OTD: Zimbabwe beat Pakistan by seven wickets in Peshawar, their first overseas victory, at the 15th attempt

Zimbabwe visited Pakistan for a 3-match Test series with the first Test being scheduled to play in Peshawar. This was the 15th time the nation from Africa had travelled to the Asian country for a Test series. However, they were not able to find any success in the hot conditions but all was about to change when they visited Pakistan in 1998.

In the first Test at Peshawar, Pakistan batted first and scored a decent first innings score of 296. It was achieved by two great knocks from Ijaz Ahmed and Mohammad Yousuf, who both scored fifties but were unable to convert their score into triple digits. In terms of bowling, Heath Steak scalped four wickets and Pommie Mbangwa supported him well as he also got three wickets to his name.

Zimbabwe were in a spot of bother as they came out to bat in the second innings since they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. However, the innings was restored to parity with an amazing knock from Neil Johnson as he notched up a hundred in the most counter-attacking way possible. His brilliant century meant that the lead was cut down to a mere 58 runs. Even though the hosts had the lead, the game was still in the balance.

That innings from Johnson proved to be vital as Zimbabwe bowlers brought their nation back into the contest. They ripped through the Pakistan batting order to skittle them out for a mere 103 runs in the second innings. The African nation used only four bowlers in the innings as Henry Olonga and Pommie Mbangwa picked up a four-fer and a three-fer respectively. 

Their superb bowling performance meant that Zimbabwe had to chase a competitive target of 162. After that, Murray Goodwin led Zimbabwe towards a seven-wicket triumph as he scored an unbeaten knock of 73. The series was won by them thanks to rain and fog during the following two Test matches.

Disclaimer: This exclusive news is based on the author’s insights, analysis, and intuition. While reviewing this information, consider the points discussed and form your own conclusions.

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