Going into the 6th T20I of this series, the two sides, New Zealand and Zimbabwe, which are on very opposite spectrums, will battle it out during their final group stage matches. As the Black Caps have dominated this tournament and are currently at 3-0, they came off a 2nd straight win against South Africa.
With that being said and them already clinching a spot in the finale, this match will not have many implications for them outside of younger pieces getting more time. Although this series has provided new look squads for the New Zealand side compared to what they played with before, captain Mitchell Santner has continued providing his worth as an impressive leader and someone who seems on spot with his tactics.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe are at an 0-3 record and has not really found any success throughout this Tri-Series. After losing to their opponents, the Black Caps, once during this tournament’s third match, they could be in for a long evening if they don’t get things settled. A group that had so much hope prior to the tournament, and trying to make a massive comeback against the top cricketing nations, all their plans completely flamed out.
Captain Sikandar Raza now has a challenge under him of not making Zimbabwe winless in this tournament and getting their first-ever win in history against New Zealand. Someone who has been known for leading some of the most shocking defeats, getting this one could be crucial for this series not to be a failure for his nation. It will be quite interesting to see what changes each side makes and if Zimbabwe can actually pull it off to make this 7-match set a success.
New Zealand: The Depth In Their Batting Is Unmatched
One major aspect of New Zealand’s success in this tournament is how good their batting has been from top to bottom. Although there is no Finn Allen or Glenn Philips yet again, the mix of righty and lefty bowlers is something that is still untested. Led by openers Devon Conway and Tim Seifert, they have shown prowess in scoring runs early in the powerplay.
Looking to do this once again during this match, Seifert just recently struck a 66 not-out innings and put his full 360-degree batting on full display. Meanwhile, Conway has been a top-class lefty opener who has played some miraculous drives and also provided one half-century during this series. Knowing that these two will continue dominating at the front, Rachin Ravindra is starting to figure out how to stay consistent in the T20 format, plus has started sticking to his strengths.
Since most of the damage so far this series has been done by these three in the batting department, Daryl Mitchell has been a key closer who’s finished off matches in style. Showing it during the last two matches, he combined for 46 runs and really put together a great bunch of shots to finish games. Hitting a plethora of maximums plus boundaries, he will always remain a key piece while New Zealand might play Zachary Foulkes below him to replace Michael Bracewell for rest purposes.
Although Foulkes hasn’t played much for New Zealand yet, his first-class numbers are amazing, and they also could use Tim Robinson, game-changing score against South Africa during their first match, or Bevon Jacobs, 44-run knock versus Zimbabwe, to replace Mark Chapman as a break. Looking down the order, Mitchell Santner has always proven he could bat and even hit a key half-century in this short format once. To close it out, James Neesham has always remained a consistent piece at 6-down and can create solid partnerships with the bottom order.
New Zealand: Bowling Will Continue Showing Its Worth
This unit becomes a complete team when we bring up their bowling attack since they have remained a surprise factor that has changed every match for New Zealand so far. As captain Mitchell Santner remains one of the top lefty spin bowlers worldwide, he has picked up four wickets in his past three matches and always seems to confuse batters that try to go big on him. Having that surprise effect, Santner is also very economical as he just allows 7 runs per over in T20Is and has bowled at an even lower rate during this series. Knowing that he will still be their best spinner, this group’s number one during the series has been Jacob Duffy. Someone who just recently started playing regularly for New Zealand over the past year, his impact has helped him get 5 wickets in this Tri-Series, and also always kept the runs allowed under 30.
Now that either of Will O’Rourke or Matt Henry will play in this match, it will be a real question of who Mitchell Santner is going to give rest to. As O’Rourke is the more potential option to play this match, he had a stellar performance against South Africa with 1/26 figures in four overs and remains a major pace option for them.
Depending on if they give Matt Henry a go or not, Adam Milne will be in line to be the third fast bowling option once again as he has delivered 64 wickets during 55 T20I matches. Rounding it out, James Neesham will potentially get a few overs mixed in as a medium-pacer as he still does have 47 wickets in this format despite going for a pretty high economy.
Zimbabwe: All-Rounders Hope To Create Upset
For this Zimbabwe side, the real way they can cause any drama in this match is if their all-rounders play to full potential. Sikandar Raza will be their leader once again, and although his batting form has been a little out of touch lately, he has still hit 15 half-centuries during T20Is.
With some coming at clutch moments, he had one earlier on this series to give Zimbabwe a favorable score against South Africa and will always remain a bowling threat since he’s picked up 81 wickets during 108 matches. As he is this group’s main righty option at all-rounder, Ryan Burl is equal to that as someone who uses his left-hand. Slowly getting into form again after getting 36 not-out last match versus South Africa, he has had a tiny bit of trouble bowling during the Tri-Series.
Although these two are the major ones Zimbabwe has, opener Wessley Madhevere has started finding his own form as he has scored 49 runs over his last two innings. Working on his drives and also starting to show potential in launching the ball out of the park, he remains a potential bowling threat that has picked up 15 wickets in 37 innings for Zimbabwe.
Even though he hasn’t gotten a chance during the Tri-Series, it will be interesting to see if Sikandar Raza finally gives him one. Lastly, this group’s main bowling all-rounder is still Wellington Masakadza despite only having about a 9.50 average in batting. As he is primarily a left-handed spinner, he has kept economies under 7.5 for the most part in his career and only allowed 25 runs against South Africa last match.
Zimbabwe: Pace Attack Provides Threat
As this attack’s prowess depends on whether Blessing Muzarabani plays or not, they will have to ask Richard Ngarava to lead the unit once again. Someone who now holds the record with 84 T20I wickets for Zimbabwe, they will give him his full four overs and also expect him to continue bowling at a similar 7.12 economy. The other major piece they have is Trevor Gwandu, whose economy seems to be pretty solid at 7.87 for a pacer, and also has been a consistent wicket-taker with 16 in 17 matches. With Sikandar Raza there to close out the bowling attack as a pacer, they could also give Tinotenda Maposa a chance after picking up two wickets last match.
Previous Matches
Matches Played: 7
Zimbabwe Won: 0
New Zealand Won: 7
Previous 5 Matches: New Zealand won the last 5
Predictions
New Zealand Batting 1st: They will score 175-185 runs for 3 wickets lost
Zimbabwe Batting 1st: They will score 140-150 runs for 8 wickets lost
New Zealand Batting 2nd: They will win by 6 to 7 wickets
Zimbabwe Batting 2nd: They will win by 1 wicket or lose by 25 runs
Final Prediction: New Zealand win by 6 wickets if batting 2nd or win by 20-25 runs if batting 1st
Key Players
New Zealand
Mitchell Santner- Great left-handed spinner and captain who is tactically very sound
Tim Seifert- Opener that can hit 360 degrees, while being compared to Brendan McCollum
Rachin Ravindra- Part-time bowler that is an amazing batting piece with range of shots
Jacob Duffy- Turning into New Zealand’s best T20I pacer and has great wicket-taking ability
Zimbabwe
Sikandar Raza- All-rounder that has big performances in major moments
Richard Ngarava- Great pacer that leads Zimbabwe in T20I wickets and can hit the same line
Ryan Burl- Middle-order batter who can also be a great wicket taker
Trevor Gwandu- Part of the trio pace attack that has proved to be lethal
Also Read: ZIM vs SA : Wiaan Mulder Reflects On His Unbeaten 367 After Conversation With Brian Lara