Inzamam leads recovery

Pakistan 231

Zimbabwe 4-0

Inzamam-ul-Haq struck a bold 101 to lift Pakistan in the face of a telling burst by Zimbabwe's fast bowler Heath Streak on the first day of the series- deciding third and final Test in Harare yesterday.

Pakistan slumped to 83 for 4 before Inzamam hauled his side to 231 all out. Streak, whose nine-wicket match haul thrust Zimbabwe to their first Test victory in the opening rubber of the series, troubled the tourists again with 4 for 53. At the close Zimbabwe were 4 without loss.

Streak removed Aamir Sohail (21), Saeed Anwar (4) and Salim (20) in Pakistan's early collapse, and later sent back Ijaz Ahmed for 41.

Of the final 148 runs in the innings, Inzamam scored all but 47 and when Rashid Latif fell for six to make it 180 for 6, no one but Inzamam then scored a run off the bat. He shared a useful fifth-wicket partnership of 76 with Ijaz, whose dismissal at 159 gave Streak his 18th wicket of the series and left Inzamam holding centre stage.

Inzamam's first 50 came in 101 balls and his second 50 took just 66 balls. He powered to his fourth Test century with some clean driving and straight hitting, striking a total of 12 fours and two sixes.

(First day; Pakistan won toss)

Pakistan - First Innings

Aamir Sohail c P Strang b Streak 21

Shakeel Ahmed c A Flower b Whittall 29

Saeed Anwar c Butchart b Streak 4

*Salim Malik c G Flower b Streak 20

Ijaz Ahmed lbw b Streak 41

Inzamam-ul-Haq c P Strang b Brain 101

Rashid Latif c P Strang b B Strang 6

Wasim Akram b B Strang 0

Manzoor Elahi c Streak b B Strang 0

Aqib Javed run out 0

Amir Nazir not out 0

Extras (lb3 w3 nb3) 9

Total (83.3 overs) 231

Fall: 1-42 2-46 3-64 4-83 5-159 6-180 7-1808-1839-203 10-231.

Bowling: Streak 18-4-53-4; Brain 12.31-48-1; B Strang 32-15-43-3; Whittall 18-3-73-1; Butchart 3-0-11-0.

Zimbabwe - First Innings

G W Flower not out 0

S V Carlisle not out 3

Extras (nb 1) 1

Total 4

To bat: A D R Campbell, D L Houghton, *A Flower, G J Whittall, I P Butchart, P A Strang, H H Streak, D H Brain, B Strang.

Bowling: Wasim Akram 2-1-1-0; Aqib Javed 1-0-3-0.