HARARE: Left-arm spinner Nauman Ali took five wickets as Pakistan closed in on victory by an innings having reduced hosts Zimbabwe to 220 for nine at the close on the third day of the second and final Test at the Harare Sports Club on Sunday. Zimbabwe, who still trail by 158 runs, lost 15 wickets on the day having been dismissed earlier for 132 in their first innings, but held out in the fading light to force the game into a fourth day. They are replying to Pakistan’s massive score of 510 for eight declared.
Regis Chakabva struck an impressive 80 in Zimbabwe’s second innings that included 13 fours and two sixes, before one slog too many off Nauman (5-86) meant he edged to Babar Azam at slip. Stand-in captain Brendan Taylor smashed 49 from 31 balls as he tried to put the pressure back on the tourists, but Zimbabwe could not stem the tide as Nauman and seamer Shaheen Afridi (4-45) picked up all the wickets to fall. Nauman was expensive, conceding more than four runs per over, but got reward on a pitch that is starting to take turn as he also moved past 300 first-class wickets with his haul.
Zimbabwe had resumed their first innings on 52 for four at the start of the day, but Pakistan seamer Hasan Ali returned the excellent figures of 5-27 to help dismiss them cheaply and force a follow-on. Hasan used all his skill and guile to tear through the Zimbabwe middle-order and continue his impressive form having taken 9-89 in the first Test that the visitors won by an innings and 116 runs.
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