Daily Times

LAHORE: Pakistan will launch their ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League campaign by hosting Zimbabwe for a three-match ODI series in October-November, the Pakistan Cricket Board announced on Wednesday. The 50-over matches against Zimbabwe will be played in Multan on October 30, November 1 and 3, which will be followed by three T20Is in Rawalpindi on November 7, 8 and 10. Apart from signalling cricket’s resumption in Pakistan after the Covid-19-enforced hiatus, the series will mark the beginning of the World Cup Super League campaign –– the pathway for direct qualification to the 2023 50-over World Cup ––– for both teams. The International Cricket Council has introduced the Super League to provide context to ODI cricket and will serve as a qualification for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 with the top seven sides automatically booking their spots for the India event. Featuring 13 teams, the 12 Test playing countries and the Netherlands, the Super League will see each side play four home and four away three-match series.

Multan will host international cricket after a gap of over 12 years. The choice of Multan, which has hosted five Tests and seven ODIs over the years but none since an ODI against Bangladesh in April 2008, is an interesting one. In 2015 Zimbabwe were the first team to visit Pakistan after the terror attacks on the Sri Lanka team in Lahore in 2009, paving the way over the next five years for a number of teams to return. Last year Pakistan hosted their first Tests in the country since 2009 and earlier this year hosted the entire Pakistan Super League for the first time.

PCB Director of International Cricket Zakir Khan said: “The confirmation of the series schedule against Zimbabwe after having successfully hosted Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, as well as Marylebone Cricket Club and HBL Pakistan Super League V, in the 2019-20 season not only strengthens Pakistan’s reputation as a safe and secure country but also a healthy one after having successfully overcome the Covid-19 pandemic. This series is critical to Pakistan as it aspires to qualify directly for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 and, as such, every point in the Super League will count. Our last ODI series was against Sri Lanka, 12 months ago, so the boys will have to hit the ground running and try to pocket maximum points. We have strategically scheduled Zimbabwe’s matches in Multan and Rawalpindi, the venues which will be hosting the National T20 Cup from 30 September to 18 October. By the time Zimbabwe arrives, we would have gained enough experience on bio-securing hotels, player transportation, the venues and the players’ dressing rooms as delivery of this series will be under strict Covid-19 protocols to ensure the health and safety of all participants.”

Zimbabwe will carry a 32-member squad to cater for both the formats as well as for the intra-squad warm-up matches. The squad will undergo two Covid-19 tests within a space of 48 hours prior to their departure in Harare, while the second tests will be conducted as soon as they arrive in Islamabad. Players and Player Support Personnel testing negative in Islamabad will be eligible to resume training at a venue, which the PCB will confirm in due course. Players and player support personnel testing positive during the tour will have to observe a five-day self-isolation and will only be allowed to re-integrate with the side after two negative tests. The series will be played behind closed doors.

Series schedule:

20 Oct – Zimbabwe arrival in Islamabad

30 Oct – 1st ODI at Multan

1 Nov – 2nd ODI at Multan

3 Nov – 3rd ODI at Multan

4 Nov – Travel to Islamabad

7 Nov – 1st T20I at Rawalpindi

8 Nov – 2nd T20I at Rawalpindi

10 Nov – 3rd T20I at Rawalpindi

11 Nov – Zimbabwe departure

for Harare.