Gaji
Having negotiate Bangladesh in a one-off Test two weeks ago, Zimbabwe now face a much higher fence on Thursday - Pakistan.
The single Test match, which starts Thursday, will be followed by three ODI's and two Twenty-20s. Zimbabwe was decided a return to Test cricket by the ICC last year, after a gap of six years.
They had been grateful to field a weak side following a strike of almost all their professionals and two resulting Test defeats by an innings and more than 200 runs.
Withdrawal from Tests was predictable and those years have been used to reconstruct. They play Pakistan now, followed by New Zealand, in October/November.
These opponents are careful by the ICC to be ones a nascent Zimbabwe can best cope with. The new Zimbabweans got off to a good start two weeks ago in beating Bangladesh by 130 runs and then by 3-2 in an ODI series.
Pakistan will unavoidably start favourites, even although there appears to be continuing disagreement in their camp.
Coach Waqar Younis suddenly declared his acceptance last year with the Zimbabwe tour his planned last. Pakistan will also not have Shahid Afridi on the tour as he has said he will not work with Younis, or with the present executive.
There was dressing-room disarray here in 1995, when they lost to Zimbabwe by an innings, with Grant Flower, the present batting coach, scoring an unbeatable 201.
However, their overall record is impressive. Pakistan has won eight out of the 14 played, with two defeats.
Their last encounter was in 1992 when Pakistan won both Tests, by 119 runs and by 10 wickets. Earlier this year, they broke even 1-1 in a West Indies series, winning one and drawing one against New Zealand.
Pakistan has rested Umar Gull, Wahib Riaz and Abdur Rehman on this tour, bringing back Imran Farhat, Adnan Akmal and Sohail Tanveer.
They will introduce Ramiz Raja, Yasir Shah and Aizaz Cheema. Zimbabwe are expecting seamer Brian Vitori back after a leg muscle strain. But he still needs to prove fitness.
He had two five-wicket hauls against Bangladesh, and is their key strike bowler.
Pakistan squad: Misbah-ul-haq (capt), Mohammad Hafeez, Taufic Umar, Imran Farhat, Azhar Ali, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Rameez Raja Jnr, Adnan Akmal (wk), Saeed Asmal, Yasir Shah, Sohail Tanveer, Ramiz Raja, Yasir Shah, Aizaz Cheema.
Zimbabwe have not yet formally released names in their squad, but the team will be selected from: Brendan Taylor (capt), Vusi Sibanda, Hamilton Masakadza, Tatenda Taibu (wk), Forbes Mtizwa, Craig Ervine, Malcolm Waller, Elton Chigumbura, Kyle Jarivis, Raymond Price, Christopher Mpofu, Prosper Utseya, Brian Vitori.
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