Pakistan’s tour of Zimbabwe
When Pakistan revealed the schedule for their two-Test and three T20I series in Zimbabwe, they became the first men’s international cricket team to play there in the post-Covid-19 period.
The Pakistani team will arrive in Harare on April 17 after a flight from Johannesburg. The five matches will take place from April 21 to May 11, with the T20Is starting at 1400 PST and the two Tests starting at 1230 PST.
Following the T20Is on April 21, 23, and 25, Babar Azam’s team will face Zimbabwe in two Tests, the first of which will start on April 29. This will be the first time the two teams have met in the game’s pinnacle format since September 2013. This was Pakistan’s final Test match on Zimbabwean soil.
The second Test will start on May 7th.
Pakistani men’s cricket teams have toured England and New Zealand since the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, as well as hosting Zimbabwe and South Africa.
Along with the men’s team, the Pakistan Shaheens visited New Zealand, while the women’s team went to South Africa and Zimbabwe, but the tour was cut short due to a suspension in flight operations. Pakistan’s U19 team will travel to Bangladesh next month for a four-day tour that will include five 50-over matches.
This demonstrates the Pakistan Cricket Board’s determination to actively participate in keeping international cricket on track in these difficult and unpredictable times.
“The Pakistan Cricket Board has been at the forefront of the revival of international cricket in the post-Covid-19 world, and the tour of Zimbabwe is another step in that direction,” says Zakir Khan, Director of International Cricket.
We’ve always maintained that cricket and Covid-19 should coexist in a peaceful and stable atmosphere, and we’ll continue to do so to ensure that the game progresses and thrives in these trying times.
“The tour of our men’s side following our women’s team’s first-ever visit to Zimbabwe demonstrates that the two boards – the PCB and Zimbabwe Cricket – have excellent ties and are always willing to lend each other support.
“Our cricket teams have always enjoyed visiting and playing in Zimbabwe, and while our fans and supporters will be unable to watch live-action, I am certain they will continue to support both sides and their favorite cricketers via digital media as they have done since May 2020.”
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In T20Is, Pakistan has a 100% win rate against Zimbabwe, having won all 14 matches. Ten of the 17 Tests between Pakistan and Zimbabwe have ended in a draw, with three victories for Zimbabwe. In January 2020, Zimbabwe hosted its last international match, a two-Test series against Sri Lanka.
The ICC Team Rankings will be based on T20Is and Tests.
Pakistan men’s national cricket team for the Zimbabwe tour:
T20I: Babar Azam (captain) (Central Punjab), Shadab Khan (vice-captain) (Northern), Arshad Iqbal (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Asif Ali (Northern), Danish Aziz (Sindh), Faheem Ashraf (Central Punjab), Haider Ali (Northern), Haris Rauf (Northern), Hasan Ali (Central Punjab), Mohammad Hafeez (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mohammad Hasnain (Sindh), Mohammad Nawaz (Northern), Mohammad Rizwan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mohammad Wasim Jnr (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Sarfaraz Ahmed (Sindh), Shaheen Shah Afridi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Sharjeel Khan (Sindh) and Usman Qadir (Central Punjab)
Test: Babar Azam (captain) (Central Punjab), Mohammad Rizwan (vice-captain) (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Abdullah Shafique (Central Punjab), Abid Ali (Central Punjab), Azhar Ali (Central Punjab), Faheem Ashraf (Central Punjab), Fawad Alam (Sindh), Haris Rauf (Northern), Hasan Ali (Central Punjab), Imran Butt (Balochistan), Mohammad Nawaz (Northern), Nauman Ali (Northern), Sajid Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Salman Ali Agha (Southern Punjab), Sarfaraz Ahmed (Sindh), Saud Shakeel (Sindh, subject to fitness), Shaheen Shah Afridi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Shahnawaz Dahani (Sindh), Tabish Khan (Sindh) and Zahid Mahmood (Southern Punjab)
Players Support Personnel – Mansoor Rana (Manager), Misbah-ul-Haq (head coach), Abdul Majeed (fielding coach), Cliffe Deacon (physiotherapist), Col (retd) Khalid Mahmood (security manager), Malang Ali (masseur), Raza Kitchlew (Digital and media manager), Dr. Riaz Ahmed (team doctor), Shahid Aslam (assistant to head coach), Usman Hashmi (analyst), Waqar Younis (bowling coach), Yasir Malik (strength & conditioning coach) and Younis Khan (batting coach).
Zimbabwe tour schedule (T20Is start at 1400 PST, Tests to begin at 1230 PST):
21 April – 1st T20I v Zimbabwe; Harare Sports Club, Harare
23 April – 2nd T20I v Zimbabwe; Harare Sports Club, Harare
25 April – 3rd T20I v Zimbabwe; Harare Sports Club, Harare
29 April-3May – 1st Test v Zimbabwe; Harare Sports Club, Harare
7-11May -2nd Test v Zimbabwe; Harare Sports Club, Harare
