Pakistan vs Zimbabwe match preview: Men in green aim to lead in One-day series opener

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan is gearing up for the 2023 World Cup qualification in the Super League ODI tournament with the three-match One-day series against Zimbabwe in Rawalpindi beginning tomorrow,The News reported on Thursday.

So far only three out of 13 countries have initiated their 2023 World Cup campaign. The Pakistan vs Zimbabwe is the first series being played in Asia amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. 

As a host nation, India is a direct qualifier for the 2023 event with seven other teams joining them. England leads the table with 30 points followed by Australia at 20 and Ireland at 10 points. 

The featured teams will include 12 full member states and The Netherlands - which qualified by winning the ICC World League Championship. The Super League will see eight three-match series of four games at home and four away between the teams. 

Each team will gain 10 points for a win, five for a tie/ no result or abandonment and zero for a loss. The teams will be ranked according to the total points earned across the eight series. 

The sides failing to qualify directly will get a second shot through a qualifier.

Match preview

Pakistan has enjoyed a winning streak against Zimbabwe with 18 wins out of the 19 games played in the last six home series. This provides captain Babar Azam the confidence to kick-start Pakistan's Super League campaign - 

Babar is the only player on either sides among the top-ranked batters and bowlers while left-handed opener Imamul Haq has a good chance to make a return to the top 10 as he is just two points behind England’s Jonny Bairstow.

Fakhar Zaman is four places behind Imam in 15th position, while Haris Sohail (32nd) and Mohammad Hafeez (44th) will be others in the focus from the rankings perspective.

With Mohammad Amir out of the team, fellow left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Afridi will be leading PCT's bowling attack. Afridi, the ICC Under-19 World Cup 2018 star, will be backed by spinners Shadan Khan and Imad Wasim. 

For the Chamu Chibhabha-led Zimbabwe, Sikandar Raza leads the batters’ rankings in 47th position, 11 places below his career-best 36th position that he attained five years ago. Brendan Taylor, who has been in the top 10 in the past, is in 50th place while Sean Williams is 57th.

Fast bowler Tendai Chatara is ranked 43rd among bowlers and would be looking to move back towards his career-best 23rd position in April 2015. Spinners Williams (64th) and Raza (70th) to have attained better rankings in the past.