Saeed Ajmal's bag of variations, on a strip dusting up after three days of inactivity, sparked life into the Bulawayo

 Test in dramatic style on the fourth afternoon. Pakistan's languid pursuit of runs meant the third innings could begin only after lunch, but once it did with Zimbabwe trailing by 54 runs, the action began to unfold on the double. Ajmal snaffled the two biggest wickets, and Aizaz Cheema chimed in with a couple more as Zimbabwe lost half their side in wiping out the deficit, leaving them staring at inevitable defeat with four sessions to go.

The draw seemed the likeliest possibility when Zimbabwe took guard, despite the threat that Ajmal was inevitably going to pose. Zimbabwe's hopes would have been bolstered by the fact that they had somehow survived his doosra in the first innings, despite not picking too many of them. However, they unravelled spectacularly today, as the mere threat of the doosra proved their undoing.

Zimbabwe did not help their cause by losing a wicket even before his introduction in the seventh over. Vusi Sibanda's compulsive pull, often disregarding length completely, cost him several times during the Bangladesh tour, and he perished to that weakness again. It wasn't a particularly short ball from Cheema, and Sibanda hauled it meekly to mid-on.

Then began the Ajmal examination. Tino Mawoyo had prodded several times inside the line in the first innings as the doosra left him. This time, he shuffled right across his stumps in an attempt to cover the doosra, leaving his leg stump prone to the offbreak.

Brendan Taylor tried to negate the variations by reaching well out and sweeping, but he was still beaten by the turn and trapped in front. Three balls later, Hamilton Masakadza inside-edged Cheema onto the stumps even as he looked to leave the ball. Zimbabwe's tailspin showed no sign of stopping when Mohammad Hafeez snuck a slider onto Craig Ervine's pads. Even Tatenda Taibu, Zimbabwe's best player of spin, had trouble picking Ajmal and nearly holed out to mid-off, as Pakistan went to tea with their tails up.

There were signs of Pakistan's intent, though to a lesser extent, in the pre-lunch session. Their last five wickets added 109 runs in 36 overs, a marginal improvement on the scoring-rate managed by their top five. Zimbabwe, with the notable exception of Ray Price, aided Pakistan's progress with listless bowling and atrocious catching.

Bowling over the wicket, Price homed in on the rough created at the Airport End, and began to rip the ball out of the footmarks past uncertain prods from Younis Khan and Adnan Akmal. Younis responded by charging out of the crease and launching Price over long-on. After that, he reverted to stout defence from the crease, leaving run-scoring duties to his partner.

Adnan Akmal pulled out the reverse-sweep, and was constantly on the lookout for the extra run. Kyle Jarvis' introduction in the 136th over of the innings hurried Pakistan into the lead, as Adnan Akmal glanced, drove and steered him for boundaries. Before long, his enthusiasm got the better of him as he ran himself out.

After 44 overs of supreme discipline, 23 of them maidens, Price finally struck. He found a way past Younis on 88, getting him to edge an over-pitched ball into Taibu's pad, for Taylor to take the rebound. Pakistan's lead was only 12 at that point, and Zimbabwe deployed Brian Vitori in an attempt to blast the tail out.

Ajmal gradually grew in confidence, slashing Vitori through point, before summoning the skill to loft Price over long-on. Hamilton Masakadza then fluffed a sitter at gully - the sixth drop of the innings - and Sohail Khan celebrated by biffing the next ball for six. He fell later in the same over, and Chris Mpofu removed Junaid Khan after lunch with a sharp short ball. Price ended the innings soon after by castling Ajmal. In hindsight, Zimbabwe may have been better served by not hastening the end of Pakistan's innings.