daniel chigunwe
Brandon Moyo
THE Pakistan national cricket team is scheduled to touch down at Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport this evening ahead of their white ball tour against the Chevrons which gets underway at Queens Sports Club on Sunday.
This will be Pakistan’s first visit to the City of Kings and Queens in six years having last played at Queens Sports Club in July 2018.
The visitors are set to have three training sessions tomorrow, Friday and Saturday ahead of the first ODI.
They are set to play three One Day Internationals (ODIs) and as many T20Is at the city’s ceremonial home of cricket.
The white ball series will kick off with three ODIs on November 24, 26 and 28, followed by the T20Is scheduled for December 1, 3 and 5.
Excitement has started to grow for the series as four days are left to go before the first ball is bowled.
The Pakistan cricket team will be led by Mohammad Rizwan in ODIs and Salman Ali Agha in T20Is.
Speaking to Zimpapers Sports Hub, Tuskers General Manager Victor Mhlanga said it’s all systems go and they are looking forward to hosting international cricket at Queens Sports Club.
“Everything is going well. Our ground is green as it should be and everything is in full swing.
“We want everyone to come through to Queens Sports Club in numbers because we have a full series coming here.
“We want everyone in Bulawayo to come through and enjoy themselves. We know the power of the fans, we saw that during the World Cup Qualifiers.
“The fans are the team’s 12th man and we want to create a similar atmosphere to that of the Qualifiers. This is good for Bulawayo, the city will benefit. Our local institutions will benefit a lot from this tour,” said Mhlanga.
Pakistan will be making the trip to Zimbabwe without the trio of Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah.
Rizwan will be available for the ODIs, but will be rested from the T20Is against the Chevrons.
Ahmed Daniyal, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan and Tayyab Tahir are the other players apart from Salman Ali Agha who have been selected for both the formats.
Online Reporter