LAHORE: Though Zimbabwe will be without in-form Elton Chigumbura in the second ODI today, Pakistan, after surviving the scare in the series opener, will have no respite as the hosts would need to raise their game and keep winning, also in order to get eligible for the 2017 Champions Trophy.

Chigumbura smashed a heroic 117 in the first ODI on Tuesday as Zimbabwe went down fighting chasing a gigantic 376, as the visitors in the end were only 41 runs short. On Wednesday, the 174-ODI veteran was suspended by the ICC for two ODIs for slow over-rate.

Therefore, in the remaining ODIs, Hamilton Masakadza will lead the tourists.

Masakadza admitted Chigumbura’s absence was a major setback for his team in the remaining ODIs.

“Looking at the way he [Chigumbura] has batted so far plus his leadership skills, obviously, it is a big blow for us,” Masak­adza said in the pre-match press conference here on Thursday.

“But what is done is done, we have to move on from here and hopefully the guys sitting out will step up and deliver. We can still give Pakistan tough time,” he added.

Meanwhile, Pakistan captain Azhar Ali also regretted Chigumbura’s absence.

“Chigumbura batted very well in the first ODI and it is unfortunate that Zimbabwe will be playing [in the remaining ODIs] without him. But being the opposition we don’t care whether he is playing,” Azhar said.

Besides, Chigumbura, Zimbabwe will also miss Craig Ervine, who is suffering from hamstring trouble.

If Pakistan win today’s match it will be their first ODI series triumph since late 2013 when the green-shirts downed Sri Lanka 3-2 in a five-match series in the UAE.

However, Pakistan will also need a whitewash of Zimbabwe to keep their chances alive of qualifying for the 2017 Champions Trophy, to be staged in England.

Pakistan, currently placed at ninth in ODI standings, are in danger of missing the Champions Trophy which will feature top eight-ranked teams.

Besides clean-sweeping Zimbabwe, Pakistan will also need to overcome Sri Lanka in the five-game away ODI series in July. Azhar and his men will also want to see India beat hosts Bangladesh in June, to become eligible for the Champions Trophy.

To a question, though Azhar was somewhat worried over the way Zimbabwe gave the hosts a real scare in the first ODI, the skipper defended his bowlers.

“We should have contained them to a low total but it was hard to control the ball as it was slipping due to dew in the night session, and the wicket was also batting-friendly.

“However, our bowlers will do better in the coming matches,” Azhar hoped and lauded Wahab Riaz for his sterling 3-47 effort in the series opener.

Zimbabwe players take part in a nets session at the Gaddafi Stadium on Thursday.—AP

Defending pace Mohammad Sami, Azhar said: “Sami has fared impressively in the domestic season and therefore it will not be fair to discard him without giving him proper chances.”

It is likely that young all-rounder Hammad Azam, who dropped a dolly catch of Chigumbura in the first ODI, will be replaced with left-arm pacer Junaid Khan.

With the Champions Trophy qualification at stake, 30-year-old Azhar insisted every ODI carried importance for Pakistan.

“We have to win tomorrow’s match as well as the games after that and we will try to win all matches with domination,” said Azhar, under whose captaincy Pakistan were whitewashed 0-3 in the ODI series in Bangladesh recently, and who is looking to claim his first series victory against Zimbabwe.

Asked if non-stop cricket (series against Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka) will leave his players fatigued, Azhar said: “We have to play a lot of cricket and at the same time, need to maintain top fitness level.”

Though Pakistan in recent times had tested several all-rounders, the captain acknowledged, there was a need to develop a genuine all-rounder who could perform consistently in ODIs.

PAKISTAN captain Azhar Ali speaks during a news conference.—AFP

Meanwhile, while appreciating the attitude of the crowd in the ongoing series, Masakadza said: “We were worried before leaving for Pakistan. However, after reaching here we have experienced excellent hospitality and fantastic arrangements.”

Teams (from):

PAKISTAN: Azhar Ali (captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Ahmed Shehzad, Asad Shafiq, Haris Sohail, Shoaib Malik, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Sarfraz Ahmed, Anwar Ali, Hammad Azam, Imad Wasim, Yasir Shah, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Sami, Junaid Khan.

ZIMBABWE: Hamilton Maskadza (captain), Sikandar Raza, Chamunorwa Chibhabha, Charles Coventry, Graeme Cremer, Roy Kaia, Christopher Mpofu, Tawanda Mupariwa11, Richmond Mutumbami, Tinashe Panyangara, Vusimuzi Sibanda, Prosper Utseya, Brian Vitori, Sean Williams.

Umpires: Shozab Raza (Pakistan), Russel Tiffin (Zimbabwe).

TV umpire: Ahmad Shahab.

Match referee: Azhar Khan.

Published in Dawn, May 29th, 2015

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