HARARE: Pakistan and Zimbabwe will play the first T20I part of the three-match series today at the Harare Sports Club.
This will be the first series played in Zimbabwe by any men’s international team in the country since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
Pakistan will be hoping to win the series and carry forward the momentum they got in South Africa.
Head coach MIsbah-ul-Haq has said his team will be cautious against the Zimbabwe side which he believed had nothing to lose.
The match is an important one for Pakistan captain Babar Azam as he is on the cusp of getting 2,000 T20I runs.
If the Pakistani skipper achieves the feat in the upcoming series against Zimbabwe, he become the 11th player to score 2,000 T20I runs and the fastest man to do so.
“Babar, who last week was named the number-one ranked player in the ICC ODI Rankings, needs 60 more runs to break India’s Virat Kohli’s record of fastest to 2000 T20I runs, which the Indian captain achieved in 56 innings,” said the PCB in a statement.
On the other hand, Zimbabwe captain Sean Williams is hoping to limit Pakistan’s top-order which is in red hot form, especially opener Fakhar Zaman.
On the head to head chart, Pakistan have won all five bilateral T20I series against Zimbabwe.
They have won all 14 T20I matches. Pakistan last visited Zimbabwe in July 2018, to feature in a tri-nation tournament involving Pakistan, Zimbabwe and Australia.
Pakistan beat Australia by six wickets at the Harare Sports Club to win the tournament.
