T20 World Cup 2022: Match 24 - Predicted Pakistan Playing XI vs Zimbabwe

Pakistan will cross swords with Zimbabwe in the 24^th match of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 at Perth Stadium in Perth. The Babar Azam-led side was anguished at seeing two points slip away against India in the previous match and will be hurting ahead of their clash against Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe were gifted a point, thanks to the rain gods who came to their rescue as they were close to losing their last fixture against South Africa.

Babar Azam will ensure the side does everything required in order to stay on course for the semi-finals of the World Cup. While the last four spots are still wide open, Pakistan can very well make it through if they fight hard starting from the Zimbabwe fixture.

Let’s look at Pakistan’s probable playing XI against Zimbabwe:

Openers: Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Babar Azam (c)

Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam have been opening for the national side for quite a long time and both have been sensational on numerous occasions. However, they failed to create any impact against India, the game against Zimbabwe seems like the right chance for them to announce their arrival.

Both will be hungry to get runs on the board for the side and build a solid partnership as they take on the African nation up next.

Middle-order: Shan Masood, Iftikhar Ahmed, Haider Ali

Shan Masood was just sensational in the match against the Men in Blue as he scored an unbeaten 52 off 42 deliveries at a strike rate of 123.80. The player along with Iftikhar Ahmed gave a ray of hope to the side after they lost both Babar and Rizwan. Undoubtedly, the batter will be a bankable option in the middle order to score runs for the squad.

The partnership maintained by Shan and Iftikhar helped the side attain a competitive total. Iftikhar too will look to carry his form against Zimbabwe in a must-win match.

Haider Ali is a good batter as he is capable of exploding down the order. However, he has not yet found the rhythm and will need to gain good form as the matches come thick and fast.

All-rounders: Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz

Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan both had dismal outings with the bat against the Men in Blue. The two were just unable to connect the ball to help the side have an edge over the rival nation. However, Shadab eventually made up for it with the ball as he conceded only 21 runs in his four overs.

Nawaz, on the other hand, just did not have a great night at the MCG even with the ball as the Indian batters blasted him for 42 runs in his stipulated four overs at an economy rate of 10.50. He will aim to play a vital role for the side as they move into the next game.

Bowlers: Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi

Pakistan's pace bowling trio was largely terrific in their clash against India. The Australian tracks are well suited for pacers and these three can make good use of the pitches to their advantage.

Haris Rauf, who scalped two wickets in the previous match will continue to play an integral role for the side. Whereas Naseem Shah and Shaheen Afridi will look to use their pace and the extra bounce that the Aussie tracks provide. Clearly, Zimbabwe will have a hard time facing this Pakistan side.

Pakistan predicted XI against Zimbabwe:

Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Shan Masood, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Haider Ali, Asif Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah 

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