ZIMBABWE seek to pass the Pakistan pace test to brighten their chances of qualifying for the semifinals when they play the Asians in their second match of the International Cricket Council (ICC) T2O World Cup Super 12 at Perth Stadium tomorrow.
Babar Azam and his wounded soldiers smarting from a defeat at the hands of the old enemy, India, would want to put back on track their title hopes by beating the Chevrons on Thursday.
The match is scheduled for 1 pm local time.
Alzarri Joseph, with his lively pace and well-directed yorkers, exposed Zimbabwe’s top order in the first round to give West Indies a comfortable victory.
With the pace trio of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Naseem Shah, Pakistan possess arguably the best attack at this year’s T20 World Cup and will look to expose the Chevrons’ top order once again.
How far Zimbabwe can go in the tournament will depend on how well they play the Pakistan pacemen.
Wessly Madhevere looked very comfortable against both West Indies and South Africa seamers.
The way the former U19 all-rounder took on Kagiso Rabada in the rain-affected match was something to behold.
The 22-year-old prospered where others had failed and helped to give Zimbabwe something to bowl at.
The pint-sized batsman loves the pace, and it is not a coincidence that he has a good record against Pakistan.
Sikandar Raza playing against the country of his birth remains key to Zimbabwe’s fortunes. If the top order lays a foundation, Pakistan spinners Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan will be severely punished by Raza.
He will, however, be peppered with the short ball by the fast bowlers.
Mohammad Rizwan and Azam were dismissed cheaply against India and would want to score big and set the tone for their team.
Blessing Muzarabani who can extract bounce off the track at a lively, something that Pakistan do not like, will be key.
He also has an excellent record against Azam.
Tendai Chatara would want to appreciate that tomorrow is a new match, and he has to forget what happened against South Africa and return to what has brought him success at this level.
Luke Jongwe, who has only bowled two overs this tournament, had great success in their last encounter against tomorrow’s opponents.
Pakistan are the favourites in tomorrow’s match, and the key to Zimbabwe winning is being able to transfer pressure back and play without fear because they have nothing to lose.
Azam’s men can be devastating on their day and awful on another.
You do not know which Pakistan will show up, and Zimbabwe will have to take their chances.
What is a World Cup without upsets?
