Hafeez helps Pakistan set 300-run target for Zimbabwe

HARARE: Pakistan set an improbable target of 300 against Zimbabwe in the second One-day International here at the Harare Sports Club ground on Thursday.

After being sent into bat by Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor, Pakistan top-order batsmen piled up a huge total of 299 runs for the loss of four wickets.

Mohammad Hafeez made an unbeaten 136 and was involved in three good partnerships – first 50 with Nasir Jamshed (26) for the second wicket, then 129 with Umar Amin (59) for the fourth wicket and later 86 with Shahid Afridi (39 not out) for an unbeaten fifth wicket partnership from just 45 balls.

Mohammad Hafeez answered captain Misbah-ul-Haq's call for bigger scores from the Pakistani batsmen with a commanding century.

Misbah had lamented his side's poor batting after Pakistan were beaten by seven wickets on Tuesday, but Hafeez ensured there would be no repeat as his unbeaten 136 from 130 balls led the tourists to a huge total.

This was his sixth hundred in One-day International cricket. He struck nine fours and five sixes in his innings.

Although Zimbabwe reduced Pakistan to 84 for three in the 22nd over with a clinical performance in the field, Hafeez gained control of the innings in a 129-run stand with Umar Amin, who made his first ODI fifty.

The pair added just 66 runs over their first 23 overs together, but then cashed in on the batting powerplay when they hammered 43 runs in five overs.

Amin was brilliantly run out by Tendai Chatara soon after, but Hafeez went to his century in the following over and was well supported by Shahid Afridi in the final stages of the innings.

Afridi clubbed three sixes on his way to 39 not out as Pakistan took 64 runs from the final five overs of the innings, leaving Zimbabwe with a huge task if they are to claim their first series victory over the tourists.