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After some nail-biting games in the qualifiers, Zimbabwe is now set to take on the biggies in the group stage of the ICC Men’s T20 WC. South Africa will be hosting them for the 18th match of the World Cup at Bellerive Oval, Hobart. The game is scheduled to start at 1:30 pm on 24th October. 

South Africa played a warm-up game against New Zealand just after losing both ODI and T20I series against India. It was an altogether different side of the SA’s bowling attack, which bowled out New Zealand for just 98 runs. Skipper Keshav Maharaj took 3 wickets to top the bowling chart. SA chased the target in 11.2 overs for the loss of 1 wicket. Rilee Rossouw scored a half-century.

Zimbabwe topped the group B of the qualifiers by beating Ireland and Scotland. They won against Ireland by 31 runs, followed by a loss against West Indies by the same margin. In the final game against Scotland, by 5 wickets and 9 balls in hand. A 64 run stand between skipper Craig Irvine and Sikandar Raza ensured Zimbabwe a place in the super 12s. 

South Africa missed the semi-final berth based on the NRR in the last World Cup. On the other hand, Zimbabwe didn’t qualify for the last T20 World Cup.

TEAMS PREVIEW

South Africa Preview

South Africa won’t take Zimbabwe lightly as the Goliath has given some shocking results in the recent past. It will be Bavuma and Quinton de Kock to open the innings. Both are struggling with the bat this year. While de Kock has 205 runs in 11 games at a strike rate of 126.54, Bavuma has 64 runs in 7 games at a strike rate of 82.05. SA should think of changing the batting order and sending Rossouw or Hendricks to open over Bavuma. Rossouw is undoubtedly SA’s most in-form player this year. The left-hander has 231 runs in 6 games at an average of 57.75 and a strike rate of 180.46. This includes a century in the final game against India and two half-centuries on the English tour. Rossouw scored 54 runs in the practice game too. He is our choice for the top batter of the match.

Reeza Hendricks should be part of the team as he comes with a package of 323 runs at a strike rate of 140 and 4 half-centuries this year. SA played Tristan Stubbs at number 4 in India, but his experience is what exposed his failure. Henrich Klassen should be preferred over him. David Miller, at number 5, has been proven a match throughout the year and in the past. Miller not only adds stability but accelerates the score in the final overs. Miller’s strike rate this year is 186.18 after 10 innings (283 runs at an average of 56.60). 

SA’s struggles are mainly in the bowling department. Both Rabada and Nortje haven’t been giving the wickets to SA this year. All the heavy lifting is done by Wayne Parnell and Lungi Ngidi this year. Parnell has 11 wickets in 8 matches this year. Maharaj and Shamsi will be the spin options. But SA might play one of them, ideally Maharaj.  While both conceded more than 10 runs in every 8 games against India this year, it was Maharaj who added extra value with his batting skills.

Key Players: Rilee Rossouw, Quinton de Kock, Wayne Parnell

South Africa Predicted Playing XI:

Temba Bavuma (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Rilee Rossouw, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Dwaine Pretorius, Wayne Parnell, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje

Zimbabwe Preview

What a year Zimbabwe is having. Winning the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup qualifier, beating Bangladesh, and now topping the first round of the World Cup has been a fairytale. And credit to Sikandar Raza and skipper Craig Irvine who brought the best from the team. Irvine will open the innings with either Madhevere or Chakabva. He scored 58 in the final game against Scotland to win the game. Though his strike rate of 107.19 is way below the standards, he gives strength to the top order by keeping his wicket. 

Sikandar Raza!!! The player of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup qualifier, player of the series against Bangladesh, player of the matches against Ireland and Scotland, and the leading run-scorer of all these tournaments is our choice for the top batter. Raza has 652 runs this year at an average of 40.75 and a strike rate of 155.98. The all-rounder also has 20 wickets this year at an economy of 5.88. His form will undoubtedly be Zimbabwe’s key to progress in this World Cup.

Blessing Muzarbani will lead the pace attack with Richard Ngrava and Tendai Chatara. Muzarbani took 6 wickets in the 3 games of the first round, including 3 for 23 against Ireland. Sean Williams will handle the spin department with help from Rza and Ryan Burl.

Key Players: Sikandar Raza, Luke Jongwe, Blessing Muzarbani.

Zimbabwe Predicted Playing XI:

Craig Ervine (c), Regis Chakabva (wk), Wesley Madhevere, Sean Williams, Sikandar Raza, Milton Shumba, Ryan Burl, Luke Jongwe, Richard Ngarava, Tendai Chatara, Blessing Muzarabani

Weather Conditions

The weather will be partly cloudy with light rain from the afternoon.  The temperature will range between 11 and 13°C. The wind will be flowing from the west at 15-25 km/h. The pitch is batters paradise with high-scoring expectations. The highest total recorded at the ground is 213 by Australia.

Venue Details

The 18th T20I of the ICC T20 WC between South Africa and Zimbabwe will be played at Bellerive Oval, Hobart. The game is scheduled to start at 1:30 pm on 24th October. The venue holds a capacity of 50000 spectators and has hosted 14 Tests, 36 ODI & 9 T20Is so far.

Toss: To Bowl

In the 9 T20Is, the results have favored both teams defending and chasing the target. The team batting first has won the game 5 times. But the team chasing the target won the last 3 out of 4 games. Ireland has chased 176 runs in 19 overs against Scotland at Bellerive Oval. The team winning the toss should bowl first.

SA vs ZIM

Winning Prediction

South Africa lost their semi-final spot on NRR in the last edition. They will be very furious in this edition. They have won 7 out of 12 games played this year. The 4 games they lost were against India. SA has defended a series and won the remaining 2 this year. Zimbabwe is living the dream, but they haven’t won a single T20I game against South Africa. With Rilee Rossouw screaming fire at the top, Killer Miller in the middle, and Wayne Parnell throwing unplayable deliveries, SA has an upper edge over Zimbabwe.

We predict that South Africa will defeat Zimbabwe.