Pakistan cancel Zimbabwe's tour to UAE

News

Cricket365
June 23, 2014

Zimbabwe's cricketers have been dealt another heavy blow with the news that their proposed tour to the UAE to face Pakistan later this year has been cancelled, with the PCB apparently citing financial difficulties.

This comes on the back of Zimbabwe's series to Bangladesh in September being moved to December, and ZC are hopeful that whatever matches are on the cards now will stay that way.

Zimbabwe coach Andy Waller said: "We are trying our best to give the team more cricket but unfortunately some of the series have had to be rescheduled.

"Pakistan will not be able to host us in Dubai as per schedule possibly due to financial challenges. That means we will have a gap again towards the end of the year.

"But we will play Bangladesh and that has been moved to December when we will play three Tests."

Looking at Zimbabwe's schedule, the two fixes series still on the list are against South Africa in August, and then a triangular ODI series against the Proteas and Australia following that, into early September.

Waller recognised that the lack of cricket until then would be a great hindrance, especially as they have little cricket after that until the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand next February.

He said: "It's a big challenge; we would have wanted to play more cricket in between the last Test and South Africa, but we are going to work hard and make the best out of the training programme.

"We are playing two of the best sides in the world and we will aim to compete and if we can win one or two matches in the triangular series, then that would be a good achievement."