Utseya injury concern for Zimbabwe on Pakistan tour

Utseya injury concern for Zimbabwe on Pakistan tour

RARING TO GO: Utseya and Masakadza

• Vermeulen sensation: 'I did it'

• Zimbabwe get security 'all clear' to tour Pakistan

• Zimbabwe Cricket rejects ECB pay-off over planned tour

• Bhutto assasination casts doubt over Zimbabwe tour

• Zimbabwe in 51-run victory over SA Composite XI

• Zimbabwe outplayed by SA Composite XI

• Vermeulen trial set for January 10

• Final Zimbabwe, West Indies ODI rained out

• Zimbabwe beat West Indies by 31 runs

• Zim draw India in 2009 World Cup

• Zimbabwe shock Aussies

• Taibu completes Zimbabwe return

• ICC: No evidence of impropriety for self-gain

• ICC relents on Zimbabwe's US$11m payout

• Zimbabwe Cricket 'falsified accounts'

• New ICC chief voices support for Zim

ZIMBABWE captain Prosper Utseya will miss his team’s four-day practice game against a Pakistan Patron’s XI because of an ankle problem.

A Zimbabwe team official said on Sunday that Utseya arrived in Pakistan on Saturday carrying an ankle injury and will be rested ahead of the five-match One-day International (ODI) series getting underway in Karachi from January 21.

The official was confident that the 22-year-old off-spinner will get fully fit ahead of the one-day series against Pakistan. The Zimbabweans will go into the four-day match at the Defence Stadium without much practice as they were unable to carry out ample nets sessions ahead of the warm-up game.

It is because their luggage only arrived in Karachi on Sunday afternoon after which they carried out a brief training session at the Defence Stadium in the evening. In stark contrast, the Patron’s XI squad is fully ready for the match as most of their players are in rhythm after competing in the recently-concluded Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.

Pakistan’s star all-rounder Shahid Afridi will have a point to prove when he leads the local team in the match after being dropped from the national team’s Test series in India last year. Afridi will be at the helm of a young and talented side. Most of the Patron’s XI players will be trying their best to impress the national selectors, who have announced that the best performers can be rewarded with places in the one-day squad for a five-match series getting underway from Jan 21.

Utseya, defiantly, says Zimbabwe have not gone to Pakistan to make a surrender.

“We have been playing good cricket and can beat anyone,” Utseya, who has played a solitary Test and 69 ODIs, announced at a press conference.

Zimbabwe delivered a clear warning to leading Test-playing nations that they are getting better after several tumultuous seasons by stunning the West Indies in a One-day International in Harare on November 30. Zimbabwe also shocked world champions Australia at the inaugural World Twenty20 championship in South Africa last September.

“We are playing well,” said the 22-year-old Utseya, one of the youngest captains in international cricket history. “The guys have been working really, really hard and we are looking forward to the series.”

Utseya commands a touring party that has the services of former captain Tatenda Taibu and experienced left-arm spinner Ray Price.

Zimbabwe’s performances haven’t gone unnoticed in the corridors of powers in the Pakistan cricket set-up.

After initially planning to field a new-look team against the Zimbabweans, the national selectors are not taking the visitors lightly and are now looking to keep faith in mostly tried and tested players for the series which the hosts want to win 5-0.

Coach Robin Brown, a former Zimbabwe international who played seven ODIs, believes his team is ready to give Pakistan a fight.

“We are ready for what would be a very hard series,” said Brown, who took over from Kevin Curran as Zimbabwe coach last summer.

Brown said that his may be a young side but most of the team members were pretty experienced as far as matches are concerned.

“These guys may be young in age but they are not young in experience. Most of them have played 50-60 one-dayers,” he said.

Brown stressed that Zimbabwe are getting ready for a re-entry to Test cricket.

“We have been playing well in three or four-day matches in recent months and are getting ready for Test cricket.”

Lovemore Banda, the team’s media manager, said that the visitors were not intimidated by the current political turmoil in Pakistan.

“Our players feel safe here and will be focusing on the series because we have complete faith in the security provided to us by Pakistan,” he said.

The 23-man Zimbabwean squad was escorted to their hotel after landing in the city by a heavy contingent of Police and Rangers.

Zimbabwe squad: Prosper Utseya (captain), Gary Brent, Chamu Chibhabha, Elton Chigumbura, Keith Dabengwa, Timycen Maruma, Hamilton Masakadza, Stuart Matsikenyeri, Chris Mpofu, Tawanda Mupariwa, Ray Price, Vusi Sibanda, Tatenda Taibu, Brendan Taylor, Sean Williams, Robin Brown (coach)

Schedule: January 14-17 Four-day game v Patron’s XI Karachi. Jan 21 1st ODI Karachi (day/night). Jan 24 2nd ODI Hyderabad. Jan 27 3rd ODI Multan (d/n). Jan 30 4th ODI Faisalabad (d/n). February 2 5th ODI Sheikhupura
JOIN THE DEBATE ON THIS ARTICLE ON THE NEWZIMBABWE.COM FORUMS
ozzie@newzimbabwe.com