IT’S SWIM OR SINK!

Blessing Malinganiza

Zimpapers Sports Hub

LADY Chevrons head coach Walter Chawaguta has called today’s ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier match against Scotland a do-or-die battle.

His team are staring at an early exit after back-to-back losses to Netherlands and Thailand.

Zimbabwe arrived chasing a Super 6 place but two defeats have ripped away any comfort and left them needing points immediately, starting against Scotland.

“This is a crucial game for both teams. They need points after losing to Netherlands, and we are focused on getting a win,” said Chawaguta.

The Zimbabwe coach said his technical team has gone deep into Scotland’s patterns and believes there is a clear opening to attack, especially through spin, which has become the Lady Chevrons’ biggest weapon in these qualifiers.

“We have studied their game, and like Netherlands, they struggle with spin,” he said.

Chawaguta wants his bowlers to squeeze Scotland early with a spin heavy plan, but he also warned that Zimbabwe’s batting has been the real problem so far, not the ball.

“We will look to exploit that weakness with a predominantly spin attack, but we also need to be more aggressive in our batting, especially in the power play.

“We have been too passive,” he said.

Zimbabwe’s approach in the first two matches, according to Chawaguta, has been caution, when the moment demanded intent, with the Lady Chevrons failing to cash in even after getting into promising positions.

“Strike rotation is key, we need to keep the scoreboard moving, regardless of wickets. And we have got to finish strong at the end of the innings,” he said. Against Netherlands and Thailand, Zimbabwe’s bowlers kept them in the contest, but the batting couldn’t land the finishing blow, leaving the dressing room with frustration and a hard reality check before today’s match.

“It’s been disappointing, but we have bowled well in both games, against Netherlands and Thailand.

“We had strong positions, but unfortunately failed to cross the line,” said Chawaguta.

He pointed to run outs and a sudden drop in momentum as the moments that hurt Zimbabwe most, turning decent starts into innings that never properly recovered.

“We had a good power play start, but lost wickets to runouts and consolidation became a bit too cautious.

“Kelly got us going, but we missed key batsmen at crucial moments. While other batters tried to push us over, but it wasn’t our day,” he said.

With only two matches left in their group campaign, Chawaguta admitted the Lady Chevrons no longer control their destiny completely, but insisted Zimbabwe can’t afford to think beyond Scotland.

“We have got two games left, and they are must wins for us to stay in contention. It now depends on other results too, but we’re focused on our next two,” he said.

He said the last 48 hours have been tense and honest inside the camp, with the batting group challenged to change its mindset immediately, not later in the tournament when it’s too late.

“We have had some very good conversations in the last couple of days concerning our batting. And we have had some very honest conversations about what needs to be done,” he said.