Getting beaten is no longer acceptable – Zimbabwe allrounder Williams

Zimbabwe ready for Pakistan T20s

JOHANNESBURG, November 5 (ANA) –  Buoyed by their victory in the third and final One-Day International (ODI) against Pakistan, Zimbabwe allrounder Sean Williams believes his side can beat their much-fancied hosts in the three-match T20 series, starting, in Rawalpindi, on Saturday.

The visitors won the final ODI in a thrilling Super Over decider, after they had come into the match facing the prospect of a 3-0 series whitewash. In fact, it was Zimbabwe’s first win in Pakistan in any format since 1998.

“I think we can absolutely beat the bigger teams. We’re tired of competing and getting beaten. That’s no longer acceptable,” said Williams.

“It’s been way too long and the whole mental approach towards our game has completely changed. Some of the young players in the changing room, like Wesley Madhevere, are remarkably good players. This experience allows those younger guys to play and beat the bigger teams.”

There were quite a few positives for the visitors from the ODI series. Two batsmen, Brendan Taylor and Sean Williams, made hundreds, while Blessing Muzarabani topped the wickets chart with seven in the three games, including a five-wicket haul.

Pakistan are slowly back on the rise after a blip in the T20I format. They beat Bangladesh at home 2-0 early in the year before levelling the three-match series against England. These came after they lost every T20I series they played in 2019, losing their No.1 position in the men’s T20 team rankings.

When these teams met in Harare in 2018 for a T20I series, Hamilton Masakadza was the Zimbabwe captain and Sarfaraz Ahmed led the Pakistan side. Leadership aside, a lot has changed for both teams. Zimbabwe have built a strong bowling core, while Pakistan have impressive young talent coming through in all departments. – African News Agency (ANA), Editing by Michael Sherman