On-song Zimbabwe no pushovers in T20
The last-over win over Sri Lanka was just the kind of start we were looking for. The result was a tribute to the excellent preparation the team had undergone prior to the event. The results in the two warm-up games against the West Indies XI and Ireland XI
showed we had a good rhythm going and there is no reason why we cannot look to continue our fine run.
Having said that, we are not ready to take Zimbabwe lightly. For that matter no team can do that in this format. All a team require in T20 is a quickfire 40-ball 70 or one good over that brings in three wickets.
It does not demand sustained brilliance as much a Test match or to a lesser extent a one-dayer.
Zimbabwe are also coming into the game with confidence. To beat the Australians and Pakistan XI in back-to-back practice matches is no mean achievement. They have players who are tailormade for this version. Sometimes it can be difficult to stop a side who attach no fear to their cricket.
The wickets in the West Indies have so far played slow and low, and I don’t expect them to change much. They could only get more difficult for the batsmen. This makes the win against Sri Lanka even more special as the conditions favoured them more and they are also one of the in-form sides in the tournament.
Zimbabwe have a few good spinners and also a couple of useful hitters who can change the course of the match within a few overs. I am sure it will be an exciting game. The three-day gap between the two matches has helped us regroup. There were a few areas in our game that required a tune-up and I am happy the break has helped us achieve that.
One win does not mean much and there will be areas that need to be constantly touched up. The second half of the tournament will throw us more challenges and it is a question of working constantly to ensure the momentum is maintained.
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