West Indies, Zimbabwe battle for spot in tri-series final

Zimbabwe enter the last league game of the tri-series tournament against West Indies on Friday (November 25) in Bulawayo knowing that one good day in the office will translate into a spot in the final on Sunday against Sri Lanka. The fact that they tied the game against West Indies last time will give them a lot of confidence going into the do-or-die encounter against the Caribbean side.

Despite not having registered a single win so far in the tri-series, Zimbabwe are still in the reckoning because of the tie against West Indies as well as the washed out game against Sri Lanka, which has given them four points. The Graeme Cremer-led side will be aiming to use this to their advantage and will hope to come up with a special performance to facilitate their entry into the final.

The played well in the tied game, where they dominated with the bat for the most parts before losing their last eight wickets for 67 runs. Even in the bowling department, Zimbabwe never lost their self belief when Kraigg Brathwaite and Shai Hope were involved in a 162-run stand for the third wicket. Sean Williams and Co. did not give much away in the death overs, while Donald Tiripano defended four runs off the final over. The positive thing from that game was, each time they were under pressure, someone put up their hand and performed, and they will be hoping that it repeats on Friday.

For a team that is without some of their key players, West Indies have given a good account of themselves and the series will serve as a learning experience for the young side. Their major problem in this tri-series is that they haven’t been able to finish games despite being in commanding positions. They should have got through against Zimbabawe when they needed four off the final over. Even in their previous game against Sri Lanka, Ewin Lewis’s 148 went in vain because the lower-order couldn’t bat sensibly and the result was a narrow one-run loss for the Caribbean side.

West Indies, however, have had plenty of positives from this series. The young lot have stood up and given a good account of themselves. The likes of Lewis, Brathwaite, Hope, Jonathan Carter and Rovman Powell have had good outings in the tournament. Brathwaite was pushed to number three in the tied game to take more responsibility and he straight away answered the call, while the rest have showed glimpses of their potential.

The resurgence of Shannon Gabriel has done West Indies a world of good. The fast bowler has led the bowling attack and his aggression has rubbed off on Jason Holder as well. They are among the top three wicket-takers in the tournament, while Carlos Brathwaite and Ashley Nurse have performed their roles to perfection in the middle overs. West Indies will look to build on the positives and come up with a collective effort to get past a spirited Zimbabwe team.