Pakistan and Zimbabwe will face each other in the second ODI of the ongoing series on 26th November at Queens Sports Club.
Match Preview:
After winning the series against Australia in a commanding fashion, the Green Shirts fell short to Zimbabwe in the first ODI of the series. Only the Pakistan team can pull out such a mixed-match back-to-back results or maybe they are just Spurs of the cricketing world.
It was yet another below-par batting performance by the Pakistani players as they were reduced to 6 for just 60 runs as the side was chasing a total of 205.
In the upcoming second encounter, Pakistan will have to act up together to avoid a first-ever series defeat against Zimbabwe in three decades. The openers and Mohammad Rizwan will play the key roles for the side and the hopes will be higher from Tayyab Tahir and Irfan Khan Niazi.
Rizwan also credited Sikandar Raza for his courageous knock and lauded his bowling unit
“Unfortunately, it wasn’t our day. Our bowlers performed admirably, but our batting unit fell short. Sikandar Raza’s impressive knock helped Zimbabwe post a competitive total”
Talking about Zimbabwe, they wouldn’t be much prouder and will give it all to seal their maiden series victory over the Green Shirts. Sikandar Raza and Richard Ngarava will be the key players for the homeside while heroics are expected from Blessing Muzarabani, Craig Ervine, and Sean Williams.
Although Zimbabwe won the game by 80-runs, they needed to score runs from the middle order too. As after their opening batters stitched runs quickly, the middle order fell cheaply. Thereby, Evrine and Williams need to score runs if Zimbabwe want to seal a historic series win.
Playing XI:
Zimbabwe Probable XI: 1) Joylord Gumbie 2) Tadiwanashe Marumani (wk) 3) Dion Myers 4) Craig Ervine (c) 5) Sean Williams 6) Sikandar Raza 7) Brian Bennett 8) Brandon Mavuta 9) Richard Ngarava 10) Blessing Muzarabani 11) Trevor Gwandu
Pakistan confirmed playing XI: Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Tayyab Tahir, Mohammad Rizwan (c and wk), Agha Salman, Irfan Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Aamer Jamal, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain
Pitch and weather report:
The Queens Sports Club has become a bowler’s paradise, with an average innings total of 217.2 in the last 10 ODIs. While high scores have been scarce, the first ODI demonstrated that both pace and spin can be effective. To capitalize on the conditions, players will need to focus on executing their skills and playing smart cricket.
Weather conditions are expected to be humid, with levels reaching 82%. There’s also a 43% chance of scattered showers, with total rainfall potentially accumulating to 2.4 mm.
Head-to-head record:
Pakistan and Zimbabwe have clashed 62 times, with the Green Shirts emerging victorious in 54 matches, while Zimbabwe has managed just 6 wins
Prediction:
Given their strong record, it’s likely that Pakistan will bounce back to prevent a series defeat on Tuesday
Where to watch:
Pakistan: Tapmad, PTV Sports, Geo Super, A Sports
India: FanCode App
Zimbabwe: ZBC TV
UK: Sky Sports Cricket
USA: Willow TV
South Africa: SuperSport
