ON the fourth day of the first cricket Test between Pakistan and
South Africa, in Abu Dhabi yesterday, Zimbabwe was a name frequently
mentioned by the commentators and studio panelists. As the hosts knitted
their impressive seven-wicket win over the Proteas, to end the world number one ranked Test nation’s 15-match unbeaten run, focus kept shifting to a team that wasn’t even in this contest.Zimbabwe haven’t played a Test match since that sensational 24-run victory over Pakistan at Harare Sports Club last month but given the way that their victory shook the world, against the background of the events that were shaping up in Abu Dhabi yesterday, it was inevitable that Andy Waller and his men would pop back into the spotlight.
There were questions, and lots of them.
How could a Pakistan team that had crashed to that stunning loss at the hands of minnows Zimbabwe, just a month ago, suddenly find the life to beat a South African team that was unbeaten in 15 Test matches leading into this contest?
How could a captain, Misbah-ul-Haq, whose leadership of the team had been called into question following the events in Harare, suddenly find the strength not only to rally his troops but also score a century in guiding them to a superb victory over the best Test team in the world?
How could a team that had struggled against an attack that featured the likes of Tendai Chatara, Tinashe Panyangara, Shingi Masakadza and Brian Vitori, that bowling attack which everyone said would be hopeless without Kyle Jarvis, suddenly find a way to handle Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel?
How could a Pakistan team that lost the first 11 sessions, in the first Test against Zimbabwe, and rode a number of close calls before winning the final two sessions on day four, in defining game-changing fashion, and then pressing their advantage on the final day to win, suddenly handle the all-round excellence of the Proteas? Surely, a team that conceded a 78-run deficit to Zimbabwe in that first Test, after scoring only 249 in their first innings, couldn’t be expected to stand the heat against a Proteas team that ranked among the finest Test sides in the history of the game?
But, it soon became apparent, as the drama unfolded in Abu Dhabi, that maybe the Zimbabwe cricketers had not received their due credit, with all the focus seemingly falling on how Pakistan had failed in that decisive second Test, rather than on how Waller’s men had applied themselves.
Pommie Mbwanga, the anchor of the SuperSport studio discussion on the first Test between Pakistan and South Africa, bowled it right on the money when he told his guests that maybe the focus was too much on the weaknesses of the losing side, as was the case with Pakistan in Zimbabwe, rather than the strength of the winners. While there was consensus during that live discussion that the Proteas might have suffered from a prolonged period of inactivity on the Test cricket scene, and some of their big-name players could have been rusty for this encounter, there was an admission that “losing to a team that has just lost to Zimbabwe will be very painful.” Chishty Mujahid, the legendary Pakistan cricket commentator who has covered his national team for more than 40 years and was part of the crew covering the Test against South Africa, also spoke about that loss in Zimbabwe.
“Zimbabwe had no reason to beat Pakistan, Pakistan had no reason to lose to Zimbabwe if you look at both sides, their record, their players, it was a wake-up call for everyone, selectors, the management and the players,” said Mujahid.
“There was a lot of criticism from the fans, the media.”
Last month Mujahid told Pak.Passion.net that he felt Zimbabwe should be given due credit for the way they fought in the two Tests.
“The young pace battery of the Zimbabweans which comprises Tendai Chatara, Brian Vitori and Panyangara stuck to the basics — line and length, outside the off-stump, fourth, fifth and sixth stump — and in the end the batsmen did play and make a mistake,” he said.
“The Zimbabweans didn’t field as they usually field, but they improved in the second Test match when compared to the first. Pakistan’s problem, as I said earlier, was their batting. That is where it went wrong.
“The Zimbabweans, of course, had a point to prove and they did. So what’s the hue and cry about? I don’t see any reason for that. What we should say is simply ‘Well done Zimbabwe and commiserations Pakistan.’
“All said and done, it is a simple fact that Zimbabwe played well and I went and congratulated the head of Zimbabwean Cricket, Peter Chingoka, on his team’s fine display.”
Brendan Taylor said his team was a transformed side, which didn’t give as much credit as they deserve, and they were full value for their draw in the series against Pakistan.
“We’ve matured very quickly. We’re a lot more professional with what we have to do,” Taylor said.
“In the first Test, when we lost a session, we lost a session badly. But this time, we were a lot more consistent.”
For now, the world can only wonder how mighty South Africa were beaten, in four days, “a team that had just lost to Zimbabwe.”
Predictably, the post-mortem will largely centre around what the Proteas did wrong, and not what their opponents did right, just as was the case last month when the noise from Pakistan was about where their team came short rather than giving Zimbabwe its due credit for a victory it deserved.
The article was first published by The Herald
