Centuries by Abid Ali and Azhar Ali put Pakistan in a strong position on the first day of the second Test against Zimbabwe at Harare Sports Club Friday.
Abid (118 not out) and Azhar (126) put on 236 for the second wicket before tall fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani brought Zimbabwe back into the match by taking three wickets with the second new ball.
Pakistan had reached 268 for four at the close.
Abid and Azhar came together with the total on 12 in the eighth over and ground down the Zimbabwe bowlers before Azhar edged Muzarabani to gully in the last half hour of the day.
Azhar's dismissal was followed by a second failure in the series for Babar Azam, Pakistan's captain and star batsman, who drove Muzarabani to point after scoring two.
Babar was out for a first-ball duck in the first Test at the same venue, which Pakistan won by an innings and 116 runs.
Muzarabani struck again when first Test centurion Fawad Alam dragged a short ball onto his stumps after scoring five.
Muzarabani finished the day with three for 41.
?Another fine hundred by Azhar Ali. Averaging almost 50 in his last 10 Tests, including 141 not out in Southampton and 93 in Christchurch. #PakvZim
— Mazher Arshad (@MazherArshad) May 7, 2021
His five-over spell with the second new ball yielded three for 12.
Azhar did not give a chance on hs way to his 18th Test century.
Abid was dropped on 94 during an anxious progress to his third Test hundred his first since reaching three figure in both his first two Tests, against Sri Lanka, in December 2019.
Abid had already spent 17 balls in the nineties when he stretched for a flighted, wide delivery from left-arm spinner Milton Shumba and edged a chance which was put down by wicket-keeper Regis Chakabva.
It took Abid another 19 deliveries before he cut Tendai Chisoro, another left-armer spinner, to reach the milestone with his 14th boundary.
Abid faced 246 balls and hit 17 fours in his innings.
Azhar scored his runs off 240 deliveries with 17 fours and a six.
Zimbabwe started the day well, claiming the wicket of Imran Butt in the eighth over.
Day 1 Stumps
— Multan Sultans (@MultanSultans) May 7, 2021
Azhar Ali and Abid Ali put on 236 for the second wicket. Pakistan dominated the first day against Zimbabwe in the second test.#PAKvZIM pic.twitter.com/nWDiv3BGnE
Butt top-edged a pull to midwicket against left-arm opening bowler Richard Ngarava after scoring two off 20 balls.
But Abid and Azhar settled in on an easy-paced pitch after seeing off some good bowling by Ngarava and Muzarabani.
Zimbabwe, already hit by injuries to three leading batsmen, had a new injury concern when Roy Kaia was taken off on a stretcher shortly before tea.
Fielding at short leg, he was struck a heavy blow above the left knee by a pull shot from Abid.
Zimbabwe Cricket said in a statement at close of play that Kaia had suffered bruising and his knee was swollen and tender.
He was unable to return to the field but will be assessed Saturday morning.
Pakistan gave a debut to 36-year old seam bowler Tabish Khan, who replaced all-rounder Faheem Ashraf in the only change from the first Test.
Zimbabwe also had a new cap in fast bowler Luke Jongwe, who replaced injured opening batsman Prince Masvaure.
