Zimbabwe Focus on Cricket From Crisis

Harare: Zimbabwe go into Friday's first Twenty20 international against Pakistan at Harare Sports Club with captain Brendan Taylor confident that the players have put their most recent scuffle with the board behind them.

The month-long tour will see the two sides face off in two Twenty20 matches, three one-day internationals and two Tests, but Zimbabwe's preparations were thrown into disarray last week when the players refused to train after negotiations over unpaid salaries and future contracts broke down.

Although the players came to an agreement with Zimbabwe Cricket last Friday and returned to training, fast bowler Kyle Jarvis announced on Sunday that he was quitting international cricket in favour of a county contract.

Nevertheless Taylor expects his side to move on mentally as they look to present a challenge to Pakistan.

Pakistan won every match on their last tour of Zimbabwe in 2011, and will expect to complete a similar sweep over a side that recently lost all five one-day internationals against an understrength Indian team.

Mohammad Hafeez will lead Pakistan in the Twenty20 matches on Friday and Saturday, but the tourists will be without wicketkeeper-batsman Umar Akmal after he suffered a mild seizure last weekend during a flight to Jamaica, where he was due to play a match in the Caribbean Premier League.

His replacement in the squad, Sarfraz Ahmed, is expected to take the gloves.

Zimbabwe' opener Sikandar Raza is likely to play his first game against the country of his birth, but that alone shouldn't be the only talking point about him.

Teams from:

Zimbabwe: Brendan Taylor (captain & wk), Regis Chakabva (wk), Tendai Chatara, Chamu Chibhabha, Elton Chigumbura, Michael Chinouya, Graeme Cremer, Timycen Maruma, Shingirai Masakadza, Tino Mawoyo, Natsai Mushangwe, Tinotenda Mutombodzi, Tinashe Panyangara, Vusi Sibanda, Sikandar Raza, Prosper Utseya, Brian Vitori, Malcolm Waller, Sean Williams

Pakistan: Mohammad Hafeez (Capt.), Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Ahmed Shehzad, Anwar Ali, Asad Ali, Haris Sohail, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Irfan, Nasir Jamshed, Saeed Ajmal, Shahid Afridi, Sohaib Maqsood, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Amin, Zulfiqar Babar

Stats and trivia

• In the last bilateral series between these sides in Zimbabwe, in 2011, Pakistan won both T20s.
• Shahid Afridi needs 84 more for 1000 T20 runs. Skipper Mohammad Hafeez is the only Pakistan batsman to pass that milestone.

Match facts
Friday, August 23, 2013
Start time 1330 local (1130 GMT, 1630 PKT)