Sarfraz Ahmed's Pakistan look to regain winning momentum against beleaguered Zimbabwe

Waseem Ahmed 13:42 03/07/2018
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Mail
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • WhatsApp
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Pakistan will look to get back to winning ways.

    With the games coming thick and fast in the T20 tri-series, Pakistan will lock horns with hosts Zimbabwe for the second time when the two sides meet at the Harare Sports Club on Wednesday.

    PAKISTAN BID TO RESUME WINNING RUN

    The nine-wicket loss to the Aussies on Monday broke a run of eight consecutive wins for Sarfraz Ahmed’s men. The No1 ranked T20I side in the world have been in sublime form in the format for the past year or so and have gone on to win 20 out of the 24 matches they have played under Sarfraz’s captaincy.

    Such has been their form that the loss against Australia seems like an aberration. However, it will also serve as a wake-up call for the men in green as it exposed a few chinks in the armor.

    Pakistan's winning run was brought to a halt by the Aussies.

    Pakistan’s winning run was brought to a halt by the Aussies.

    HUSSAIN TALAT IN THE FIRING LINE

    After scores of 41 and 63 in his first two T20 matches for Pakistan, it has all gone downhill for Hussain Talat. The 22-year-old batsman has been a part of the T20 squad for the past few months after some excellent displays in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). However, in his last four international innings, the left-hander has failed to cross the 20-run mark on each occasion.

    Batting in the crucial No3 slot for Pakistan, Talat’s inability to play the big innings has been putting a lot of pressure on the batsmen to follow such as Sarfraz and Shoaib Malik. His failure against Australia on Monday could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back and open the door to a Pakistan debut for fellow 22-year-old Sahibzada Farhan or the more experienced Haris Sohail.

    Talat has been enduring a poor run with the bat.

    Talat has been enduring a poor run with the bat.

    BELEAGUERED HOSTS WEAKENED FURTHER

    That Zimbabwe cricket is in turmoil is no secret. The ongoing dispute between the country’s cricketing body and the players has resulted in five top stars missing the T20 tri-series. The likes of Brendon Taylor, Sikandar Raza, Graeme Cramer, Craig Irvine and Sean Williams have all opted out of the series due to the non-payments of their salaries.

    As if things weren’t already too bad for the Hamilton Masakadza led side, all-rounder Kyle Jarvis suffered a broken thumb in the opening clash against Pakistan and could be ruled out for the rest of the series.

    The heavy defeat at the hands of Australia on Tuesday has only compounded the misery.

    Kyle Jarvis will be a major loss to the hosts.

    Kyle Jarvis will be a major loss to the hosts.

    PAKISTAN WRESTLE WITH AMIR DILEMMA

    Pace spearhead Mohammad Amir has finally been given some rest after not being picked in the side’s two clashes so far in the tournament. Nursing a chronic knee injury, the Pakistan pacer’s workload is being managed in the lead-up to the 2019 ICC World Cup.

    However, in his absence, the likes of Usman Khan and Hasan Ali were unable to create much of an impact in the clash against Australia. While Zimbabwe should be a much easier test, Sarfraz might be tempted to throw on Amir for the clash in a bid to get him into match rhythm for the final should Pakistan progress.

    Amir has not been called upon in the two matches so far.

    Amir has not been called upon in the two matches so far.

    Recommended