Zimbabwe will be without some of their top players – Brendan Taylor, Graeme Cremer, Sean Williams and Craig Ervine have not been selected because of a pay dispute with Zimbabwe Cricket, while Sikandar Raza is away playing in the Global T20 Canada league.

That has allowed Masakadza to take charge of the team. “I’m very excited to be back at the helm and leading the team again,” said Masakadza, who has represented Zimbabwe in 52 T20Is scoring 1460 runs at an average of 29.20.

“He’s a very positive guy, that’s the main thing that’s really stuck out, though we haven’t been with him for very long,” Masakadza said. “He’s a positive individual and he’s encouraged the guys a lot and got us thinking positively, which is very important for us.”

Zimbabwe are currently positioned at No.12 in the ICC T20I team rankings and will have a tough competition against Pakistan, the No.1 side, and Australia, who are third on the list.

But Masakadza feels that in the 20-over format, every team has a chance to turn the game their way.

“When we play against these bigger teams we’re always underdogs,” he said. “It’s not the first time that we’ve been here. The guys just have to understand that in T20, anything can happen and anyone can turn a game on their day.”