Zimbabwe vs Pakistan, 2nd Test: Preview, predicted XIs, match prediction, live streaming, weather forecast, and pitch report

Zimbabwe take on Pakistan in the 2nd Test of the two-match series from Friday, 7th May, at the Harare Sports Club.

Pakistan came into the series with a lot of confidence, having trounced South Africa on their home turf, and they were expected to drub their hosts. However, the tour has not entirely been a walk in the park for them.

In the three-match T20 series, Zimbabwe didn't allow the fancied visitors to dominate them and fought back in the second match to level the series. While they ultimately lost the series 2-1, the spirit and character that they showed left everyone expecting a similar performance in the Test series.

However, that was not to be as Zimbabwe lost the first Test by an innings and 116 runs. They sorely missed their injured skipper Sean Williams and looked out of sorts as their batting crumbled, despite winning the toss.

With Williams returning to the side, Zimbabwe will hope to salvage something from this tour and produce an impressive performance against this strong Pakistan side.

Pakistan, meanwhile, have played some good cricket on the tour, with the collapse in the 2nd T20 gaining far more attention than it should.

Mohammad Rizwan will look to close out an already great series with another good knock, while skipper Babar Azam will be keen to score runs in this match after getting dismissed for a golden duck in the first Test.

This will be the only international fixture taking place over the duration, and it will be a good chance for both the teams to showcase their talent to the cricketing world. Expect five days of competitive cricket.

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Match details

Date: May 7- 11, 2021 (Friday- Tuesday).

Time: 09:30 AM (Local), 01:00 PM (IST), and 08:30 AM (BST).

Venue: Harare Sports Club, Harare.

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Weather Report

It should be bright and sunny in Harare on all five days of the match, and no rain interruptions are predicted. With an average temperature of around 25 degree Celsius, these will be ideal conditions for playing cricket.

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Pitch Report

Considering that the match will be played at the same venue as the 1st Test, we can expect more of the same. The seamers will get some assistance off the wicket, and the new ball will be crucial for both teams. The pitch should slow down as the game progresses and the spinners should make a good impact on days four and five.

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Predicted XIs

Zimbabwe

The hosts could make some changes to their playing XI. Skipper Sean Williams is expected to come back into the side in place of Tarisai Musakanda. Either Luke Jongwe and Wellington Masakadza could replace spinner Tendai Chisoro.

They'll hope that their batting order holds firm against the deadly new-ball attack of Pakistan.

Zimbabwe: Prince Masvaure, Kevin Kasuza, Sean Williams(C), Brendan Taylor, Milton Shumba, Roy Kaia, Regis Chakabva(WK), Donald Tiripano, Luke Jongwe/ Wellington Masakadza, Blessing Muzarabani, and Richard Ngarava.

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Pakistan

Babar Azam recently said that Test regulars should get more game time, and Pakistan are likely to go in with the same playing XI for this match. They could, however, drop one spinner and hand either Shahnawaz Dhani or Haris Rauf a Test debut.

Pakistan: Imran Butt, Abid Ali, Azhar Ali, Babar Azam(C), Fawad Alam, Mohammad Rizwan(WK), Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Nauman Ali, Haris Rauf/ Shahnawaz Dhani, and Shaheen Afridi.

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Match prediction

Considering how Pakistan steamrolled the hosts in the first Test, they're the favorites to clinch this one too. While the return of Sean Williams could help Zimbabwe put up a fight, Babar Azam's side should prevail.

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TV and live streaming details

TV: None.

Live Streaming: FanCode.