Zimbabwe to face Pakistan’s best
HEAD coach Misbahul-Haq on Saturday indicated that there may not be wholesale changes in the Pakistani team for the upcoming home series against Zimbabwe, saying that the team was already composed of young players. During a Press briefing in Lahore, the former captain said that the national team was already pretty young and might only need minor tweaking instead of mass chopping and changing.
“The Pakistan team is already composed of young players,” he said.
“It had lost two senior players right after the World Cup.
“[In fact], we might change a thing or two to make the team even stronger.” Explaining that the seemingly unimportant Zimbabwe home series is actually important, Misbah said: “We should keep in mind that the points earned from the ODI [one-day international] series would count towards World Cup qualification.”
He also underscored that finding new combinations and creating able back-ups were among his priorities while structuring the team.
The Zimbabwean side is considered one of the weakest in the world, leading some to suggest that the series be used to experiment with young untried talent.
Earlier on Wednesday, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had announced that it will host Zimbabwe for a limited-overs series which is scheduled for October-November.
“Needless to say, we at ZC are bursting with excitement as we look forward to playing cricket again and representing our nation with pride and passion in Pakistan,” said Zimbabwe Cricket chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani.
The Africans are expected to land in Pakistan on October 20, and, following the mandatory quarantine, will play a three-match ODI series in Multan and as many T20Is in Rawalpindi.
The 50-over matches will take place on October 30, November 1, and 3 while the T20Is will take place on November 7, 8, and 10.
Zimbabwe’s upcoming tour will be their second visit to Pakistan in the last five years.
Meanwhile Zimbabwe national cricket team's players were pleased to get some match practice under their belts following a training match at Harare Sports Club on Saturday.
The players had not played cricket for seven months and captain Chamu Chibhabha was pleased.
“It was really good to get some match practice today,” he said. “Obviously the guys were a bit rusty, but we still have a couple more practice matches to go, so hopefully the guys will be match-fit by the time we tour Pakistan. We had some really good performances today, so it’s looking good.”
All-rounder Sean Williams also shared his delight.
“Yes, it was a practice match but I didn’t take it like one. It felt amazing to be back on the park with the boys after so long. Walking onto the field today really made me appreciate the game we have played for so long and love it even more. I personally feel I will enjoy every moment from now on more and truly grateful to be part of the return of this great game of ours.”