Zim desperate to keep cricket series alive

Sport
Zimbabwe national cricket team will go into today’s third Celkon One Day International encounter, against the world champions India.

Zimbabwe national cricket team will go into today’s third Celkon One Day International encounter, against the world champions India, needing nothing short of a win to keep the five-match day series alive.

Don Makanyanga

In two ODIs played so far in the series, the touring Indian side has won both matches resoundingly with six wickets and 58 runs respectively, leaving the hosts with no choice but to show character, if hopes of a comeback are to be entertained.

The rebuilding Zimbabwean team will have to put up a brave face in today’s match and justify the poor run of results in recent years.

Surely, for the hosts to stop the champions from clinching and finishing the series as the winners in today’s encounter, a lot needs to be done, both on the crease and the field which has been a big letdown in the last two ODIs played last week.

Zimbabwe’s hopes for the miraculous comeback now lie on the new opening partnership of Sikander Raza Butt, Vusi Sibanda and Elton Chigumbura with a seemingly out of form captain Brandon Taylor and Sean Williams expected to help. The thrust with the ball lies with Kyle Jarvis.

National team coach Andy Waller believes his charges still have a chance of bouncing back against the world champions.

“We were in a position to win today’s game. I still believe we have the players that can score runs that we need. We have to work on our mistakes quickly if we are to win the series,” Waller said.

India’s Shikhar Dhawan is confident that the tourists will end the series as the victors today, despite confessing that Zimbabwe has the potential to upstage a surprise.

Related Topics