 Zimbabwe raised the bar of expectation in the first innings of the first Test
but it was the first and last show of their talent. Since then they have lost
five successive matches against Pakistan. If they lose the next T20I, they
will be whitewashed and it will be very humiliating because they are the host.
Click for Live Score Card of Zimbabwe Vs Pakistan
The second and final T20I between Zimbabwe and Pakistan will be played
at Harare Sports Club in Harare on Sunday, September 18 at 17:30 IST or 12:00
GMT. Pakistan have already guaranteed that they will not lose the T20I series
as they achieved an emphatic win in the first T20I by huge 85 runs and they
also bowled out Zimbabwe in the sixteenth over.
Pakistan team is now full packed with confidence. Their top orders, middle
orders and even bowler like Sohail Tanvir have been scoring runs very
easily. So, Pakistan will feel no pressure at all. Mohammad Hafeez has
been sensational with bat and ball so in the second T20I everyone will be looking
forward to perform him once again to win the T20I series.
First of all Zimbabwe must upgrade their bowling. They have been very expensive
in the first T20I giving 198 runs which is the highest score against them. Furthermore,
Zimbabwe have to wait to perform their key players. Brendan Taylor, Sibanda,
Chigumbura, Taibu, Maskadza must bounce back. Only Chibhabha and Coventry succeeded
to show some resistance against the Pakistani bowlers. They must be patient
unless they have to lose all their wickets once again like the first T20I losing
10 wickets only in the sixteenth over.
This final match is a doe or die game for Zimbabwe given the kind of performances
that they have gone by. While they would take heart from the way they have done
against Bangladesh, this series against Pakistan will leave a sour taste in their
mouth if they were to lose six games in a row.
That said, they do have nothing to lose. So, they will be playing all out to get
a win but beating Pakistan will never be easy when they have been performing extremely
well.
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