zimcricketnews.com

Having apparently toyed with the idea of using Zimbabwe's tour as a training experience for some of their up-and-coming players, the PCB have apparently opted to treat their African tourists with caution (perhaps having seen certain recent matches against Australia and West Indies?), and will field their strongest possible side in the 5 ODIs - and a 5-0 series sweep is their stated aim, according to PCB chairman Nasim Ashraf:

"We cannot take Zimbabwe or any other team lightly. That is why we will ensure that our best possible team plays against Zimbabwe and wins the series five-nil."

The two tour matches will be used to blood new talent, however, and the PCB will be holding a three-day training camp during January to select the players who will feature in those matches:

We will call around 20 to 24 youngsters for a few trial matches ahead of the series against Zimbabwe. The players will be selected on the basis of their performance in domestic events as well as during Under-19 assignments. We have a four-day and a three-day game against Zimbabwe and they would provide us with excellent opportunities to check out the youngsters who are knocking at the doors of international cricket."

That works both ways, of course, and I'm sure the Zimbabwean players will appreciate the long-form matches. All this is assuming the tour goes ahead, of course, and that's still up in the air...