adminRicky Zililo Senior Sports Reporter
A 15-MEMBER national cricket team went into camp on Monday to prepare for the fifth edition of the ICC Twenty20 World Cup with assistant coach Stephen Mangongo saying the spirit in camp is high.
The World Cup will be held in Bangladesh from March 16 to April 6.
As one of the bottom-placed teams in the World T20 rankings, Zimbabwe will battle it out with Ireland, the Netherlands and United Arab Emirates in a bid to progress to the Super 10 stage.
Zimbabwe is scheduled to play two warm-up games against Hong Kong and Afghanistan on March 12 and 14, before their first match of the tournament against Ireland on March 17.
A salary stand off between ZC and players led to the country to delay submitting their squad and disruption in preparing for the competition.
Because of the cricketers’ strike, national team selectors had to use a three-day Twenty20 mini-competition to come up with the final squad.
“Players are motivated, everyone has put the recent problems behind and have set their sights at competing in the World Cup.
“The good thing is that our players have been together for some time and it is through this experience that they have which I believe will be handy in the squad doing well in Bangladesh.
“We are not going there to just make numbers but to compete and our aim is to win all the matches we are going to play,” said Mangongo.
According to a programme released by ZC, the team will have two training sessions a day which will see bowlers working out at the nets everyday at 9AM with the batsmen joining them 30 minutes later for a 45-minute long catching practice.
They will have an afternoon session starting at 2.30PM.
Players will have a rest day on Sunday before re-grouping on Monday ahead of their departure on Wednesday.
Among those that will travel to Bangladesh is recalled leg spinner Tafadzwa Kamungozi who made his ODI debut at the age of 19 against South Africa and played four international matches in October 2006.
Chamu Chibhabha and Tinotenda Mutumbodzi, who were part of the T20 squad for the series against Pakistan last year, have been named as non-travelling reserves.
The Zimbabwe squad will be led by Brendan Taylor.
Zimbabwe squad: Sikandar Raza, Tendai Chatara, Elton Chigumbura, Tafadzwa Kamungozi, Timycen Maruma, Hamilton Masakadza, Shingi Masakadza, Natsai M’shangwe, Tinashe Panyangara, Vusi Sibanda, Brendan Taylor (capt), Prosper Utseya, Brian Vitori, Malcolm Waller, Sean Williams
Non-travelling reserves: Chamu Chibhabha, Tinotenda Mawoyo, Tawanda Mupariwa, Forster Mutizwa, Tinotenda Mutombodzi.
Online Reporter