Harare, Zimbabwe: Pakistan was 55-2 at tea on the fourth day of the second test against Zimbabwe on Friday, needing another 209 runs to win and sweep the series 2-0.
Opener Khurram Manzoor was 35 not out and the experienced Younis Khan 4 not out, but Mohammad Hafeez (16) and Azhar Ali (0) fell to a two-wicket burst by Tendai Chatara (2-7) in the afternoon, giving Zimbabwe renewed hope of its first test win over Pakistan since 1998.
Pakistan is chasing 264 for victory after losing its last two test series.
Rahat Ali earlier claimed five wickets to bowl Zimbabwe out for 199 in its second innings soon after lunch, with his match-leading figures of 5-52 giving Pakistan a reachable target, although the well-worn pitch was already proving difficult to bat last on.
Hafeez and Azhar Ali, who saw his stumps splayed by Chatara, both failed to negotiate the testing last-innings conditions at Harare Sports Club, which is hosting its second test match in a week.
Manzoor hit seven fours in an attacking start to Pakistan's chase, following up his half-century in the first innings. Younis has scored 200 not out and 77 in his last two knocks in this series.
Rahat Ali and spinners Abdur Rehman (2-40) and Saeed Ajmal (2-56) ensured Zimbabwe lost wickets quickly at the start of the penultimate day, with the host adding only 78 runs and losing its last six batsmen in just over a session after being 121-4 overnight. Captain Brendan Taylor made 27 and wicketkeeper batsman Richmond Mutumbami 29 but there was little else from the Zimbabwe middle and lower order.
Zimbabwe lost three wickets before lunch and another three in less than 10 overs after the break, and despite dogged efforts from Taylor and Mutumbami, couldn't take the game out of Pakistan's reach.
Pakistan will think it should chase down the target with lots of time left in the game, even though it made only 230 in the first innings and even with the well-worn Harare pitch starting to show more signs of uneven bounce.
After conceding a 64-run first-innings deficit, Pakistan had already begun its fightback late Thursday by taking three wickets in three overs at the end of the third day.
On Friday, Ali continued the momentum and removed Vusi Sibanda for 10 to an edge behind to wicketkeeper Adnan Akmal for Pakistan's early success. Malcolm Waller scooped a catch to Khurram Manzoor off spinner Ajmal soon after for 3 and Elton Chigumbura also nicked behind off Junaid Khan (1-37) for 156-7.
Taylor dug in, hit two fours and batted through the first session and faced 83 balls in all, but he fell to Ali and Mutumbami was spun out by Ajmal and Zimbabwe didn't quite make it to 200, with Tendai Chatara skying a catch to Akmal for Ali's fifth.
Pakistan won the first test by 221 runs, leaving Zimbabwe battling to avoid a fifth series defeat in seven since it returned to the five-day format in 2011. Zimbabwe also hasn't beaten anyone other than Bangladesh in a test match since 2001.
Zimbabwe last beat Pakistan in a test in November 1998, when it also won the series.
