CRICKET:ASAD SHAFIQ enjoyed a memorable World Cup debut as he stroked an unbeaten 78 yesterday to help Pakistan seal their place in the quarter-finals with a seven-wicket win over Zimbabwe in a rain-shortened match.

Chasing a Duckworth/Lewis target of 162 off 38 overs, Shafiq’s mature innings and a solid knock by Mohammad Hafeez (49) steered Pakistan to a win with 23 balls to spare. They finished on 164-3. The result meant the 1992 champions joined Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka from Group A in the knock-out stages.

Earlier, pace duo Umar Gul and Abdul Razzaq rattled the Zimbabweans by reducing them to 13-3 inside six overs and they struggled to recover before rain intervened.

They amassed 151-7 after 39.4 overs but the victory target was adjusted according to the projected score the Africans would have reached had they been able to bat out their full quota of overs.

With the exception of Craig Ervine (52) and captain Elton Chigumbura (32 not out), the Zimbabwean batsmen struggled to come to terms with the stop-start nature of the contest due to rain.

Following a delayed start, the cricketers first had to run for cover with Zimbabwe on 96 for five after 27.2 overs. With 90 minutes of action lost, the match was first truncated to 43 overs a side before another deluge forced yet another adjustment. Ervine hit five fours while Chigumbura’s hopes of celebrating his 25th birthday with a big score was scuppered by the rain.

GROUP A

At the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy, Sri Lanka (revised Duckworth/Lewis target for Pakistan 162): Zimbabwe 151-7 in 39.4 overs (C Ervine 52; Umar Gul 3-36) v Pakistan 164-3 (Asad Shafiq 78 not out).

Pakistan won by seven wickets.