Vusumuzi Sibanda
Mehluli Sibanda in Harare
AFTER a disappointing show in the three-match Killer Cup One Day International series against India, Zimbabwe will now look to put on an improved performance in the shortest version of the game. Zimbabwe were severely punished for poor batting in the three ODIs. Only Vusumuzi Sibanda managed a half century, scoring 53 runs in the second ODI. The rest were just atrocious.
Just to show how dismal the home side’s batsmen were, former captain Elton Chigumbura was the third highest run scorer with the 41 runs he made in the first ODI, despite going on to be dismissed for first ball ducks in the other two matches.
Graeme Cremer, the Zimbabwean captain, indicated that they were looking to put their dismal show in the ODIs behind them, as they focus on the T20Is. The joy of T20 cricket, Cremer believes, is that they do not have to really worry about losing wickets, but to stay optimistic.
“I suppose it’s just the mindset of T20 now where we don’t have to worry about losing wickets or whatever, we just need to be positive. Maybe this T20 series is what we need to get into that positive frame of mind. We know we have the T20s coming up this weekend, so we won’t dwell too much on what happened; we will look to hit the ground running in the T20s,’’ said Cremer.
What gives Zimbabwe hope, despite being resoundingly routed by the Indians in the ODIs, is that the last time the two teams met in this version at Harare Sports Club, the hosts won by 10 runs. Harare Sports Club is the venue of the three T20Is that get underway tomorrow.
That day on July 19, 2015, Zimbabwe made 145 for the loss of seven wickets; with opener Chamunorwa Chibhabha top scoring with 67 runs from 51 deliveries. India were restricted to 135 for nine in their allotted 20 overs, with leg spinner Cremer picking up three wickets for 18 runs in four overs at a marvellous economy rate of 4.5 runs per over.
Cremer pointed out that it was motivating enough that they won the last T20 contest against India. The T20I series ended 1-1 after India had again whitewashed Zimbabwe in the three ODIs.
Malcolm Waller, who was brought into the side for the final ODI following an injury to Sean Williams and Craig Ervine, is Zimbabwe’s best batsman in the shortest format of the game.
Waller has a brilliant strike rate of 144 percent at international level in T20, while Matabeleland Tuskers opener Brian Chari should add some impetus into Zimbabwe’s batting line-up.
Chari, a clean striker of the ball at the top of the order, is most likely to open the batting on his debut with either Chibhabha or Hamilton Masakadza. The 24-year-old Chari was unfortunate to miss out on selection for this year’s International Cricket Council World Twenty20 in India, despite scoring three half centuries in the domestic T20 competition staged in Bulawayo.
In that tournament, Chari was the second highest run scorer with 259 runs at an average of 37, behind Masakadza, who plundered 458 runs. India are not expected to make much changes to the team that claimed the 3-0 victory in the ODIs.
With T20 being fast paced, chances are high that fans are going to finally see Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni walking on to bat. Dhoni never took to the crease in the ODI matches, with a few lucky fans getting an opportunity to watch the star batsman play some shots in the nets on Wednesday after his team had wrapped up the series.