Pakistan has chosen to rest all of its key white-ball players, including captain Mohammad Rizwan, for this three-match series while evaluating its bench strength. Leading the team is Salman Ali Agha, who has fast bowler Haris Rauf as the most seasoned player in the T20 format.
Rauf is on the verge of making history, needing just one more wicket to become Pakistan’s all-time leading T20 bowler, overtaking the current record held by leg-spinner Shadab Khan with 107 wickets.
In some additional roster changes, opening batsman Saim Ayub and leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed have been added to the squad after their impressive performances in the preceding one-day series against Zimbabwe, which Pakistan won with a scoreline of 2-1.
At the toss, Salman expressed the intention to provide young talents with opportunities, stating, “We want to give as many chances to youngsters because this series is all about youngsters. We just want to put a good total on the board as it (the wicket) could get slower and lower.”
Zimbabwe, captained by Sikandar Raza, has made some changes as well, welcoming Wellington Masakadza and Ryan Burl back into the team after both players missed the ODI series.
___
**Line-ups:**
**Pakistan:** Salman Ali Agha (captain), Saim Ayub, Omair Bin Yousuf, Usman Khan, Tayyab Tahir, Irfan Khan, Jahandad Khan, Abbas Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed, Sufiyan Muqeem.
**Zimbabwe:** Sikandar Raza (captain), Brian Bennett, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Ryan Burl, Dion Myers, Clive Madande, Wellington Masakadza, Tashinga Musekiwa, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava, Trevor Gwandu.
___
