Match preview:
Pakistan and Zimbabwe will lock horns in the third and final ODI of the ongoing series. The series is evenly poised and the decider is set to take place on 28th November at Bulawayo.
Team Overview:
After losing the 1st ODI in a shocking manner, Pakistan put up a near-perfect performance to beat the home side, winning the second ODI by 10 wickets.
Abrar Ahmed was the pick of the bowlers as he took 4 wickets on his debut putting up a great bowling performance by a debutant after ages. Meanwhile, Saim Ayub was on song as he struck the fourth fastest ODI century by a Pakistani player joining the ranks of Shahid Khan Afridi, who scored the remaining three.
In the last ODI, Pakistan may look to test their bench strength but Shahnawaz Dahani and Ahmed Daniyal have been ruled out from the last ODI. Ahmad sustained a hamstring while Dahani picked up a left ankle injury during the practice session.
Talking about Zimbabwe, they will try to cash in the golden chance to win a series over Pakistan, a feat they have never achieved before. The middle-order will have to step up if Zimbabwe wants to put Pakistan on the back foot. Contributions from Craig Ervine, Sean Williams, and Sikandar Raza will be crucial for the home side while Muzarabani and Richard will be the pace leaders for the hosts. The openers could not make the same impact with the bat in the previous game, as they did in the first ODI and the impact of this reflected cruelly in the result of the match. A quick start will help the Zimbabwean team to increase their chances of getting back at Pakistan.
Playing XI:
Zimbabwe (ZIM): Joylord Gumbie, Dion Myers, Sean Williams, Craig Ervine (c), Brian Bennett, Sikandar Raza, Clive Madande (wk), Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani, Faraz Akram, Trevor Gwandu
Pakistan (PAK): Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Rizwan (c/wk), Agha Salman, Irfan Niazi, Aamir Jamal, Mohammad Hasnain, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Shahnawaz Dahani
Pitch and weather:
The Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo is expected to offer a pace-friendly surface, making life challenging for batters early on. To succeed, they’ll need to exercise caution initially and then shift gears to accelerate their scoring as the innings progresses.
Given these conditions, the team that wins the toss is likely to opt for bowling first. This approach would allow their pacers to make the most of the favorable pitch conditions and put pressure on the opposing team’s batters.
Head-to-head record:
Pakistan and Zimbabwe have clashed 63 times, with the Green Shirts emerging victorious in 55 matches, while Zimbabwe has managed just 6 wins
Prediction:
Pakistan would not want to worsen their record by letting Zimbabwe win the series decider, and so they will give it their all.
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
