Pakistan make three changes in their squad ahead of Zimbabwe T20I series

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced the altered squad for the T20 International series against Zimbabwe, starting from November 7. Both the nations will lock horns in three T20I fixtures on November 7, 8 and 10 respectively at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

The selectors and management had earlier announced a squad comprising 22 players for the three-match ODI and T20I series against Zimbabwe. A separate squad announcement was made for each ODI with players being selected from the 22-man list.

Now, after the ODI series, three players namely Haris Sohail, Abid Ali and Imam-ul-Haq have been released from the squad. The three batters will not be a part of the T20I squad, and thus they were released from the squad.

Pakistan’s updated squad for T20I’s against Zimbabwe:

Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafiq, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Rizwan, Musa Khan, Rohail Nazir, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Qadir, Wahab Riaz and Zafar Gohar

Summary of the ODI series

This was a special series for Pakistan captain Babar Azam as he was captaining the Men in Green for the first time at home. A clinical performance by the Pakistan team in all the three facets of the game ensured that they clinched the first two One Day Internationals to win the series by 2-1.

In the first ODI on October 30, batting first the hosts racked up a target of 281 on the board on the back of a stunning half-century by Haris Sohail, who had smashed 71 off 82 deliveries at a strike rate of 86.59. He found an apt partner in opening batsman Imam-ul-Haq who had laid the foundation of a big total by scoring 53 runs. The visitors were restricted to 255 runs owing to a five-wicket haul by Shaheen Afridi.

The second ODI witnessed Zimbabwe putting up a total of 206 on the board owing to the 75 runs off 70 deliveries by Sean Williams. However, the Men in Green easily chased down the target in 35.2 overs as the captain Babar Azam and Imam launched an assault on the bowlers. Babar scored 77 off 74 balls while Imam made 49 runs off 61 deliveries.

The third ODI was a thrilling affair as both the teams managed to score 278 in their 50 overs. It was a game of centuries and five-wicket hauls. For Pakistan, Babar Azam scored 125 off 125 and Mohammad Hasnain took his maiden five-wicket haul.

Zimbabwe, on the other hand, witnessed a brilliant effort by Sean Williams who smashed 118 while Blessing Muzarabani took his maiden five-wicket haul. The match went in Super Over and the visitors easily clinched the game.