The Zimbabwe cricket team toured Pakistan in October and November 2020 to play three One Day International (ODI) and three Twenty20 International (T20I) matches.[1][2] All of the matches were played behind closed doors at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.[3] The ODI series formed part of the inaugural 2020–2023 ICC Cricket World Cup Super League.[4][5] Pakistan's Babar Azam captained the team for the first time in ODI cricket.[6]
| Zimbabwean cricket team in Pakistan in 2020–21 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 | ||
| Pakistan | Zimbabwe | ||
| Dates | 30 October – 10 November 2020 | ||
| Captains | Babar Azam | Chamu Chibhabha | |
| One Day International series | |||
| Results | Pakistan won the 3-match series 2–1 | ||
| Most runs | Babar Azam (221) | Brendan Taylor (204) | |
| Most wickets | Four bowlers took five wickets each[n 1] | Blessing Muzarabani (7) | |
| Player of the series | Babar Azam (Pak) | ||
| Twenty20 International series | |||
| Results | Pakistan won the 3-match series 3–0 | ||
| Most runs | Babar Azam (133) | Wesley Madhevere (103) | |
| Most wickets | Usman Qadir (8) | Blessing Muzarabani (4) | |
| Player of the series | Usman Qadir (Pak) | ||
In the second ODI, Aleem Dar of Pakistan stood in his 210th ODI match as an on-field umpire, surpassing South African Rudi Koertzen's record of officiating in the most ODI matches.[7] In the second T20I, Ahsan Raza of Pakistan stood in his 50th T20I match as an on-field umpire, becoming the first umpire to reach the milestone in T20I cricket.[8]
Pakistan won the first two ODI matches to take an unassailable lead in the series.[9] The third match was tied, with Zimbabwe winning the Super Over.[10] It was Zimbabwe's first win in an ODI in Pakistan since November 1998.[11] Pakistan also won the first two T20I matches to win the series.[12] They also won the third T20I by eight wickets to take the series 3–0.[13] Zimbabwe's Elton Chigumbura retired from international cricket following the conclusion of the tour.[14]
Background
editIn August 2020, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced that the tour was still going ahead as planned, and were preparing a bio-secure environment, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[15][16] Initially, the PCB were considering to host both the T20I and ODI series at a single venue in Lahore.[17] However, in September 2020, it was announced that the T20I and ODI series would be held in Rawalpindi and Multan respectively.[18] On 9 October 2020, the PCB moved the matches from Multan to Lahore, following a disagreement with the government in the city over finances.[19] Multan last hosted international matches in April 2008, when Bangladesh played at the venue.[20]
On 11 October 2020, the PCB confirmed the itinerary for the series, with the ODI matches taking place in Rawalpindi, and the T20I matches taking place in Lahore.[21][22] Smog had been forecast in Lahore during November,[23] with the PCB monitoring the situation.[24] On 23 October 2020, the PCB made a further change to the tour, moving all the T20I matches from Lahore to Rawalpindi, because of the concerns about the smog.[25]
In September 2020, Zimbabwe Cricket stated that the official confirmation of travelling to Pakistan was imminent.[26] Tavengwa Mukuhlani, chairman of Zimbabwe Cricket, said he was "hopeful" that the tour would go ahead.[27] On 20 September 2020, Zimbabwe named a preliminary squad of 25 players to begin training ahead of the tour.[28] On 23 September 2020, Zimbabwe Cricket received government permission to travel to Pakistan.[29] On 19 October 2020, the Zimbabwe team departed from the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport,[30] arriving in Pakistan early the next day.[31] The Zimbabwean head coach Lalchand Rajput did not travel with the team, so their bowling coach Douglas Hondo was put in charge of the team.[32] The PCB also confirmed the match officials for the tour on the same day.[33]
Squads
edit
On 19 October 2020, Misbah-ul-Haq, head coach and chief selector of the Pakistan team, named a twenty-two man squad of "probables" for the series.[38] The squad travelled to Lahore to begin COVID-19 testing and training ahead of the ODI matches,[39] with the squads for each format being named later.[40] Pakistan's vice-captain, Shadab Khan, was ruled out of the ODI series, after suffering an injury during a warm-up game.[41] Haider Ali was added to Pakistan's squad for the second ODI.[42] He replaced Haris Sohail, who suffered an injury during the first ODI match.[43] For the third and final ODI, Abdullah Shafique, Zafar Gohar and Mohammad Hasnain were added to the squad, replacing Imad Wasim, Abid Ali and Haris Rauf.[44] However, on the morning of the third ODI, Haris Rauf was re-added to the team, after Faheem Ashraf was suffering from food poisoning.[45]
Ahead of the T20I series, Abid Ali, Haris Sohail and Imam-ul-Haq were released from Pakistan's squad.[46] Shadab Khan was also unavailable for selection for Pakistan's squad for the T20Is, due to his earlier injury which ruled him out of the ODI matches.[47][48]
ODI series
edit1st ODI
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|
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- Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat.
- Haris Rauf (Pak) made his ODI debut.
- Babar Azam captained Pakistan for the first time in ODIs.[49]
- Brendan Taylor scored his 17th century in international cricket to become the batsman with the most centuries for Zimbabwe across all three formats.[50]
- World Cup Super League points: Pakistan 10, Zimbabwe 0.
2nd ODI
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- Zimbabwe won the toss and elected to bat.
- Haider Ali and Muhammad Musa (Pak) both made their ODI debuts.
- Iftikhar Ahmed (Pak) took his first five-wicket haul in ODIs.[51]
- World Cup Super League points: Pakistan 10, Zimbabwe 0.
3rd ODI
editv
|
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- Zimbabwe won the toss and elected to bat.
- Khushdil Shah (Pak) made his ODI debut.
- Mohammad Hasnain (Pak) took his first five-wicket haul in ODIs.[52]
- Blessing Muzarabani (Zim) took his first five-wicket haul in ODIs.[53]
- World Cup Super League points: Zimbabwe 10, Pakistan 0.
T20I series
edit1st T20I
editv
|
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- Zimbabwe won the toss and elected to bat.
- Usman Qadir (Pak) made his T20I debut.
- This was the first T20I match to be played at this venue.[54]
2nd T20I
editv
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- Pakistan won the toss and elected to field.
3rd T20I
editv
|
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- Zimbabwe won the toss and elected to bat.
- Abdullah Shafique (Pak), Faraz Akram and Milton Shumba (Zim) all made their T20I debuts.
Notes
edit- ^ Mohammad Hasnain, Iftikhar Ahmed, Wahab Riaz and Shaheen Afridi all took five wickets each.
References
edit- ^ "Pakistan confirms Zimbabwe tour". Pakistan Cricket Board. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
- ^ "Uncapped Faraz Akram in Zimbabwe's training squad for Pak tour". Cricbuzz. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
- ^ "PSL, Zimbabwe games moved from Lahore due to smog". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
- ^ "Schedule for inaugural World Test Championship announced". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
- ^ "Men's Future Tours Programme" (PDF). International Cricket Council. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
- ^ "Babar Azam: 'I count myself very lucky' to lead Pakistan at home". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
- ^ "Aleem Dar set to break record for most ODIs as on-field umpire". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
- ^ "Officials for Zimbabwe series named". The News. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
- ^ "Pakistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets to win ODI series 2-0". Geo News. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
- ^ "PAK vs ZIM, 3rd ODI: Sean Williams and Blessing Muzarabani star as Zimbabwe beat Pakistan in Super Over". India Today. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
- ^ "Zimbabwe edge Pakistan in Super Over thriller". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
- ^ "Usman Qadir leads fine Pakistan bowling performance to seal series". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
- ^ "Abdullah Shafique misses out on debut 50 as Pakistan whitewash Zimbabwe 3-0". Geo Super. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
- ^ "ICC congratulates Chigumbura for a fine career". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
- ^ "Zimbabwe All Set to Tour Pakistan in October-November, Schedule Yet to be Decided". Network18 Media and Investments Ltd. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
- ^ "Cricket returns to Pakistan as Covid-19 situation improves". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
- ^ "Zimbabwe set to tour Pakistan, all matches likely to be held in Lahore". Batting with bimal. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
- ^ "Pakistan vs Zimbabwe series to be split between Multan, Rawalpindi". Geo Super. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
- ^ "Lahore to replace Multan as partial host for Zimbabwe tour". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
- ^ "Multan, Rawalpindi to host Pakistan's white-ball series against Zimbabwe". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
- ^ "PCB announces revised itinerary for Zimbabwe series". Pakistan Cricket Board. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
- ^ "PCB changes venues for white-ball series against Zimbabwe". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
- ^ "Rawalpindi to host Zimbabwe ODIs, Lahore gets T20Is". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
- ^ "Match timings for Zimbabwe fixtures announced". Pakistan Cricket Board. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
- ^ "Lahore matches moved to Rawalpindi and Karachi due to smog". Pakistan Cricket Board. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
- ^ "Official confirmation of Pakistan tour 'imminent' - ZC chairman Mukuhlani". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
- ^ "Hopeful for Zimbabwe to tour Pakistan, says Zimbabwe Cricket chief". Geo TV. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
- ^ "Chevron's Provisional Squad For The Pakistani Tour". Pindula News. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
- ^ "Zimbabwe gets government approval for Pakistan tour". sportstar.thehindu.com. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
- ^ "Zimbabwe squad jets out for their first tour since lockdown". Cricket365. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
- ^ "Zimbabwe arrive in Pakistan but head coach Lalchand Rajput doesn't travel". The Cricketer. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
- ^ "Zimbabwe land in Pakistan, but without head coach Lalchand Rajput". ESPNcricinfo. 20 October 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
- ^ "Match officials for Zimbabwe series confirmed". Pakistan Cricket Board. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
- ^ "Pakistan confirms squad for first ODI against Zimbabwe". ARY Sports. Archived from the original on 31 October 2020. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
- ^ "Muzarabani returns as Zimbabwe announce squad for Pakistan tour". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
- ^ "Pakistan announce updated squad for T20I series against Zimbabwe; Imam-ul-Haq and two others miss out". Cricket Times. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
- ^ "Chamu Chibhabha to captain Zimbabwe for Pakistan tour, Blessing Muzarabani also included in the squad". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
- ^ "Pak v Zim: First call-up for Abdullah Shafique but Sarfaraz left out as Misbah names 22-man squad". Geo Super. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
- ^ "Abdullah Shafiq in Pakistan probables for Zimbabwe series". Pakistan Cricket Board. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
- ^ "Amir dropped, Uncapped Shafique in Pakistan squad for Zimbabwe series". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
- ^ "Update on Shadab Khan". Pakistan Cricket Board. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
- ^ "Pakistan Announce 15-Man Squad For The Second ODI Against Zimbabwe". Cricket Addictor. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
- ^ "Pakistan include Haider Ali in squad for second Zimbabwe ODI". Samaa. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
- ^ "Pakistan make three changes in squad for third Zimbabwe ODI". Samaa. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
- ^ "'Unwell' Faheem Ashraf replaced by Haris Rauf in 3rd ODI squad". Geo Super. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
- ^ "Abid Ali, Imam-ul-Haq and Haris Sohail released from squad". Pakistan Cricket Board. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
- ^ "Shadab Khan Injury Update". Pakistan Cricket Board. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
- ^ "Shadab Khan to play in 3rd T20I against Zimbabwe: report". Geo Super. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
- ^ "Babar Azam: Can't afford to take anything for granted against Zimbabwe". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
- ^ "Shaheen, Wahab fight back to sink Zimbabwe". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
- ^ "Five-wicket Iftikhar helps Pakistan bowl Zimbabwe for 206". France24. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
- ^ "Watch Mohammad Hasnain's first five-wicket haul of ODI career". Geo Super. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
- ^ "Twitter Reactions: Zimbabwe stun Pakistan in a thrilling Super Over courtesy Blessing Muzarabani". CricTracker. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
- ^ "Foregone conclusion? Anything but, as Pakistan and Zimbabwe switch focus to T20Is". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 7 November 2020.