Azhar, Abid keep Pakistan steady after losing Butt early
ESPN
Lunch Pakistan 72 for 1 vs Zimbabwe
Pakistan overcame the early loss of Imran Butt to finish off the first session having established a modicum of control over proceedings, with Azhar Ali and Abid Ali ensuring they went to lunch suffering no further losses. The conservative nature of the visitors' approach meant it was at times a tedious watch as they accumulated 72 runs in 29 overs, though the slowish pitch Harare offered was perhaps a mitigating factor.
Pakistan opted to bat, with the most striking bit of news the decision to hand a debut to 36-year old Tabish Khan. The reasons for excluding Faheem Ashraf, entering perhaps the most promising phase of a young Test career, weren't quite satisfactorily explained, and the omission meant Pakistan's tail was somewhat enlarged. Pakistan will have hoped they didn't require bonus runs from the lower order, but they didn't quite go about ensuring it in the most convincing way.