The pitch itself is hard and dry; most of the grass has been removed and it looks like a good batting wicket which may favour spin later in the match. It was thought that, under present conditions, Zimbabwe might have opted to field first if they won the toss, as the clouds and wind may assist a seam attack. The choice this morning for the final place in the Zimbabwean team was between Bryan Strang and Andrew Whittall, and the weather probably paid its part in giving the former the final vote. Adam Huckle, who took eleven wickets in the last Test to be played here, was not even in the squad, presumably the thinking being that Pakistan play spin much better than the New Zealanders. So Zimbabwe will play Paul Strang as their only specialist spinner.
On current form, Pakistan, even without injured players Aamer Sohail and Wasim Akram and the ailing Mushtaq Ahmed, should be much too strong for Zimbabwe. The vital factor is the morale of the home side. The umpiring fiasco which cost Zimbabwe the Second Test in Sri Lanka has left a bitter legacy that was mainly responsible for the team's disastrous Zimbabwean performancs in New Zealand. Insufficient time has passed since that tour, which ended only last weekend, for the team to regroup and refocus, as captain Alistair Campbell admitted was necessary. It can only be hoped that playing on home soil again might help the Zimbabweans to put the disasters of the past firmly in that past. If so, Zimbabwe can be relied on to put up a good fight.