The PCB seem to have had a change of heart in sending the national team to Zimbabwe

Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo

Pakistan and Zimbabwe have decided to put their limited overs series, which was scheduled to run from August 17 to September 17 in Zimbabwe, on hold.

While there has been no concrete reason as to why the series was postponed, many reports suggest that Pakistan don’t want to jeopardise their place in the 2017 Champions Trophy.

“The decision is taken unanimously and in a cordial manner,” a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official told ESPNcricinfo. “Both boards now will look for another window other than August-September this year.”

Pakistan moved from ninth to eighth place in the International Cricket Council (ICC) ODI team rankings after taking an unassailable 3-1 lead over Sri Lanka in their ongoing ODI series.

With Pakistan having scheduled no more ODIs until the cut-off date of September 30, the top eight teams will participate in the 2017 Champions Trophy.

If the ODI series between Zimbabwe and Pakistan gone ahead as planned, Pakistan’s participation in the 2017 Champions Trophy would have been affected if they lost the series by a margin of 2-1 or more.

Zimbabwe also suggested holding a tri-series involving the West Indies, Pakistan and themselves, but the PCB seem to have lost all interest in sending the national team to Zimbabwe. As a result of this, it is almost certain that Zimbabwe won’t feature at the 2017 Champions Trophy.