Having won the historic T20 series against Zimbabwe, Pakistan will be keen to keep the winning momentum going when the two sides will meet in the first of three One-Day Internationals at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Tuesday.
The hosts celebrated the return of international in the country after a six-year hiatus with 2-0 win over Zimbabwe in the shortest-format series.
It was a morale-boosting win for Pakistan following an abysmal tour of Bangladesh, during which they were whitewashed in the limited-overs games.
Match Facts
What: Pakistan vs Zimbabwe 1st ODI When: May 26, 2015
Venue: Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore Time: 16:00 PKT | 11:00 GMT
Live Streaming: PTV Sports
This series holds immense significance for Pakistan. They are sitting at no. 9 in ICC ODI rankings and they will have to make their way back into the top eight by September 30 this year to earn a berth in ICC Champions Trophy 2017. So any surprise loss to Zimbabwe could hurt their cause.
Like T20s, Pakistan have named a heavily-revamped squad for one-dayers.
Fast bowler Mohammad Sami and all-rounders Shoaib Malik, Hammad Azam, who made comeback into the national after severing lengthy times on the sidelines in T20 series, have also earned ODI recalls.
Spin bowling all-rounders Imad Wasim who made his T20 debut in the second T20 on Sunday, and Babar Azam, who is uncapped in all formats, will be in-line to make their first ODI appearance.
Opening batsman Ahmed Shehzad, who was dropped for Bangladesh ODIs, has also returned to 50-over team.
Zimbabwe, on the other hand, will be aiming to bounce back in one-dayers after putting up a spirited show in T20s.
Skipper Elton Chigumbura will be happy with the performance of his batsmen, particularly ofHamilton Masakadza, Sean Williams and Vusi Sibanda, in the T20 series.
However, bowling will remain a concern for him. Twice the Zimbabwe bowlers failed to 170-plus total in the T20 series and they’ll need to put up a much-improved show if they want their team to earn their first-ever series-win against Pakistan.
Squads (from):
Pakistan:
Azhar Ali (captain), Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Haris Sohail, Shoaib Malik, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Imad Wasim, Asad Shafiq, Wahab Riaz, Anwar Ali, Hammad Azam, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Yasir Shah, Mohammad Sami, Junaid Khan
Zimbabwe:
Elton Chigumbura (Captain), Charles Coventry, Sean Williams, Vusi Sibanda, Richmond Mutumbami (wk), Hamilton Masakadza, Sikandar Raza, Graeme Cremer, Craig Ervine, Brian Vitori, Tinashe Panyangara, Tawanda Mupariwa, Chris Mpofu.
