Zimbabwe batsman Craig Ervine plays a sweep shot as Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal looks on during their World Cup match at the Pallekele International Stadium yesterday.
Pakistan restricted Zimbabwe to 151-7 in 39.4 overs before a second rain interruption curtailed the first innings of the World Cup Group A match on Monday.
Pakistan, chasing a win to guarantee a quarterfinal berth, need 162 in 38 overs under the Duckworth-Lewis formula. One point from a no result or tie would also be enough for them to qualify for the last eight.
Seamers Umar Gul (3-36), Abdul Razzaq (1-24) and Wahab Riaz (1-21) removed the top four for just 43 after Zimbabwe captain Elton Chigumbura won the toss and chose to bat in overcast conditions at Pallekele stadium.
Spinners Shahid Afridi and Mohammad Hafeez, with a wicket each, further derailed Zimbabwe, who at the first rain break were 96-5.
Left-hander Craig Ervine fought a lone battle, hitting a patient 52 off 82 balls with five boundaries for his third ODI fifty, before Hafeez bowled him in his first over.
Chigumbura (32 not out) and Prosper Utseya (18) added 48 for the seventh wicket.
Zimbabwe were off to a disastrous start, losing in-form Brendan Taylor off the fifth ball of the innings, caught off Razzaq by wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal.
Gul made it 5-2 when he dismissed Regis Chakabva off the last ball of the second over, before removing Vusimuzi Sibanda (five) shortly afterwards.
Ervine and Tatenda Taibu added 30 for the fourth wicket before Wahab Riaz, in for Shoaib Akhtar, had Taibu caught off a miscued drive at mid-off by Afridi for 19.
Pakistan left out Umar Akmal, who failed to recover from a finger injury sustained on Thursday. He was replaced by Asad Shafiq.
Zimbabwe also made two changes, leaving out pacemen Christopher Mpofu (injured) and out-of-form Tinashe Panyangara to include Sibanda and Shingirai Masakadza.
