Zimbabwe T20 Tri-Series 2018 (Preview)

Zimbabwe Tri-Series 2018 is all set to begin from 1st July as hosts Zimbabwe will face Pakistan in the opening game of the competition. Things will be tough for Zimbabwe as they will compete against strong teams like Pakistan and Australia. Pakistan is currently best side in the T20 format and will be pretty hard to beat given their recent form.

Zimbabwe will go into the contest without their four big players but there will be opportunities for others in the squad to rise to the occasions and make an impression with bat and ball in the competition.

Sarfaraz Ahmed and co. will be keen to continue their winning streak in this competition. The green shirts have produced exceptional numbers in terms of wins in the format since past two years. The results have been great due to a potent bowling attack at their disposal. The emergence of leg-spinner Shadab Khan and pacer Hasan Ali has really bolstered Pakistan’s bowling resources.

The arrival of aggressive batsmen in the squad also has helped the side post big totals on the board. The likes of Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, and Haris Sohail are promising players who like to play their shots and put pressure on the opposition.

Shoaib Malik is an experienced player who has provided the utility with bat and ball for the last couple of years. He has produced consistency with the bat and also chipped in with crucial wickets for Pakistan.

On the other hand, Australia seems to be in turmoil after they were convincingly beaten by England in the one-day series. The side failed to win a single game on the tour with a lot of questions raised about Tim Paine’s captaincy. Aaron Finch has been named the captain of the side for the T20 Tri-series.

D’Arcy Short, Alex Carey, and Ashton Agar are promising players who will be keen to do well in the tri-nation series. Short has done well for Australia in a couple of games played for Australia. Left-arm spinner Ashton Agar also bowled well against England in the recently concluded one-day series. Marcus Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell are quality players that have consistently produced good scores for the side in the T20 format.

Stoinis will need to work more on his bowling as Australia will need him to bowl a couple of overs in this competition. Billy Stanlake has done exceedingly well since making his debut for Australia in the T20 format. He has bowled probing spells with new-ball and provided early breakthroughs for the side.

Kane Richardson and Andrew Tye have been great bowlers for Australia in the T20 format. Tye has been in good form with the ball and finished as leading wicket-taker in the recently concluded Indian Premier League. Mitchell Swepson is also promising spinner who will be aiming to do well in this tri-series featuring sides like Australia and Pakistan.

The opening game of the Zimbabwe T20 Tri-series will be played between Zimbabwe and Pakistan on 1st July 2018 at Harare Sports Club, Harare. A total of seven matches will be played in the competition. All the games will be played in Harare. It will be interesting to see how Zimbabwe without their key players in this competition.