Zimbabwe head coach Lalchand Rajput has not travelled to Pakistan for the upcoming tour due to travel restrictions. Zimbabwe Cricket stated that the Indian embassy in Harare had written to them asking to exempt Rajput from visiting Pakistan although a visa had been issued to him by the Pakistan embassy in Harare. Reportedly the Indian embassy had cited travel guidelines by the government of India for its citizens as the reason behind the request. Pakistan vs Zimbabwe ODIs Shifted From Multan to Rawalpindi, Lahore to Host T20I Series; Confirms PCB.

In Rajput’s absence, bowling coach and former Zimbabwe international Douglas Hondo will take charge as the interim head coach of the team in their tour to Pakistan. Zimbabwe reached Pakistan on Tuesday and will be in self-isolation for the next seven days before resuming training on Monday. The team are currently staying in Islamabad and are in quarantine. The three-match ODI and T20I series will begin with the first ODI match on October 30.

Lalchand Rajput to Miss Zimbabwe's Tour of Pakistan

There were speculations that perhaps Rajput had been denied a visa. But both Zimbabwe and Pakistan cricket board maintained the former India cricketer was issued a visa. The 58-year-old Rajput had represented India in four ODIs and two Test matches and has also served as the manager of the Indian team. He was appointed as the head coach of Zimbabwe after the team failed to qualify for the 2019 Cricket World Cup.

Zimbabwe are scheduled to play three ODIs and as many T20I matches in Pakistan with the series set to conclude on November 10. The series will begin with the ODIs followed by three T20I-game series. This is Zimbabwe’s first tour of Pakistan since 2015 when it became the first cricketing nation to tour the country after the attack on the Sri Lanka cricket team in 2009.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 20, 2020 04:36 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).