Normal services resumed in ICC world events after Ind won a last-ball thriller against arch-rivals Pakistan at MCG.
Put into bat 1st, Pak could manage only 159 thanks to half-centuries by Shaan Masood and Iftikhar. Pak lost momentum in the 14th over when Shadab and Haider tried slogging Hardik over mid-wicket.
Pakistan’s crippled middle order was exposed once again. The criticism around Babar and Rizwan’s style of play was long due and after the Asia cup loss, it became mainstream.
Babar and Rizwan have been operating at an SR of 119 and 114 respectively in the Powerplay. This puts a lot of pressure and results in less game time for the middle order and they are compelled to go from ball 1.
This has also put Fakhar out of the team as his natural position is of an opener. They had a golden chance to try Masood at the top against Eng and in tri-series in NZ and demote one of them at 3.
Meanwhile, Shadab’s promotion at 4, extended run to Haider and usage of Nawaz the batter have yielded some positive results for them. The addition of Shaheen is a tremendous boost to their otherwise loaded bowling attack.
They have a one-sided record against Zim but suffered a shock defeat not long ago. Pakistan could think of adding Wasim Jnr in place of Asif Ali.
Wasim is a decent batter at the end and gives the option of 4 overs of high-quality pace. The 5th bowling option has been a major issue for Babar since the Asia cup. He was compelled to hold Nawaz till the last over on both occasions.
Zim cricket is in a good place after a long time. They have played impressive white-ball cricket over the last couple of months against Ind, and Aus and were on the top of the game in the Qualifiers.
Match Details
Date: October 27, 2022
Time: 7 pm LOCAL, 4:30 pm IST
Probable Playing XIs
Zimbabwe
Regis Chakabva, Craig Ervine, Wesley Madhevere, Sean Williams, Sikandar Raza, Milton Shumba, Ryan Burl, Luke Jongwe, Richard Ngarava, Tendai Chatara, Blessing Muzarabani
Pakistan
Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Shan Masood, Haider Ali, Shadab Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Asif Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi
Venue Guide/Pitch Report (T20i Numbers)
Venue: Perth Stadium, Perth
- Total matches Played: 4
- Matches won batting first: 1
- Matches won bowling first: 3
- Average 1st Inns scores: 145
- Highest Total recorded: 208/6 (20 Ov) by ENG vs AUS
- Lowest total recorded: 112/10 (19.4 Ov) by AFG vs ENG
Head-to-Head Records
Pakistan leads by 16-1
Batting 1st: 9-1
Batting 2nd: 7-0
Important Matchups
Babar vs Muzarabani: 36 off 30 balls with 2 dismissals
Haider vs Muzarabani: 24 off 18 balls with 1 dismissal
Raza vs Afridi: 19 off 16 balls with 1 dismissal
Burl vs Rauf: 13 off 9 balls with 2 dismissals
Form Update (Last 5 innings)
- Babar – 170 runs @ 129.8 SR
- Iftikhar – 135 runs @ 136.4 SR
- Rizwan – 127 runs @ 100.8 SR
- Shan – 116 runs @ 117.2 SR
- Nawaz – 108 runs @ 158 SR
- Rauf – 8 wickets @ 7.4 eco
- Wasim Jnr – 7 wickets @ 7.4 eco
- Nawaz – 6 wickets @ 9.7 eco
- Naseem – 5 wickets @ 7.7 eco
- Shadab – 2 wickets @ 6.5 eco
Key Players and Fantasy Picks
Babar Azam/ Mohammad Rizwan
The skipper has played match-winning knocks like a 100 and 89 against Eng, 79* and 55 in NZ in the last few weeks after having a horrible outing in the Asia cup. He is a run machine and should be your automatic choice in your Dream11 Team.
Similarly, his partner Rizwan has been of the most consistent batters in t20is and holds the record of scoring the most runs ( 1300+) in a calendar year. He has 11 50+ scores in the last 21 innings.
Sikandar Raza
Raza is the leading run-getter with 652 runs and the highest wicket-taker 20 wickets for Zimbabwe in T20Is in 2022. It has been a memorable year for him in white cricket with performances in ODIs against India and Australia recently.
He was the go-to man for Zimbabwe in the qualifiers with 82(48) against Ireland, and 40(23) against Scotland and picked 5 wickets at an economy of 6. His experience with the bat and the ability to pick wickets in the middle order should fetch you a lot of points in your Fantasy Teams
Budget Picks
Blessing Muzarabani
Pak’s opening duo primarily Babar has been found wanting against him on many occasions and has dismissed him quite a few times in Intl cricket. Muzarabani’s spell along with Chatara and Ngarava could spell fresh trouble for the proteas early on in their innings
Naseem Shah
Shaheen Afridi looked a bit off-colour in the early spell against Pak and the onus of causing damage lies completely with Naseem in this case. Naseem did that in the last game against Ind, sending KL Rahul on a cheap score.
Must-Have Picks
Shadab Khan
He is Pakistan’s best fielder and vice-captain of the side. He is often promoted in the batting order and has won Pakistan a couple of games with the bat in the last couple of months. Add to that his 4- over economical spells in every game. He is a complete package in t20s and it’s a high-risk high reward situation if he is in your team
Wesley Madhevere
He was the difference between Zim facing a loss and escaping with an NR against SA. His late exploits helped Zim to a decent score and didn’t allow SA to reach Zim’s score before the rain kicked it in. Similarly, we could also bank on Luke Jongwe and Ryan Burl who could contribute to both departments.
Dream11 Team For PAK vs ZIM
Note: This is not our final team, Toss factor plays a crucial role in deciding that. To see our final team (after the toss), Join our Telegram Channel “Clan For Gamers“.
