celebrating or going berserk over this very uninspiring victory. No doubt, it was an easy, dull and predictable tour and Pakistan have had the last laugh on it. Throughout the series, the targets set by Pakistan were beyond Zimbabwe almost from the start of their scratchy, plodding reply. Showing an inability to rotate the strike, against pace and spin alike, the Zimbabwe batsmen got stuck and never approached the run rate required to mount a genuine challenge. Even the hosts’ bowling was so unimpressive, impotent and below par that it was easily tamed. And the rest was history. It was an agonising series for Zimbabwe, and a series of landmarks for Pakistan.

Even before the start of the ODI series, it was written all over the wall clearly: MISMATCH. Zimbabwe were a very weak side as most of their main players were either injured or dropped themselves out due to differences with their cricket board. So there is no point for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) or the people of this ‘Land of the Pure’ celebrating or going berserk over this very uninspiring victory. No doubt, it was an easy, dull and predictable tour and Pakistan have had the last laugh on it

Pakistan opening batsman Fakhar Zaman became the fastest player in history of ODI cricket to score 1000 runs. Zaman secured the record in 18 innings which is three fewer than the previous record-holder Viv Richards. The great West Indies cricketer took 21 innings to score the same amount of runs but his record stood for 38 years. Zaman needed 20 runs before the start of the fifth ODI and it took him just 27 balls to reach the milestone. The left-handed batsman has been in great form throughout the series as this record comes on the back of his brilliant double-century in the fourth ODI – when he became the first Pakistan batsman to score a double-ton in ODI cricket, writing himself indelibly into the record books and Pakistan’s cricketing lore, and moving past 21 years old record set by Saeed Anwar with his dazzling 194. His historic double-hundred also gained him entry into an elite club alongside the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Rohit Sharma, Chris Gayle and Martin Guptill.

Zaman also broke another record by scoring the most runs (515) ever by a Pakistan batsman in an ODI series. Salman Butt previously held the record by scoring 451 runs against Bangladesh in 2008. India’s Kohli tops this list with 558 runs from six innings in a series against South Africa earlier this year. When 28-year-old Zaman reached 37 runs – he also broke the record for most runs in a five-game bilateral series, going past Zimbabwe’s Hamilton Masakadza’s record of 467 runs against Kenya in 2009-10. Opener Imamul Haq, nephew of former Pakistan skipper Inzamaul Haq, scored three centuries in the series – which made him the first batsman to score four centuries inside the first ten matches of his ODI career. In the last ODI, Babar Azam was also amongst the runs as he notched up the eight century of his ODI career. He paced his innings brilliantly – going from 50 to 100 in just 17 balls. The right-handed batsman remained not out on 106 runs off just 76 balls. His knock included nine fours and two sixes. Veteran Shoaib Malik could only score 18 runs – after he was wrongly adjudged leg before wicket – but that was enough to make him the eighth Pakistan cricketer with 7000 runs in ODI cricket.

Zimbabwe posted one of their lowest totals ever against Pakistan – 67 all out in the third ODI. Their scores in remaining ODIs were: 107 all out, 195 all out, 155 all out and 233-4. These stats alone speak volumes for the lopsidedness of the quality of cricket on display, and they represent the nosedive that Zimbabwean cricket has taken in the past decade. Zimbabwean teams in the past generation have consisted of great players from all departments, such as the Flower brothers, Andy and Grant, Heath Streak, Alastair Campbell, Eddo Brandes and Tatenda Taibu. Zimbabwe have beaten India, Pakistan, England and Australia at full strength. But in the last 14 years or so, Zimbabwean cricket finds itself in its worst phase ever, and looks a fading shadow of its past teams’ potential. The disintegration of Zimbabwean cricket over such a short time can be found in the political and economic circumstances of the country from which sports and sporting facilities cannot remain disconnected.

Published in Daily Times, July 23^rd 2018.