There is a golden mean for everything, or so Aristotle said. You can not be too much or too little generous. The same applies to bravery, you ought to gain a fine balance between recklessness and cowardice. Yet, for the longest time, Pakistan have shunned this golden mean. It is either a 2-0 defeat against Bangladesh at home one month or outclassing England convincingly the next. One day, they go on to defeat Australia in Australia, the next they accept a disgraceful drubbing by Zimbabwe. There is no middle part. Nothing grey. No gradient to their form. Just incessant oscillations between brilliance and absurdity where they seem the most at home.
But no matter how unorthodox the men in green behave, there is no ignoring Zimbabwe’s incredible show of power in the first ODI. Pakistan fielded a relatively young side but you would be very unjust to claim that the Chevrons took advantage of that. From the get-go, they seemed to be on a mission against their favorite full-member nation. They outdid Pakistan in batting, bowling, fielding, and understanding how to act with the rain in the air. The rain, ah yes. The visitors would have thanked the rain more than anything else for cutting their misery short. They were reeling at 60/6 when the clouds decided it was enough.
But now, Pakistan have the second ODI to make amends before it’s too late. Losing this game means watching the Zimbabwean team run away with the series win. Do Pakistan want that? Obviously no. But what they will do, if they will do, to deter it remains to be seen.
Team Overview:
Pakistan will play almost the same team with only Mohammad Hasnain and Haseebullah Khan making way for leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed and middle-order batter Tayyab Tahir. Abrar’s inclusion was expected as Pakistan would want to solve their spin questions in this series. Besides that, Zimbabwe’s spinners held sway during the game reminding Pakistan that they can not always do the magic on the back of their brilliant pace attack. The main issue with the team, however, in the opening game lay in Pakistan’s unreliable batting resources. The openers fared well in Australia in the last two ODI games and Pakistan would very much need them to put on the same mask again. Mohammad Rizwan, despite being the most senior of the lot, played a tedious inning consuming 43 balls for just 19 runs. But above all, it’s time for Salman Ali Agha to emulate his red-ball form. The men in green are in dire need of an all-rounder and Salman is their best bet. From what it seems they can not afford to not get what they want from him, especially with the Champions Trophy a few months away.
Zimbabwe’s spinners stifled Pakistan’s batting lineup without giving them a moment’s respite. What’s more incredible is that no one saw it coming, more than anyone not even Zimbabwe’s skipper himself. After losing the toss, the most troubling thing on captain Sean Williams’s mind would have been how his batters would survive Pakistan’s bowling with clouds hanging so near. That he had a spin-heavy attack bowling second did not make the situation better. But in a wild turn of events, all of this worked for him. What the Chevrons would like to flaunt the most is how their openers undid the fear of Pakistan pace attack, the same which choked Australia not a fortnight ago.
Head-to-Head Matches:
Zimbabwe have won five out of the 63 ODI games both sides have faced each other in, while four ended without any result. The remaining 54 games have been bested by the men in green.
Weather and Pitch Report:
In the first game, Bulawayo offered a great mix of help for batters and bowlers. You can’t term it a total belter but it was not a green mamba either. The pacers got their fair share of assistance, albeit not too significant. The surface offered big turns to the spinners. And lastly, the batters were not left stranded in the middle. Expect the same in the second ODI as well. Weather will be better for cricket this time around as the forecast reads no rain on match day.
Where to Watch:
Pakistan: Tapmad, PTV Sports, Geo Super, A Sports
India: FanCode App
Zimbabwe: ZBC TV
UK: Sky Sports Cricket
USA: Willow TV
South Africa: SuperSport
