Online Reporter
Eddie Chikamhi
Zimpapers Sports Hub
THE Chevrons boarded their flight to Sri Lanka yesterday with one message ringing in the dressing room – Super Eight or nothing.
Zimbabwe head coach, Justin Sammons, has set his sights on the tournament’s second round as the national team begins the second phase of their build up to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which runs from February 8 to March 9 in Sri Lanka and India.
After days of sweat and structure at a Harare camp, Sammons believes the foundation has been laid, but he wants his players sharper in the moments that decide games, not just busy in the nets.
“Obviously our main focus is to qualify for the Super Eight, and it comes down to us learning the key moments in games and doing well,” said Sammons.
“So, our goal is to get through from the group stage to the Super Eight phase of the competition.”
Zimbabwe return to the global T20 stage with a point to prove after missing the last ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies, and this time there’s no hiding place in Group B.
They have been drawn alongside Australia, Ireland, Oman and hosts Sri Lanka, with only the top two teams progressing, a format that punishes slow starts and sloppy finishes. Zimbabwe Cricket have tried to tilt the margins in their favour by getting the squad into Sri Lanka early, giving them time to settle, feel the pitches, and adjust to the heat and pace of the surfaces before the pressure games begin.
The team is expected to base in the port city of Hambantota this week before relocating to Colombo for the start of their group matches, a move designed to get them acclimatised and settled long before the tournament noise takes over.
The 15-man squad has been drilling in Harare under Sammons and assistant coach Dion Ebrahim, and the camp got an extra edge with former West Indies pace legend Courtney Walsh brought in as a bowling consultant. “The players have been excellent. They have really put in hard work in all aspects,” Sammons said.
“Conditioning has been really good and then obviously they are super keen.”
Sammons also credited Zimbabwe Cricket for backing the plan, saying the early departure and access to facilities in Harare had made a difference to the intensity and purpose of the camp.
“It’s been really pleasing. The board have made a plan to get us to Sri Lanka early and they also got us those facilities in Harare,” he said.
“They have supported us nicely and it’s really good we are going to Sri Lanka early and get accustomed and acclimatise to the conditions because obviously they are quite different.” The camp followed a busy domestic stretch, with most of the squad coming straight out of Zimbabwe’s local T20 competition, a run of matches that helped shake off the festive break and bring players back into rhythm.
Captain Sikandar Raza has stayed match sharp through the SA20 in South Africa, while Ryan Burl has been keeping his touch in the Bangladesh Premier League, giving Zimbabwe two key men arriving with serious game time already in their legs.
“Raza is playing in the SA20 doing exceptionally well and Ryan Burl is at the Bangladesh Premier League, also getting some good intense game time in there,” said Sammons. “So, it’s good for those two.”
Mathew Masinge