“The game against South Africa was a little bit of a bizarre evening,” Ervine told reporters on Wednesday. “From a batting perspective, we were trying to work out how best to go about getting a decent score in nine overs. We knew we had to go fairly hard up front to get off to a good start.
“The weather looks good tomorrow evening though, so we can go back to our game plan knowing we have a full 20 overs to bat. Our batting innings will look more calm and composed.”
Zimbabwe, unleashing a more care-free approach since the appointment of Houghton as head coach mid-year, are preparing to tackle Rauf and his fellow quicks with a positive mindset.
“I don’t think you sit back and let quailty bowlers like that bowl at you, otherwise it’s going to be a matter of time before they get you out,” Ervine said. “It will be a case of trying to make sure that you’re putting them under just as much pressure as what they’re putting you under.
“You can’t get in your shell. We have a longish batting order. We have to back everyone.
“Perth is obviously going to be a little quicker than Hobart, so we’ll have to try to assess those conditions and try our best to get a decent score on the board.”
After Pakistan’s dramatic loss to India at the MCG, Ervine braced for a fired-up opponent with major stakes on the line, but believed Zimbabwe could cause a boilover if they can adapt to the Optus Stadium’s conditions and vast dimensions, particularly square of the wicket.
“I’m pretty sure Pakistan will be coming hard for us,” he said. “The first five-six overs with the new ball has been challenging for every team.
“It’s a key area to get through and capitalise with a lot of twos (on offer) in the middle overs with the bigger boundaries.
“We want to play exciting cricket.”