Bring On The World

and they are looking forward to causing some big upsets during the ICC 2011 Cricket World Cup which gets underway today.
“We play every game to win. The young guys have a great opportunity to showcase their talent to raise the level of the game. It is a dream come true for some of the guys to play the World Cup,” the former Zimbabwe skipper said.
Streak, now the bowling coach, said that his team had the ability and talent, which just needs to be converted into consistent performances.
Zimbabwe play their first match against defending champions Australia at the Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera, in Ahmedabad on Monday.
“Our boys will be going after their opponents and are looking forward at causing some upsets. At least they will show them (opponents) that they are here and not some pushovers. We are competitive and here to win. We do not want to disappoint our country,” Streak said.
He further added that the team has had good practice at the ICC Dubai Academy for a whole week where they also played two warm-up games.
Streak also said that though they had some hiccups in the run up to the World Cup, the boys are now geared up and ready to go.
“Being a seamer, my seam bowling is my forte and I believe that it is going to play an important role. But spin has been our strength, and we do not go away from our strength,” he said.
“We have had some good games in the recent past and our opening batsman, Brendan Taylor, has been in good form.
“You cannot buy experience and that I think is lacking. But at the same time I think experience will come with time for them.”
The entire cricketing community will take a keen interest in Zimbabwe’s eighth appearance in the ICC World Cup as they are a team in the midst of a much lauded rebuilding process.
Many of their former greats like Streak, Grant Flower and Alastair Campbell have been involved with the team in this endeavour and they will be keen to see their hard work translate to success. Their journey in this tournament will
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Bring On The World

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also affect greatly, their confidence levels in their long awaited return to Test cricket scheduled for May 2011.
This team, led by all rounder Elton Chigumbura, has six batsmen, (two of who are part time spinners) three seamers, three specialist spinners and a good few of them are in the best of form.
They have had a recent series victory against Ireland and a lone win in their series defeat away to Bangladesh; the positive here being that they are one of the few teams to have played in the sub continent conditions ahead of the World Cup.
Their victories against title contenders Sri Lanka and India in mid 2010 will also be fairly fresh in their memories.
While Sean Ervine’s decision to withdraw his plans of a comeback into the international team have left many disappointed, they will be happy to have Ray Price and former captain Tatenda Taibu’s experience.
Zimbabwe may still be minnows, but having been around the block for so long, they do have the capability to turn even the slightest hiccup on the part of a test playing team into an upset victory.
Batting
Zimbabwe have three batsmen who are in peak form and one can assume that the entire batting unit will only get better with a player like Grant Flower as their batting coach and Brian Lara as a batting consultant.
One of the opening slots will definitely be filled by Brendan Taylor, who can play in most positions but undoubtedly looks his best when he is taking on the new ball.
He is fourth on the list of Zimbabwe’s all time highest run scorers and now that his training and fitness (which were once a problem) are beyond question, he will look to better his World Cup record which has not been in keeping with his batting ability.
His opening partner will, most likely, be Charles Coventry who received a call back into the One Day squad after both of Taylor’s earlier opening partners Hamilton Masakadza and Chamu Chibhabha were left out of the squad.
Coventry, who had scored what was then a world record score of 194 in a one-dayer, is well capable of tearing any opponent to shreds.
Young talent, Chakabva has performed well in the one-down slot and will probably be followed by the veteran keeper-batsman Tatenda Taibu.
Zimbabwe boast a strong middle order with Craig Ervine, Sean Williams and Elton Chigumbura. While the first two are in very good form, Chigumbura, after a string of disappointments, could, at any moment, return to his former destructive self.
Ervine, who comes from a family of four other cricketers, has scored three 40-plus scores in four innings in Bangladesh and will bring a certain calm to the Zimbabwean middle order that has been prone to collapse.
Bowling
Seamer Chris Mpofu and spinner Graeme Cremer will be two bowlers to watch out for in the Zimbabwean bowling attack that is being coached by one of their best ever, former captain Heath Streak.
Chris Mpofu, who took apart Netherlands in a warm up game in Dubai, will be opening the bowling for Zimbabwe with either Tinashe Panyangara, called after the withdrawal of Ed Rainsford, or Shingi Masakadza.
Mpofu’s bowling at the death will help his team a lot, while Chigumbura is an effective first change medium pacer, who has looked much more comfortable with the ball than the bat lately.
Their spin attack will be led by the highly experienced Ray Price who has an amazing control over flight and line. This slow left armer is known for his fiery temperament and refusal to back down when the heat is turned on.
Youngster Cremer and Prosper Utseya are specialists in two very important aspects of a spin attack.
While Cremer is the wicket taker with a dangerous straighter one, Utseya is the incisive spinner who can choke the opposition by drying up the runs in the middle overs. He can also bat quite ably down the order and his three half centuries in ODIs speak for themselves.
The all-rounder Greg Lamb is also a valued member of this outfit and though relatively inexperienced, his straightforward approach to off spin helps tie down one end while someone like Cremer can take wickets at the other.
He is also capabe of wielding the bat and has staved off a batting collapse on more than one occasion.
Masakadza also has the ability to pick up crucial wickets in important phases of the innings but the fact that he leaks way too many runs might prevent his selection in the first choice XI.
Squad List: Chigumbura (c), Price, Ervine, Taibu, Taylor, Williams, Coventry, Chakabva, Lamb, Rainsford, Mpofu, Masakadza, Utseya, Mawoyo and Cremer
Support Staff: Alan Butcher (Coach), Grant Flower (Batting Coach), Heath Streak (Bowling Coach), Brian Lara (Batting Consultant)
Playing XI: Taylor, Coventry, Chakabva, Ervine, Williams, Chigumbura, Taibu, Price, Cremer, Rainsford and Mpofu
Players to Watch
Brendon Taylor: Taylor has been very impressive with his consistency at the top of the order which has taken much pressure off their shaky middle order. His ability to not just smash the ball but also build an innings will be very valuable in this World Cup.
Elton Chigumbura: Although not in the best nick these days, he is a player that many teams will fear because of his ability to dominate. Much like Yusuf Pathan and Kieron Pollard, he has the ability to make hitting sixes look like fun and can therefore, on his day, win a match from any stage. His right arm medium fast bowling is effective too.
Dark Horse
Graeme Cremer: At just 24, he has already taken a hundred wickets in List A matches, boasts a best bowling performance of 6/41 in one day internationals and he looks much better than many spinners that the top teams in this tournament have.
Recent Form
Won Series against Ireland 2-1 in Sep 2010
Lost a Series against South Africa 3-0 in Oct 2010
Lost a Series against Bangladesh 1-3 in Dec 2010
Schedule
Zimbabwe will not to be playing any of their group matches in Bangladesh where they just finished a tournament. Their first match itself is against the number one team in ODIs and defending champions Australia. This match might help them steel their nerves for the next few encounters that come after a relatively easy outing against Canada. They play an out of form New Zealand (who have been beaten by Bangladesh, whom Zimbabwe defeated!) at Ahmedabad. The outcome of that game could well determine which side goes through to the last eight. Their next two matches are in Sri Lanka; one against the Lankans, who might be undefeatable at home, and one against Pakistan. They will look to secure a victory against Kenya in the last match at Kolkata.
Fixtures
Feb 21, Monday v Australia at Ahmedabad, 14:30 local
Feb 28, Monday v Canada at Nagpur, 09:30 local
Mar 4, Friday v New Zealand at Ahmedabad, 09:30 local
Mar 10, Thursday v Sri Lanka at Pallekele, 14:30 local
Mar 14, Monday v Pakistan at Pallekele, 09:30 local
Mar 20, Sunday v Kenya at Kolkata, 09:30 local
Prediction
Zimbabwe have the raw material to qualify from Group A and make the quarter-finals, but will need to find some way to pick up three wins to do so. They should be able to win comfortably against both Canada and Kenya but they will definitely have to beat one big team. This will have to be either a lacklustre New Zealand side or a highly unpredictable Pakistan. – Rediff.com/wordcupcricket