West Indies vs Zimbabwe: The Men in Maroon Need to Win This Game

• West Indies are coming off a loss in their opening game. 
• West Indies lead the scoreline against Zimbabwe by 2-1.
• West Indies will bank on their batting firepower.

West Indies vs Zimbabwe Odds

Odds for West Indies vs Zimbabwe taken from bet365

West Indies vs Zimbabwe Prediction and Pick

West Indies and Zimbabwe have competed against each other on just three occasions in the shorter format. West Indies lead the scoreline by 2-1 but it matters little as they haven't met in the last nine years. Despite their loss in the opening game, West Indies have a better side on paper and are favourites in this contest.

West Indies to win this fixture on Wednesday (+200)

Predicted XI

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

West Indies: Kyle Mayers, Evin Lewis, Brandon King, Shamarh Brooks, Nicholas Pooran (c & wk), Rovman Powell, Jason Holder, Odean Smith, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Obed McCoy

West Indies in ‘Do or Die’ Situation While Zimbabwe Look To Secure Their Super 12S Spot.

Zimbabwe and the West Indies will lock horns in match no. 8 of the 2022 T20 World Cup. This Group B fixture in the first round will take place at Hobart's Bellerive Oval on Wednesday, October 19th.

Having lost their opening game by a heavy margin, West Indies are backed against the wall. The men in maroon need to win this game to stay alive and they'll need to win by a huge difference to salvage their net run-rate.

West Indies let the match slip away from their fingers against Scotland, conceding 160/5 despite Jason Holder and Alzarri Joseph sharing 4 for 42 in seven overs. Chasing the target, they were 53/1 in 5.4 overs before they suffered a collapse and were bowled out for 118.

Zimbabwe, on the other hand, registered a comprehensive 31-run victory over Ireland. A victory here could seal their spot in Super 12s. Sikandar Raza was the hero for them, smashing 82 off 48 to power the team to 174/7. Their seamers then did a fantastic job to restrict the opponents to just 143/9. Blessing Muzarabani snared 3 for 23 in his four overs whereas Richard Ngarava and Tendai Chatara had identical figures of 2 for 22.

Team News

West Indies are unlikely to tinker with their combination despite their loss. They have a top order of Kyle Mayers, Evin Lewis and Brandon King - all of which had good starts in the previous game but could not convert. West Indies would hope one of them goes on to play a longer innings. They will also need their middle order of Shamarh Brooks, Nicholas Pooran and Rovman Powell to do a better job. West Indies do have several all-round options in Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein and Odean Smith. Alzarri Joseph and Obed McCoy will have a big responsibility.

Zimbabwe have a settled side and with momentum on their side, they're likely to stick to the same playing XI. Their batting unit is highly dependent on Sikandar Raza, who has been doing ridiculous things with the bat this year. The likes of Regis Chakabva, Craig Ervine, Wessley Madhevere and Sean Williams need to contribute more. Their seamers Blessing Muzarabani, Tendai Chatara and Richard Ngarava would hope to continue their good form. Luke Jongwe was taken apart and the side will expect a better outing from him. Raza will have to play a big role with his right arm off-break, with opponents having three left handers in the top five.

Key Players

Alzarri Joseph: The tall fast bowler only made his T20I debut a couple of months back but has arguably become their attack leader. He has been superb in the T20 format in recent times, topping the CPL bowling chart with 18 wickets at 6.75 rpo. Alzarri has been terrific since landing in Australia, picking seven wickets in three T20Is while conceding at just 5.50 rpo.

Sikandar Raza: The 36yr old veteran of Zimbabwe cricket has done some unthinkable things in both white-ball formats this year. Raza has been magnificent with the bat in T20Is this year, with 598 runs in 16 innings at a strike rate of 154 while averaging 43. He has smashed five fifties in this period, including 48-ball 82 versus Ireland in the previous game. With the ball, he has claimed 16 wickets at just 6.03 rpo.

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