Who Will Win Zimbabwe vs Pakistan 1st T20?
Amid security concerns, hosts Zimbabwe are set to take on the world number 1 T20 side Pakistan in a T20I tri-series that will also feature second-ranked Australia. The opening fixture of the series will be played on July 1 at the Harare Sports Club. Live action is scheduled to begin at 10 AM local time.
Zim vs Pak 1st T20: Where to Watch/Live Streaming
TV channels: Sony Six, Sky Sports Cricket, Fox Sports, SuperSport
Live Streaming: Bet365, SonyLIV, SuperSport Live, Now TV
Toss Prediction
The wicket at the Harare Sports Club generally tends to favor the batsmen more. Also, 12 out of the 16 T20 internationals (including 10 of the last 11) played at this venue have been won by the side batting first. So toss is going to be key here and whoever wins it is more likely to bat first.
Read on for team previews, betting odds, betting tips and match prediction for Zimbabwe vs Pakistan 1st T20I...
Zimbabwe Team News & Playing 11
Team News
Zimbabwe had initially announced a 22-member squad for the T20I tri-series. It has now been reduced to a 17-man squad after the withdrawal of five players - Brendan Taylor, Graeme Cremer, Craig Ervine, Sikandar Raza and Sean Williams - due to a conflict with their cricket board over non-payment of their salaries and match fee. Hamilton Masakadza and Elton Chigumbura have been recalled while the team management is yet to confirm the captain for this series as Graeme Cremer had been removed as captain after Zimbabwe's failure to qualify for the 2019 ICC World Cup.
Key Players
Hamilton Masakadza is Zimbabwe's leading run-getter in T20 cricket with 1460 runs in 52 matches. The opening batsman also scored the most runs for the team in the previous T20I series against Afghanistan in the UAE. While Masakadza is going to be the key man for the hosts with the bat, Malcolm Waller, Peter Moor and Solomon Mire all have the potential to score the big runs for their side. With Graeme Cremer and Tendai Chatara not around, Zimbabwe will look to their fast bowlers Kyle Jarvis and Blessing Muzarabani to take wickets and slow down Pakistan's scoring rate. While Jarvis has 13 wickets in 11 matches, Muzarabani picked up four wickets in the Afghanistan series.
Team Form
Zimbabwe have won just five out of the last fourteen T20 internationals they have played since 2016. The hosts last won a game in this format against India in June 2016 at the Harare Sports Club. Since then, they have lost twice to India at the same venue and twice to Afghanistan in their most recent series at Sharjah earlier this year. Zimbabwe are now coming on the back of four consecutive T20I defeats.
Zimbabwe Predicted Playing 11
Solomon Mire, Hamilton Masakadza, Tarisai Musakanda, Peter Moor (wk), Ryan Burl, Cephas Zhuwao, Malcolm Waller, Kyle Jarvis, Blessing Muzarabani, Elton Chigumbura, Chamu Chibhabha
Pakistan Team News & Playing 11
Team News
Pakistan have included allrounder Mohammad Hafeez and uncapped batsman Sahibzada Farhan who has an average of 36.50 in the 20-overs format. The selectors have not considered Babar Azam for this series as he is still recovering from the wrist injury he had sustained in the recent Lord's test match. Among the others to have been dropped include Rahat Ali and Ahmed Shehzad who had failed to clear his dope test earlier this year.
Key Players
Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik and Sarfraz Ahmed are the big guns in Pakistan's batting lineup. Shoaib, with 1977 runs in 97 matches, is the team's most experienced and successful batsman in the shortest format. Sarfraz was the highest run-scorer in the last series against Scotland while Hafeez has nine T20I half-centuries to his name. Fakhar has a strike-rate of 135 and his aggression at the top could give the visitors a breezy start. Leg-spinner Shadab Khan has 27 wickets in 18 matches and is second in the ICC T20I rankings for bowlers. While he will be the go-to man for Pakistan when it comes to spin, Faheem Ashraf who was impressive in Scotland and Hasan Ali who has 23 wickets are the danger men among the seam bowlers.
Team Form
Pakistan have lost just once in the eight T20 internationals they have played this year. That defeat came in January during their tour of New Zealand when the hosts beat them by seven wickets. Since then, they have been undefeated and are on a seven-match winning streak. After beating the Kiwis 2-1, Pakistan crushed the West Indies 3-0 at Karachi before outplaying Scotland 2-0 at Edinburgh in their last T20I series.
Pakistan Predicted Playing 11
Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Hussain Talat, Sarfraz Ahmed (c/wk), Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali, Usman Khan
Jul 01, 2018
13:30 IST / 8:00 GMT
Harare Sports Club - Harare, Zimbabwe
Zim vs Pak 
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