MUSHTAQ MOHAMMED, the Pakistan team manager, was amazed at the calmness of Hasan Raza as the two sat side by side in the Iqbal Stadium pavilion here with the 14 year old due in next at number five on the opening day of the first Test against Zimbabwe. When Salim Malik was third out some 40 minutes before the close of play, the youngster took his time as he collected his gloves, bat and helmet.

There were four balls of Bryan Strang's over for Raza to negotiate. He did so with the ease of an old pro, not a young one who is still at school, and then astonished the tourists by sending his helmet off the field. "He's brave, eh?," commented Strang, who was promptly driven beautifully for four in his next over by the young boy.

But the Zimbabweans, who were all out for 133, were not that surprised they had seen him take a 50 off them in their three day match against a Board XI at Sahiwal prior to the first Test. What followed, however, surprised even Mushtaq, whose record as the youngest Test player (15 years and four months) had just fallen.

Mushtaq had told his young charge to play his natural game, but he did not expect him to skip down the pitch to pull Strang's wrist spin and hit him over the top for four. Despite being almost lbw to Paul Strang before he had scored, Raza's confidence grew and grew as he stroked four fours in his unbeaten 20.

Raza cannot have expected to get a bat yesterday once Zimbabwe had elected to take first use of a pitch expected to be full of runs. But that is to ignore the threat of Wasim Akram, who took six for 48 on a surface that offered regular movement off the seam.

A small crowd of around 4,000 were well aware that they were witnessing cricketing history. They noisily applauded Raza all the way to the middle and went wild when he made his first runs from a square cut for four off Paul St rang. At the close Pakistan were 114 for three.