LAHORE: Despite their T20 series victory and their One-day International history against Zimbabwe, Pakistan face a tough challenge in the three-match ODI series which begins on Tuesday as they look to keep their hopes alive of qualification to the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy.

Having won an enviable 43 out of 48 ODIs they’ve played against Zimbabwe, Pakistan will be keen to follow their T20 whitewash as a single defeat will hit their chances of making it to the Champions Trophy — ICC’s second-biggest event after the World Cup.

Pakistan are currently ranked ninth and are in danger of missing out on the event with the top eight teams in the ICC ODI rankings set to qualify with the cut-off date set for Sept 30 this year.

The hosts will stay on 87 points, a point behind Bangladesh and the West Indies, with a 3-0 series win but will drop to 85 points if they were to win 2-1. A 2-1 series win for the visitors, meanwhile, will see Pakistan slide to 83 points.

“We have to win the series 3-0 and can’t afford to lose a game,” Pakistan captain Azhar Ali told reporters at a news conference at a local hotel on Monday after the series trophy was unveiled. “We have a better team and with better planning and game we will achieve it.

“We’d like to build on the momentum gained during the T20 series and I fully trust the players to deliver.”

Azhar, who is not part of Pakistan’s T20 squad, hoped the wicket at the Gaddafi Stadium would once again support batsmen but admitted the bowlers needed to improve.

Zimbabwe hit Pakistan for 172 runs in the first T20 on Friday and followed it up with 175 in the second game on Sunday. Pakistan won the first game by five wickets before scraping home by two wickets to win the series.

Azhar, who made his international debut five years ago, was also delighted at playing his first game on home soil. “I’m really happy at leading Pakistan on home soil,” he said.

“The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) have done a wonderful job to make this tour possible and end the six-year drought of international cricket in the country.”

Zimbabwe captain Elton Chigumbura, meanwhile, said he was satisfied with his team’s performance in the T20 rubber but said his players were found wanting in fielding and bowling.

“Although ODIs are a different ball game, we need to excel in all three departments to win against Pakistan,” he said at a news conference.

Asked if the tight scheduling had affected his team’s performance, Chigumbura said Monday was the first day when the team did not go to the ground since arriving on May 19.

“We’re however quite satisfied with the security arrangements made by the Pakistan government and are also ready to tour Pakistan to play Tests.”

Pakistan’s ODI team sees several changes made to the side which lost the three-match series in Bangladesh. Ahmed Shahzad, Shoaib Malik, Babar Azam, Anwar Ali, Imad Wasim and Mohammad Sami were named in the 16-member team announced late on Sunday night.

Among those who are dropped from the Bangladesh series include Fawad Alam, Saad Nasim, Saeed Ajmal, Sohail Khan, Ehsan Adil, Rahat Ali, Zulfiqar Babar and Umar Gul.

Umar Akmal, who was dropped alongside Shehzad from the Bangladesh tour on disciplinary grounds, was ignored after failing to make an impression in the T20 series. However, all-rounder Malik, who bowled reasonably well but failed completely with the bat, surprisingly got the selectors’ nod.

“After the World Cup, senior players like Misbah-ul-Haq and Shahid Afridi have retired and with Ajmal not playing, we needed experienced players and therefore we selected Malik in place of Misbah,” chief selector Haroon Rasheed told Dawn.

Another struggling all-rounder is Mohammad Hafeez but Haroon said the opening batsman’s selection was down to “his experience and he did well in the Test series against Bangladesh”.

Haroon added that all-rounder Hammad Azam had been included in place of Bilawal Bhatti and as pacemen Sohail, Ehsan and Rahat were not selected, for different reasons, the experienced Sami had been given a chance.

Meanwhile, the hot weather prevailing in Lahore — touching 43 degrees Celsius — will give a tough time to both the teams as they have to turn up at the ground almost two hours before the match starts.

Squads:

PAKISTAN: Azhar Ali (captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Ahmed Shahzad, Asad Shafiq, Haris Sohail, Shoaib Malik, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Sarfraz Ahmed (both wicketkeepers), Anwer Ali, Hammad Azam, Immad Wasim, Yasir Shah, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Sami, Junaid Khan.

ZIMBABWE: Elton Chigumbura (Captain), Sikandar Raza Butt, Chamunorwa Chibhabha, Charles Coventry, Graeme Cremer, Craig Ervine, Roy Kaia, Hamilton Masakadza, Christopher Mpofu, Tawanda Mupariwa11,Richmond Mutumbami, Tinashe Panyangara, Vusimuzi Sibanda, Prosper Utseya, Brian Vitori, Sean Williams.

UMPIRES: Aleem Dar (Pakistan), Russel Tiffin (Zimbabwe).

TV UMPIRE: Ahmed Shahab (Pakistan).

MATCH REFEREE: Azhar Khan (Pakistan).

Published in Dawn, May 26th, 2015

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