Online Reporter
Brandon Moyo
AMID security concerns in the host nation, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced that the T20I Tri-Series they will be hosting, against Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka will go ahead with a revised schedule.
Matches have been moved by a single day with the opener now pencilled in for 18 November instead of 17.
In another development, all the seven T20I matches including the final will now take place at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi.
The opening game of the tri-series will be played between Pakistan and Zimbabwe on Tuesday, November 18. Each team will feature in four matches, with the top two sides qualifying for the final scheduled on Saturday, 29 November.
Led by Sikandar Raza, the Chevrons touched down in Pakistan on Wednesday evening and will have some days to acclimatise before the first ball is bowled on Tuesday afternoon. The PCB also announced the match officials for the series.
Former West Indies fast bowler Reon King, who is also part of the ICC International Panel of Match Referees, will serve as match referee for the Tri-Series. In the opening T20I between Pakistan and Zimbabwe at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Asif Yaqoob (ICC Emerging Panel of Umpires) and Rashid Riaz (ICC International Panel of Umpires) will stand as on-field umpires, while Faisal Afridi (ICC International Panel of Umpires) will act as third umpire. Tariq Rasheed, part of PCB’s National Elite Panel of Umpires, will serve as fourth umpire for the match.
For the second T20I between Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe at the same venue on November 19, Faisal Afridi and Rashid Riaz will officiate on-field, with Asif Yaqoob and Tariq Rasheed taking up third and fourth umpire duties, respectively.
For the November 22 contest between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, Asif Yaqoob and Faisal Afridi will stand as on-field umpires, while Rashid Riaz and Tariq Rasheed will serve as third and fourth umpire, respectively.
On November 23, in the match between Pakistan and Zimbabwe, Rashid Riaz and Faisal Afridi will officiate on-field,
with Asif Yaqoob and Tariq Rasheed as third and fourth umpire, respectively.
On November 25, in the fixture between Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, Asif Yaqoob and Rashid Riaz will be the on-field umpires, while Ahsan Raza (ICC Elite Panel of Umpires) will perform third umpire duties. Faisal Afridi will serve as fourth umpire.
For the November 27 fixture between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, Ahsan Raza and Faisal Afridi will stand as on-field umpires, with Rashid Riaz and Asif Yaqoob performing third and fourth umpire duties, respectively.
In the final match, scheduled for November 29, Ahsan Raza and Asif Yaqoob will officiate on-field, while Rashid Riaz and Faisal Afridi will serve as third and fourth umpire, respectively.
ZIMBABWE SQUAD FOR T20I TRI-SERIES VS PAKISTAN & SRI LANKA:
Sikandar Raza (Captain), Brian Bennett, Ryan Burl, Graeme Cremer, Bradley Evans, Clive Madande, Tinotenda Maposa, Wellington Masakadza, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, Dion Myers, Richard Ngarava, Newman Nyamhuri, Brendan Taylor
Series schedule (all matches at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium):
18 November – Pakistan v Zimbabwe; 20 November – Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe; 22 November – Pakistan v Sri Lanka; 23 November – Pakistan v Zimbabwe; 25 November – Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe; 27 November – Pakistan v Sri Lanka; 29 November –Final
