Zimbabwe capable of springing a surprise: Chibhabha

ISLAMABAD: Captain Chamu Chibhabha wants a winning start to Zimbabwe’s 2023 World Cup qualification campaign and said his team is capable of springing a surprise against Pakistan.

The three-match One-Day International series starting on October 30 at the Pindi Stadium is a part of the Super League that will serve as the route to direct qualification for the 2023 World Cup in India.

In a media talk, Chibhabha said there would be no better start to the campaign than to win the series in Pakistan. “We narrowly missed the last World Cup. This time we will make all-out efforts to get off to a winning start and reach the World Cup without playing the qualifying round,” he said.

The 13-team league competition will see the top seven sides, plus hosts India, qualifying directly for the World Cup, while the remaining five teams, along with five associate sides will play in a qualifying tournament for two available places to make it a ten-team competition.

Following a hectic day of training at the Army Cricket Ground in Rawalpindi, Chibhabha underscored his side’s desire to do well in the Super League.

“It’s very crucial for us to play really well,” he said. “Super League games are very important when you consider the fact that we have to qualify for the World Cup.

“We would rather qualify directly as opposed to having to play in the qualifiers because that’s a lot of pressure.

“So we would love to get a couple of wins under our belt, which makes life easier for us to qualify directly for the World Cup.”

Chibhabha, who is one of the six Zimbabwe players in the current squad who toured Pakistan in 2015, said they were still trying to get accustomed to the local conditions but was expecting high-scoring encounters.

“From our experience in 2015, we know we are going to play on a flat wicket — some might have a bit of spin on them, slow and turning, but we are expecting a lot of runs on the board in this series,” the captain said.

Chibhabha did not rule out impact of dew during the series. “Obviously, it’s going to be hot but it’s not as bad as we expected. We will also be playing day-night matches, so dew is going to play a huge factor.”

After the ODI series scheduled at the Pindi Stadiun on October 30, November 1, and 3, Pakistan and Zimbabwe will tussle it out in three Twenty20 Internationals scheduled for November 7, 8, and 10 in Lahore.