[Match Thread] 3rd ODI: Zimbabwe Afghanistan

[sloandog]

So the series has come alive.

Zimbabwe has finally found its mojo and remembered how to bat, and bat well! Plus we seem to have added a blob of pace to the attack in young Blessing and Brian Vitori. Really did come across as feeble from the Afghans when they came face to face with a challenge.

Hoping for another Zimbabwe crunch victory

[jaybro]

So the series has come alive.

Zimbabwe has finally found its mojo and remembered how to bat, and bat well! Plus we seem to have added a blob of pace to the attack in young Blessing and Brian Vitori. Really did come across as feeble from the Afghans when they came face to face with a challenge.

Hoping for another Zimbabwe crunch victory

Need to win the toss that's for sure.

I wonder if Afghanistan will wait so long to bowl Rashid if we bat first again ?? They seem to like to hold him back for the latter overs when the batsman are going for it but it worked against them in the last game. BT and Hami were set by the time he came on and they'd already taken Dawlat & Naib to the cleaners so they could afford to 'see Rashid off'.

If I were Asghar I would bring Rashid on as soon as BT came to the wicket to try and get him early and if Zimbabwe block him out again it will effect the run rate and put more pressure on the batsman to be aggressive aginst the other guys. Anyways just something I noticed.

As for Zimbabwe I think the only change maybe KJ back for Blessing although they might not want to change a winning lineup.

I think Tari might come into consideration for game 4 for one of the guys who are struggling for runs

Mire - 10 innings since passing 50

Ervine - 6 innings since passing 50

Burl - 11 innings never passed 50

Waller - 11 innings since he passed 50

To be fair Burl & Waller have a few not outs but that's too many innings between drinks for the batsman

[Nanctus]

Hopefully BT stays at 3, but if they do go early with Rashid I wouldn't mind seeing Burl given a promotion. During the Big Bash, Rashid was no where near as effective against lefties and if they can just milk him a little it won't be too much of a waste and would protect Taylor/Ervine/Raza, the meat of the batting order.

[Andybligzz]

I really want musakanda in the side for his strike rotation and fielding , id probably drop Burl only because Waller can play the finishing role. Either way I’m not a massive fan of Waller but I think Burl hasn’t figured out himself as a player yet and what his strengths are. Burl out musakanda in would be the only change I would have , hopefully we win the toss and set a decent total. Ervine and mire are also due a score asap and hoping blessings growth continues. Should be a great series as both teams are very up and down and full of very decent players .

[CrimsonAvenger]

Yeah, Musakanda for Burl is a no-brainer, but seeing how stubborn they have been when in comes to chopping and changing (e.g., non-inclusion of Chisoro), I doubt they would change the winning combination...

[Jemisi]

Tari for Burl maybe but not for Mire or Ervine.

Who knows with Waller?

[jaybro]

Tari for Burl maybe but not for Mire or Ervine.

Who knows with Waller?

For me Waller is perfect when we play the 8-3 lineup because we can float him up or down the order so he comes in the right situation, on a good pitch towards the end of an innings Waller is just about the most destructive player we have. Also in the 8-3 lineup his bowling adds value at the moment because we have 4 front line bowlers Waller hasn't been used to bowl. Hopefully he hits a purple patch of form for the qualifiers like he did a few years back in Bangladesh

[jaybro]

cricbuzz preview

Preview

After posting scores of 120 and 141 in the two T20Is followed by a disappointing 179 in the first ODI, not many expected Zimbabwe to pull themselves up and come up with a cracking all-round performance to level the series. Afghanistan were indeed handed a surprise, not just by the result, but the margin of it.

Not only did Zimbabwe find a way to handle their spinners after getting bulldozed by them on this tour, they were also able to silence a batting lineup that posted 333 in the first ODI, a score the African side managed to replicate in the previous encounter to ironically win by an identical margin.

To prosper in the series, Zimbabwe had to find a quick fix to nullify the threat of Afghanistan spinners. Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi were played out and gave away just 36 and 33 runs respectively. What Brendan Taylor and Sikandar Raza did exceptionally well was attack the pacers and the inexperienced Mujeeb Zadran.

Zimbabwe will again bank on their experienced players and hope the likes of Solomon Mire, Malcolm Waller and Ryan Burl can come up with handy contributions.

Zimbabwe's win has not only pushed Afghanistan on the backfoot but would have also made them realise that they can't bank on just one or two players - and especially their spinners. Afghanistan will hope the below-par performance with the bat was just a stutter and not an issue that's going to plague them, especially with the all-important ICC World Cup Qualifiers fast approaching.

For now though, the teams will have the series lead in mind and everything else is set to take a back seat.

When: Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe, 3rd ODI, February 13, 2:30 PM local time, 4 PM IST

Where: Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium, Sharjah

What to expect: After two high scoring contests, the bowlers can expect another tough day with a placid track and short boundary in front of them.

Team news:

Afghanistan: Gulbadin Naib had a poor day in the office in the second ODI - giving away 85 runs from his eight overs and then was dismissed for a first-ball duck. However, his value as an allrounder is immense and it's highly unlikely there will be a change in the playing XI that took the field in the second ODI.

Zimbabwe: Buoyed by their win, Zimbabwe should look to continue with the combination that dented Afghanistan.

What they said:

"There has been a lot of questions regarding our batting. As Graeme said, we are a good batting side" - Brendan Taylor.

[CrimsonAvenger]

While Cremer's on-field marshalling abilities are improving every match (I think it has also got to do with his own excellent form, which lets him freely think about the game when he is on the field), one major gripe I have is that he has basically killed the all-rounder angles of Mire, Hamilton and Waller by refusing to use them even in the direst of situations.

[Jemisi]

We are really missing Williams in this regard.