malvernmugadzikwa
Zimpapers Sports Hub
AFTER losing the three-match One-Day International (ODI) series last week, Zimbabwe will be hoping to bounce back when they face Pakistan in the T20 International series that gets underway at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo this afternoon.
The Chevrons are set to face Pakistan in the three-match series, which will conclude the Asian nation’s white-ball tour of Zimbabwe.
The Chevrons are hoping to take the lessons learnt from the ODI series into today’s game, as well as the forthcoming full series against Afghanistan.
Chevrons captain Sikandar Raza said they were looking forward to a good series and expect to win. He said he was confident his team will fare well against Pakistan, drawing lessons from the ODI series which they lost 2-1.
“Our expectations are the same as they were for the ODI series,” he said.
“We have the one objective, and that is to win.
“We are looking forward to winning the series. We have made big strides; we have achieved a lot of big things with our T20 squad. And I’m very confident with the squad that we have and the way we have played in the ODIs.
“We scored pretty freely, but we were just unfortunate that we were not able to bat long to win those games. If you put that into perspective and look into T20 games, I think Zimbabwe has a very good chance.”
Zimbabwe have retained the squad that achieved historic success at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 sub-regional qualifier in Kenya last month.
With Pakistan being a different ball game to what they faced in Kenya, Raza remains optimistic that his players will be able to take the pressure in and perform.
“We are not going into the series under pressure,” he said. “Champions normally embrace the pressure and look for those situations where there is pressure. A lot of cricket is now played mentally. We don’t need to break records in every game. If we are winning, then I think we will be in the right direction. There is pressure of expectation, but that comes with every professional sport and not just cricket.”
Pakistan captain Salman Agha said they were looking forward to completing the double over the Chevrons.
Agha said they understood that Zimbabwe was a good side with match winners.
“Our first priority is to win the series. We want to give as many chances to as many youngsters, but our main objective remains to win the series,” he said. “It’s still a white-ball game, we have to adjust a few things. We had a great one-day series and we are looking to having a great T20I series as well.
“They are a very decent side and in their backyard, they are a very good team. They are more lethal in their conditions and they do have match winners. In T20 cricket, you do need match winners and one player can win you a game, one spell can win you a game, a knock can win you a game. They do have match winners and we are aware of them, but we will make sure we keep them quiet.”
This will be the first T20I meeting between Zimbabwe and Pakistan since the 2022 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia, where the Chevrons sprung a surprise with a one-run win in the Super Six stage.
Speaking after conclusion of the ODI series on Thursday last week, Chevrons head coach Justin Sammons said his team needed to learn from their mistakes, but expressed confidence that his side can compete against anyone and win games.
For Sammons, self-belief among players is crucial to their development and in achieving positive results.
He said the target was to win every game, but acknowledged that victory will not always be guaranteed.
“We are trying to win every game of cricket that we play, and it doesn’t matter who the opposition is,” said Sammons. “We have to believe in ourselves. We have to believe that we are good enough, that we have the potential in that dressing room to beat the best. I believe it, so our expectation is to win every game.”
He added: “However, we obviously understand that the game of cricket doesn’t always go that way. So, once it hasn’t, the most important thing are the lessons.
“Are we taking those lessons? Are we steadily improving? Are we steadily getting better? So, when we come up against Afghanistan, are we making the same mistakes, or have we learnt from our mistakes?
“We have to make sure we take the lessons with us as we move forward.”
With Zimbabwe retaining their squad from Kenya, Pakistan have made changes to the team that played in the ODI series.
For Pakistan, Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Faisal Akram, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub, and Shahnawaz Dahani, all of whom were part of their ODI squad, will be replaced by Arafat Minhas, Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Omair Bin Yousuf, Qasim Akram, Sahibzada Farhan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, and Usman Khan for the shortest format of the game.
The second and third T20Is are scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday.
All matches start at 1pm.
ZIMBABWE T20I SQUAD:
Sikandar Raza (captain), Faraz Akram, Brian Bennett, Ryan Burl, Trevor Gwandu, Clive Madande, Wessly Madhevere, Tinotenda Maposa, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Brandon Mavuta, Tashinga Musekiwa, Blessing Muzarabani, Dion Myers, Richard Ngarava
PAKISTAN T20I SQUAD:
Ahmed Daniyal, Arafat Minhas, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (WK), Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair bin Yousuf, Qasim Akram, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha, Sufyan Moqim, Tayyab Tahir, and Usman Khan
Online Reporter