Zimbabwe set to tour Pakistan in October-November for a limited-overs series

International cricket is set to resume in Pakistan amid a sharp decline in Coronavirus cases in country. Zimbabwe is set to tour Pakistan after their government officially gave the permission to travel. Both the teams will face each other in three ODIs and as many T20 Internationals. Ahead of this tour, domestic season will also commence in Pakistan as the PCB announced the whole schedule recently.

Earlier in the month, the Chairman of Zimbabwe Cricket had confirmed that the government permission for the tour is imminent and the tour is now set to go ahead ending any uncertainty around it. PCB is yet to release the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to be followed as the series will be held behind closed doors in a bio-secure bubble.

According to the reports in ESPNCricinfo, the three-match ODI series will commence on October 30 with the other two matches to be played on 1 and 3 November. The three T20Is are scheduled to take place on November 7, 8 and 10.

Mohali and Rawalpindi likely venues

While the PCB hasn’t officially zeroed in any venue for the tour, it has been reported that Rawalpindi and Multan are the front-runners. The same venues will be hosting the National T20 Cup which is to begin on September 30 and it is being believed that setting up a bio-secure bubble for teams will turn out to be learning curve for Pakistan ahead of Zimbabwe’s visit.

Multan is likely to host the three ODIs of the tour and if it is finalised, it will be the first 50-over international game at the venue since 2008. Meanwhile, PCB is also looking into the quarantine period for the visiting team which might vary from as short as three days to a week. It is also understood to be in talks with England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and ICC for any inputs in terms of creating the bubble.

England was the first team to resume international cricket in July and they successfully conducted their summer with the likes of Pakistan, West Indies, Ireland and Australia visiting.