After losing to India in their opening game, Pakistan can't afford any mistakes, so the pressure will be on when they play Zimbabwe in Perth on Thursday.
Pakistan and the Netherlands both had 0 points after the
first round of games due to the circumstances of Pakistan's defeat against
India, which was difficult to accept.
Along with their neighbours, South Africa was Pakistan's
other main opponent for a qualifying spot before to the event. However, with
Bangladesh's successful start and Zimbabwe's development as a well-rounded
threat, Babar Azam's team has a lot to be afraid of in Group 2.
Iftikhar Ahmed informed reporters that the leadership
members of the squad have been anxious to emphasise that it's not the time to
dwell. Pakistan will need to recover from defeat.
Cricket fans can book Pakistan
vs Zimbabwe Tickets on our website at exclusively discounted prices.
“The way the captain, the coach supported the whole squad,
they were exceptional,” he said. “And the message is clear that was the first
game, now time to move forward.”
Zimbabwe made it through to the Super 12 stage partly thanks
to a strong and pacy bowling attack, a group of players who should thrive on
the bouncy service in Perth.
Richard Ngarava is a doubt after his injury in the
rain-interrupted fixture against South Africa, but captain Craig Ervine is
hopeful that his big fast bowler can make an appearance.
“I think he's doing all right,” Ervine said. “Even after
today's training session, the game only starts at seven tomorrow. It's quite a
bit of time for him to recover and hopefully it's not too serious.”
A loss for either side in this fixture would leave them
needing a remarkable turnaround to secure a final-four spot.
Predicted Playing XIs
Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Shan Masood,
Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Asif Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Haris
Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Shaheen Afridi
Zimbabwe: Craig Ervine (c), Regis Chakabva (wk), Wesley
Madhevere, Sean Williams, Sikandar Raza, Milton Shumba, Ryan Burl, Luke Jongwe,
Richard Ngarava, Tendai Chatara, Blessing Muzarabani
Key Players
Sikandar Raza
The captain of Zimbabwe was named Player of the Match in the
most recent Round 1 match against Scotland, scoring 40 runs off just 23 balls
to advance Zimbabwe to the Super 12. He is the cornerstone of Zimbabwe's
batting order and an important contributor with the ball. Raza will almost
probably have to resign if there is even the slightest possibility of a
surprise.
Shaheen Afridi
In this event, early wickets are crucial for putting the
lower-ranked teams on the ropes, and Pakistan's Shaheen is the bowler you
should bet to score runs in the Powerplay. He has an incredible record early in
an innings, and Zimbabwe will be fully aware of the challenge ahead.
Dream11 Fantasy Picks
Captaincy Pick: Sikandar Raza
In 2022, Sikandar Raza has already spewed fire. The
36-year-old has scored 652 runs and taken 20 wickets at averages of 38.35 and
17.90, respectively, in 20 T20 Internationals this year.
Must-have: Babar Azam
The Pakistani captain and opening batter serves as the
anchor at the top of the order for his team. A player of his calibre might
destroy Zimbabwe, and if he contributes significantly, Pakistan will be well on
its way to winning.
Differential Pick: Mohammad Nawaz
It won't be simple for the Pakistani spinner to recover from
the heartbreaking last-over loss to India. However, Nawaz is an excellent
bowler and will be seeking a quick response and the opportunity to leave a
lasting impression on the competition.
T20 World Cup: Pakistan look to bounce back in Zimbabwe
clash today
Pakistan will play Zimbabwe in their second group encounter
on Thursday in an effort to pick up their T20 World Cup campaign.
Babar Azam and his team will be hoping to get back to
winning ways in their Group 2 match against Zimbabwe in Perth after losing the
blockbuster against archrivals India on the very last ball of an
extraordinarily thrilling match at a roaring Melbourne Cricket Ground last
Sunday as Virat Kohli played a masterpiece knock.
For the first time ever, the two teams are competing against
one another in a T20 World Cup.
Only one of the 17 T20 Internationals the greenshirts have
played against Zimbabwe has ended in a loss, and that was in Harare last year
during a bilateral series. Given the highly unpredictable nature of T20
cricket, Babar and colleagues must be vigilant even though Pakistan appears to
be stronger than Zimbabwe on paper.
The spirit to pull off an upset that can derail Pakistan,
who are known for their own brand of unpredictability in the game's shortest
format, can be given to Craig Ervine's team by Zimbabwe's rain-marred first
Super 12 game against South Africa in Hobart on Monday, which gave the former a
crucial point.
The spirit to pull off an upset that can derail Pakistan,
who are known for their own brand of unpredictability in the game's shortest
format, can be given to Craig Ervine's team by Zimbabwe's rain-marred first
Super 12 game against South Africa in Hobart on Monday, which gave the former a
crucial point.
'Pakistan still hurting from India loss'
Iftikhar Ahmed, an all-rounder for Pakistan, said that his
team was "heartbroken" and still suffering from the agonising first
loss to India in the T20 World Cup.
When Pakistan plays Zimbabwe in Perth on Thursday, there
won't be much space for error because Pakistan is anticipated to win.
“The hurt remains after losing such a big match. We were
heartbroken,” said middle-order batsman Iftikhar, who hit 51 in Pakistan’s
159-8 against India, but it turned out to be just not quite enough.
Iftikhar said that morale was high despite the lingering
heartache and praised Babar for his handling of the team in the aftermath of
the India loss.
A video of Babar’s pep talk to his broken side went viral.
“We have to learn from our mistakes. Don’t fall, the
tournament has just begun. We have lost as a team and will win as a team,”
Babar said in the widely watched video footage.
“The way Babar and the management supported the players, it
was good. Babar and coaches told us that ‘it was not our last game, everybody
put in the effort’,” Iftikhar said.
“So our morale is high.”
Pakistan will be strongly fancied to beat Zimbabwe — who are
ranked 11 in the world to Pakistan’s three — and belatedly get their World Cup
going.
Pakistan need a victory for their confidence too.
“Zimbabwe is an international team and we have to play
strong against them like any other team,” said the 32-year-old Iftikhar.
“Important to play well and keep up the confidence. The
players are hungry to perform.”
Pakistan pace bowler Haris Rauf bowled well at the MCG until
he was hit for two successive sixes by Kohli in a game-changing moment at the
end of the 19th over.
“The Australian pitches are fast and bouncy and we have
prepared for that,” said Iftikhar.
“Haris is our main strike bowler and we expect him to bowl
better here and win it for Pakistan.”
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