OTD| Zimbabwe registered their first-ever Test win in 1995 against Pakistan

On This Day | Zimbabwe registered their first-ever Test win in 1995 against Pakistan. Zimbabwe was a force to reckon with in the 90s and on numerous occasions they transformed themselves into giant killers. On this day they registered their maiden victory against the giants Pakistan in Test cricket in 1995. It was a massive moment for Zimbabwe cricket as trouncing a powerhouse takes a lot and the Chevrons did that in front of their fans. 

A scintillating start to the series

The Test series started in Harare with Zimbabwe winning the toss and electing to bat first. The home team justified their decision at the toss with an unparalleled batting performance in the first innings. Almost every batter who got a start capitalized on it to put the opposition in an uncomfortable position. However, the initial period did not go in their favour as Pakistan took three early wickets that unsettled the home side. 

The experienced duo of Grant Flower and Andy Flower built a massive 269-run stand to hit back. When this partnership was broken Andy Flower already had 156 runs to his name. After the dismissal of the skipper, Grant Flower stitched another partnership with Guy Whittall to continue the momentum. The threatening Pakistan bowling unit just could not force any errors and Zimbabwe declared the innings with 544 runs on the board. 

Total domination from Zimbabwe

Pakistan could not get over the thrashing of the first innings and that mental agony reflected in their batting stint as well. Zimbabwe created initial pressure with a few quick wickets but Pakistan stabilized their ship courtesy of Ijaz Ahmed and Inzamam-ul-Haq. However, Pakistan could not get beyond the follow-on mark and Zimbabwe eventually forced them to follow on. 

In the second innings, the situation worsened for the visitors as the batting order crumbled under pressure. The touring side could only manage to score 158 runs which resulted in a heavy defeat for them by an innings and 64 runs.