The Zimbabweans, who celebrated their return to Test cricket during the series, were impressive in both the formats of the game.

“We certainly won’t be taking Zimbabwe for granted,” Pakistan manager Naved Akram Cheema told Arab News in an interview on Wednesday. “They have done really well against Bangladesh and our boys know that to avoid any unpleasant surprises, they will have to give their best during the tour,” added Cheema, who has replaced Intikhab Alam as Pakistan’s manager for the tour of Zimbabwe.

Pakistan will kick off the tour with a two-day game against a Zimbabwe XI in Bulawayo Aug. 28-29 followed by the one-off Test starting in the city from September 1.

The tour will be Waqar Younis’s last assignment as Pakistan’s coach as the former Test pacer has announced that he will quit next month because of health reasons.

Cheema said that Pakistan’s players were saddened by the news. “It’s quite unfortunate. Waqar was doing a great job as the team’s coach. He and the players had a great rapport. But he has genuine health problems and the team is going to miss him,” said Cheema.

The manager believes that Waqar’s announcement won’t hurt Pakistan’s chances in Zimbabwe where the tourists will be looking for a clean sweep.

“The players are professionals and know that nobody is indispensable.

They are all fully motivated and want to give their coach a befitting farewell by shining in Zimbabwe,” said Cheema.

Pakistan trained for a few days in Lahore and according to Cheema their players were perfectly ready for the assignment. “We had a very good camp. It was really pleasant in Lahore for the last few days. The boys are fully fit and are itching to take the field for the series.” Pakistan are taking several rookies on the tour and Cheema said that the youngsters were capable of doing well in the series.

“We are a very balanced side because there are both youth and experience in it,” he said. “We are giving the youngsters exposure as part of our future strategy.” Pakistan have weathered several crisis in recent times but Cheema stressed that team spirit wasn’t a problem.

“It’s a well-knit unit with a lot of team spirit,” he said.

On Wednesday, Pakistan received good news when Shoaib Malik was issued a visa and the allrounder will now leave for Zimbabwe along with his teammates.

Malik, who was under corruption suspicions, was cleared by Pakistan Cricket Board’s integrity committee a few days back and was then included in the touring party as a last-minute addition.

Cheema said that Malik’s inclusion will add some experience to an otherwise young team.

“Malik is a very experienced player. In fact captain Misbah-ul-Haq, Younis Khan and Malik are the only really experienced players in our squad,” he said.

Among the new faces in Pakistan’s squad are batsman Rameez Raja, legspinner Yasir Shah and seamer Aizaz Cheema.