Zimbabwe vs Pakistan – 1st T20 International Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is Zimbabwe vs Pakistan taking place? Wednesday, April 21st, 2021 – 10:00 (UK)
Where is Zimbabwe vs Pakistan taking place? Harare Sports Club
What is the expected weather for Zimbabwe vs Pakistan? 26c with sunshine and cloudy intervals forecast
What channel is Zimbabwe vs Pakistan on? The match will be televised live on FreeSports
Where can I stream Zimbabwe vs Pakistan? The match can be streamed live on the SkyGo app
LAST MEETING
Pakistan beat Zimbabwe by 8 wickets
THE TEAM NEWS
ZIMBABWE
- Zimbabwe come into this T20 series eager to bounce back after they were whitewashed in a recent three-game series in the UAE against Afghanistan so they will know they have to improve drastically to avoid another heavy series defeat.
- They lost all three matches when batting second as they fell 48, 45 and 47 runs short in those matches and their task does not get any easier against Pakistan albeit on home turf in Harare at least.
- While they have called up debutants Tadiwanashe Marumani,Tanaka Chivanga and Tapiwa Mufudza, they also welcome back key veterans Craig Ervine and Brendan Taylor so the duo will add some much needed quality and experience to what was an incredibly fragile batting order outside of Sean Williams in the recent series with Afghanistan.
PAKISTAN
- Pakistan move from neighbouring South Africa to Zimbabwe where they will be buoyed following an impressive 3-1 win in the four-game T20 series and they will be raring to go in Harare.
- Babar Azam’s men have the same set of players at their disposal for this series and it is hard to see them moving away from the recipe that served them well in South Africa unless they decide to give some playing time to fringe players.
- There is every chance that Usman Qadir comes in for Haris Rauf after Zimbabwe struggled badly to cope with the leg spin of Rashid Khan in the series against Afghanistan, but no other changes are forecast.
THE PREDICTION
Zimbabwe come into this series against Pakistan following a 3-0 whitewash defeat by Afghanistan which does not bode overly well for their hopes here. They welcome back some key players and have home advantage but the likelihood is that they will be completely outclassed. Unless they ease off the gas and make several rotations, it is hard to make a case for the home side to come close to threatening the upset. Add Pakistan to your accumulator with plenty of confidence here.
