Pakistan will play1st T20 against Zimbabwe tomorrow at Harare,
Pakistani fast bowlerAnwar Ali out from the team due to injurey,
Pakistan play1st
T20 against Zimbabwe tomorrow at Harare
Zimbabwe will host Pakistan for two Twenty20 Internationals and three One Day Internationals
By.Asghar Ali Mubarak
Harare -Pakistan vs. ZimbabweT20 Series 2015 begins tomorrow 27th September 2015 at Harare, after the two T20 Zimbabwe and Pakistani team will played three ODI matches on the 1st, the 3rd and the 5th of October2015. . The 12-day Pakistan Tour of Zimbabwe has been announced by the PCB that starts from September 27 to October 5. It is a bilateral series organized by both cricket boards and is part of the deal where Zimbabwe first toured Pakistan and now Pakistan tour Zimbabwe. The series also replaces the tri-series between Pakistan, Zimbabwe and West Indies which has been cancelled by Pakistan due to ICC Champions Trophy 2017qualification issue. The Pakistan T20 cricket team practice at Harare, Zimbabwe on Saturday evening, Pakistani team is facings African nation in limited over’s series for the second time this year, after the historic series in May when Zimbabwe traveled to Pakistan for five matches in Lahore first time since March 2009 terrorist attack that a visiting nation has played cricket inside Pakistan borders. In that series, Pakistan and Zimbabwe played two T20 and three one-day internationals matches though the final ODI was rained out. But Pakistan won all four of the matches that the two teams managed to get in as part of the agreement between the two countries; Pakistan will now play a two-match T20 series in Zimbabwe, followed by a three-ODI set. And while most cricket observers believe that the Pakistan side, led by Shahid Afridi for the pair of T20 matches, will duplicate their results from Lahore four months ago, the Pakistan skipper says he and his team are taking the Zimbabwe challenge quite seriously.“Zimbabwe might not be ranked among the top teams in the world but they remain a good side in limited-over’s matches,” Afridi told media. “The two matches we play against them will be an excellent opportunity for my players and team officials and we plan to use them as a launch pad for the T20 World Cup. We won’t take the matches lightly.”Pakistan Coach Waqar Younis echoed the sentiments of his T20 captain.“Zimbabwe has always been a competitive side to play against, especially when they are at home. We saw that when they came to Pakistan a few months ago and though they did not win a game they were always very good. There is no one player I can single out as a threat to Pakistan because they are all good, they play as a unit.”The two T20 matches are scheduled for Sunday, September 27, and Tuesday, September 29 at 4pm PST time. Both matches will be played in Harare. PTV sports will live telecast all matches from Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe to host Pakistan for two Twenty20 Internationals and three One Day Internationals “The dynamic of the squad is made up of a calm and aggressive combination for the Pakistan series. It’s a squad based on building a performance-related culture and giving a platform to the younger future players to prove their ability,” said convener of selectors Kenyon Ziehl. Mutumbami, 26, is selected as wicketkeeper/batsman ahead of Regis Chakabva who kept wicket during the New Zealand tour of Zimbabwe in August. Taurai Muzarabani, 28, has played in three Twenty20 Internationals (T20I) for Zimbabwe, but is yet to make his ODI debut. The rest of the squad comprises players who were in the squads for the T20I and ODI series against New Zealand. Richmond Mutumbami and Taurai Muzarabani have been included in Zimbabwe’s 16-man squad to play Pakistan later this month, in two Twenty20 and three One-Day International (ODI) matches. Pakistan T20 squad: Muhammad Hafeez, Mukhtar Ahmed, Ahmed Shehzad, Umar Akmal, Sohaib Maqsood, Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi (Capt), Aamir Yamin, Muhammad Rizwan, Bilal Asif, Wahab Riaz, Muhammad Irfan, Sohail Tanvir, Immad Wasim and Imran Khan (Jr).The Pakistani national selection committee headed by Haroon Rasheed already announced the T20 and ODI squads for the Zimbabwe tour as well as the Test squad for the forthcoming series against England in the UAE with the first Test starting from October 13 in Abu Dhabi. Left-arm pacer Imran, who bagged 16 wickets in the national T20 championship for champions Peshawar, has been rewarded for his form while young all-rounder Yamin has also been picked. Much like Bangladesh’s Mustafizur Rahman, Imran caused a lot of problems for all teams in the event with his variation and off-cutters. Batsman Sohaib Maqsood, who was out with an injury since the World Cup, also makes a comeback to the T20 and ODI squads as do left-arm pacers Muhammad Irfan and Wahab Riaz, who were out with fitness issues for the last few months. Wicketkeeper Sarfaraz Ahmed will miss the two T20 matches in Zimbabwe as he is going to perform Haj with Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq.Sarfaraz, Asad and Azhar have been picked for the three ODIs on their insistence that they wanted to play despite the hectic schedule between the holy pilgrimage and the matches.Azhar will captain the side in Zimbabwe with Sarfaraz his deputy. The selectors made some changes to the limited-over’s squads for the Zimbabwe tour, “We have made it a point to duly reward those players who have done well in domestic cricket as we intend to build up the talent base for Pakistan cricket,” Rasheed said in an interview, Pakistan ODI squad: Muhammad Hafeez, Ahmed Shehzad, Azhar Ali (Capt), Sohaib Maqsood, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Muhammad Rizwan, Asad Shafiq, Yasir Shah, Muhammad Irfan, Wahab Riaz, Rahat Ali, Immad Wasim, Anwar Ali.
