However, the balance remains an intractable problem for Pakistan. They prevailed 3-0 in the three-match T20I series against Australia and were eliminated in the final two games after losing nine wickets in a seven-over contest in Brisbane. Since Pakistan decided against fielding an all-rounder in the first game, this problem continues, with a long tail in a team that has Irfan Khan at number 7. On Pakistan’s tours of Australia and Zimbabwe, he managed just 79 runs in six innings, a long way off, and Zimbabwe could sense that Pakistan’s lower middle order can be penetrated.

However, for Zimbabwe to give themselves the best chance, they still need to make significant improvements with the bat. They finished all three ODIs with subpar totals and the bowlers had to bail them out in the first game. No batsman looked the kind of touch that threatened to control an innings and wickets in clusters were a regular feature of the ODI series. The bowling they face will be a step up from anything they struggled with in the Logan Cup or the regional qualifier last month, and Pakistan have now realized that this is the most obvious weakness to exploit .

However, like the ODI series, both sides will ultimately put these three games behind them pretty quickly once they are over. But as the Bulawayo crowd has shown in the last three games, Queens Sports Club could be a very pleasant place to be in the next week or so.