1st Test	Zimbabwe	v	Pakistan
Pre-rating	546.0		1120.9
Form	-4.9		-2.9
Expected Margin	Pakistan by 237 runs
Actual Margin	Pakistan by 221 runs
Post-rating	546.8		1119.7

A match that for three and a half days tempted us with a monumental upset ended up with Zimbabwe crawling past the expected margin 9 wickets down - cricket with handicaps anyone? For a time it was Saeed Ajmal versus Zimbabwe, scoring 49 to spark a late revival, and taking 7/95 to keep the lead to just 78 runs when it threatened to be 150 plus. At stumps on day 3, the Pakistan lead was 90 ith six wickets in hand. A Younis Khan double ton later, supportd wth 64 from Adnan Akmal, and the chase was 342 runs. Zimbabwe's collapse to Saeed Ajmal (4/23) and Abdur Rehman (4/36) was to be expected perhaps, but wihout Taylor or Jarvis, this was perhaps a better result than they might have hoped. Their batting - particularly the openers - continue to fight and claw to stay in the match, and their bowling is tight if unthreatening. Pakistan are much too good a side to lose to a side with these limitations, and yet, but for Saeed Ajmal, they might have done so. Top-order collapses continue to haunt them, after the debacle in South Africa last summer, and while another rout is likely on the same ground when they resume; Pakistan will need more players contributing when they meet South Africa.

Rankings at 9th September 2013
1.	South Africa	1324.6
2.	England	1217.2
3.	Pakistan	1119.7
4.	Australia	1099.8
5.	India	1096.3
6.	Sri Lanka	997.9
7.	West Indies	963.8
8.	New Zealand	877.4
9.	Bangladesh	604.6
12.	Zimbabwe	546.8
10.	Afghanistan	575.7
11.	Ireland	558.9
13.	Scotland	430.3
14.	Namibia	405.9
15.	Kenya	287.0
16.	U.A.E.	235.0
17.	Netherlands	182.4
18.	Canada	147.9

Shaded teams have played fewer than 2 games per season. Non-test team ratings are not comparable to test ratings as they don't play each other.

Cricket - Ratings - Test 10th September, 2013 01:59:22   [#] 

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