THE FACTS
When is Zimbabwe vs Pakistan taking place? Friday, May 7th, 2021 – 08:30 (UK)
Where is Zimbabwe vs Pakistan taking place? Harare Sports Club
What is the expected weather for Zimbabwe vs Pakistan? 25-26c with sunshine forecast for all five days
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 Premier Player app
LAST MEETING
Pakistan beat Zimbabwe by an innings and 116 runs
THE TEAM NEWS
ZIMBABWE
- Zimbabwe were outplayed in the first Test in the innings defeat but there were some positives to take and they will look to build on that game and make further improvements with the upcoming series with Bangladesh to prepare for.
- They remain significantly weakened without key veterans Sean Williams, Craig Ervine and Sikandar Raza so they are forced to field another hugely inexperienced line-up as they blood some younger talent.
- They could be forced into another change as Prince Masvaure suffered a hand injury in the first Test so Wesley Madhevere could come into the middle order and he will be keen to impress the selectors.
PAKISTAN
- Pakistan picked up a resounding win in the first Test as their bowling attack comfortably had the edge over the hosts’ batting line-up while their batsmen enjoyed good time at the crease.
- Imran Butt and Abid Ali were given another chance after their recent struggles and they took advantage of that faith with knocks of 91 and 60 respectively to build some confidence while Fawad Alam continues to impress in the middle order with an impressive 140.
- They will be keen to push home their advantage and not let complacency creep in here as they aim to seal the series win and they may consider bringing Tabish Khan into the starting line-up at the expense of Faheem Ashraf.
THE PREDICTION
Pakistan were completely dominant in the first Test as they won by an innings and they will be confident of wrapping up a second win here. The shock loss in the second T20 game will serve as a reminder that they cannot ease off the gas or become complacent and it is hard to see them doing so. Their key pacemen Shaheen Shah Afridi and Hassan Ali were impressive in the first game combining for 13 wickets and ultimately the Zimbabwean batsmen are not used to dealing with such quality bowling. Unless Blessing Muzarabani and Brendan Taylor can produce some heroics, the hosts are light on quality and this should be another routine win for the tourists, and potentially within three days – four at the very most.
