The Government of Zimbabwe has granted permission to Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) to proceed with their limited-overs tour of Pakistan which is scheduled to get underway on October 30.
As per the letter from the Sports and Recreation Committee's (SRC) Director General Prince Mupazviriho, “The Sports and Recreation Commission hereby gives you notice, following your application, that the Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation has approved your request to tour Pakistan to play the referenced matches.”
The tour is proposed to kick off with a three-match ODI series, followed by a three-match T20I series, and should it go ahead, it will be New Zealand's first international foray since the global virus-enforced lockdown back in March.
The ODI tour is scheduled to conclude on November 3, followed by the commencement of the T20I series, which will be held on November 7, 8 and 10. Pakistan will then get to hosting the remainder of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) matches from November 14 onwards.
The results of the ODI matches will have a bearing on the two teams' standing in the inaugural ICC World Cup Super League.
A 25-man training group currently practising in Harare has been announced by the board and appropriate safety measures have been put in place.
"The SRC has emphasised the need to ensure (global virus) preventative and containment measures are observed at all times for the safety of both the players and officials during the tour," said the ZC in a press release.
It will mark Zimbabwe's first trip to Pakistan since 2015, and the last bilateral series between the two nations was held in Zimbabwe in 2018. In that competition, Pakistan thumped the hosts with the score reading 5-0 and Fakhar Zaman became the first Pakistan batsman to notch a double-century in 50-overs cricket with an unbeaten 210 in the fourth ODI.
Feature image courtesy: AFP / Jekesai Njikizana
