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Brandon Moyo, [email protected]

ZIMBABWE Select team will be looking forward to winning the fifth of the six match one-day series against Pakistan ‘A’ when the two teams face off at Harare Sports Club today.

The hosts lead the series 3-1. A victory today will see them take an unassailable 4-1 lead in the series, something which will be a confidence booster going forward.

Craig Ervine and Joylord Gumbie

Longing for a good foundation at the top with the bat, the Zimbabwean top order, in the last two games have come in good as the team has managed to bat out their full innings (batting first in the third game) and will be looking at continuing with their new found form and seal the series with a game to spare.

In the second match, there was a half century second wicket stand between Tadiwanashe Marumani and Wessly Madhevere who notched up a 56-run partnership while on Tuesday, Craig Ervine and Joylord Gumbie put up a partnership for the ages at the top, making 277 runs which saw Zimbabwe Select convincingly record a seven wickets victory.

Despite a couple of good matches with the bat, there is still a problem that needs to be addressed by the hosts, where their opening batter loses his first wicket inside five overs. A solid first wicket partnership will also be key to a good score as the batters are looking to have found their feet again. There will be pressure on Marumani to finally put a good score on the board.

The senior players, like Ervine who top scored with 166 runs on Tuesday and Sean Williams, who missed the game as he was healing from an injury scare will play a huge role in leading the way for the youngsters in the team.

Crucial to claiming the series today will also be the bowlers who have had a good campaign so far. Zimbabwean bowlers have been playing a crucial role in the team’s performance, stepping up when needed the most. The captain Wellington Masakadza, Tendai Chatara, Blessing Muzarabani and Bradley Evans have had a good campaign with ball in hand and will once again be key in today’s game.

A win in today’s game will be a good confidence booster for the team ahead of the crunch World Cup Qualifiers which start next month in Harare and Bulawayo. Zimbabwe was put in Group A of the Qualifiers alongside West Indies, Netherlands, Nepal and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The tournament starts on 18 June and Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) organised the ongoing series as part of the team’s preparations for the global showpiece.
Today’s match starts 9.15am.
– @brandon_malvin