Arthur sees Zimbabwe ODIs as stepping stone to 2019 World Cup

Pakistan Head Coach Mickey Arthur is keen on using the ODI series against Zimbabwe as a step towards building up for the 2019 World Cup in England and Wales.

In his first interview after landing in Zimbabwe, the South African has stated that the five-match ODI series against the hosts — after the culmination of the triangular series involving Zimbabwe, Pakistan and Australia — will play a key role in determining the right combination for the side for the next World Cup.

"This tour is going to be very good in terms of one-day cricket to have a look at our combinations before we make a final decision going forward to the World Cup," said Arthur while talking to The Herald.

Arthur was impressed with the team’s performance over the past year and stressed on the importance of maintaining those standards while also striving for further improvement.

"Our expectation is just to keep growing. We have got a young team and we just want to keep working and keep getting better,” he said. “We have set some really good standards over the last year and we just want keep maintaining those all the time.”

Speaking about the tour of Zimbabwe, Arthur said that it will be competitive series which will benefit all the teams.

"I think it's going to be a great series for all teams. Zimbabwe are building up as well so it's going to be a great series for everybody and I think will be some pretty competitive cricket," he said.

The triangular series will begin on July 1 with the final to be played on July 8, while the ODI series between Pakistan and Zimbabwe will kick start on July 13.