admin
Robson Sharuko Senior Sports Editor
ZIMBABWE’S Chevrons, buoyed by a 26-game winning streak spread over 36 years — in which they have never lost an ICC Cricket World Qualifier — put that impressive record on the line against the defending champions in a battle royal today whose two points carry their weight in gold.
The unbeaten Chevrons take on Scotland at Queens Sports Club for the right to top Group B and, more importantly, secure the two points on offer which could come handy in the two nations’ quest for a place at the ICC Cricket World Cup in England.
The winner of today’s blockbuster match will carry four points into the Super Six and the comfort that three more wins in that phase of the tournament could take them to the Promised Land of the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup and the huge financial incentives that come with such a success story.
Both the hosts and the Scots have already qualified for the Super Six, after winning their three matches, leaving the others, including Afghanistan who arrived here as favourites but found the going tough, to fight for the crumbs of the final slot.
The Scots are the defending champions after having won the tournament in February 2014 with a 41-run victory over the United Arab Emirates in the final in Lincoln, New Zealand. The Chevrons are unbeaten in this tournament since the then captain Duncan Fletcher led his country to its first appearance at this level of cricket in England in 1982 and, since then, they have won 26 of their 28 matches with the other two being disturbed by rain.
After a poor pre-tournament tour of the UAE where they slumped to a 1-4 hammering at the hands of Afghanistan, at times looking so average they were a mockery to their reputation as a Test-playing nation, the Chevrons have found a way to bounce back in the comfort of home.
They have appeared a different team altogether with a number of their key players, who were missing in that tour of the UAE, firing for their country while the fans have embraced them and turned Queens Sports Club into a special cathedral in which their songs and support have pushed their men to success.
Brendan Taylor has been outstanding with the bat, proving once again that he is a big-game player, having scored two centuries for his country in his final two World Cup innings in New Zealand and Australia in 2015 before calling time on his international career.
Having changed his decision to come back home and try and help his country qualify for another World Cup, Taylor finds himself as the leading run scorer so far in this ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier and his contribution with the bat will be crucial for the Chevrons cause today.
He went for 46 on Saturday, just four runs short of making it past the half-century mark in his last three ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers, and while there was concern after the Zimbabwe innings stalled towards the end, somehow failing to cash in on their healthy 160/2 after 25 overs against Hong Kong to end up 263/9, the attack came good as the hosts fell 89 runs short in their chase.
All-rounder Sikandar Raza shone with the ball in his 3/30 to show his value to the team while the returning Sean Williams also had two scalps.
Raza has been a man on a mission after saying that a number of Chevrons are playing for their careers, with the World Cup in England probably their last hope for a dance with the game’s heavyweights at this level, and this means there is no room for error.
‘’A few of us will be playing our last World Cup and I think the least we can do for each other is try and give everything we have in the tank for every game we play,” Raza told the ICC website.
‘’If it happens, at least we can leave Zimbabwe Cricket with our heads held high. My first goal is to leave this beautiful game in better shape that I found it in.
‘’I think to me every match is a great match. If we qualify, that will change a lot of things for better, for us as individuals, for our families. The country is going through a positive change as well, that will give a lot of people, if not everyone, something to smile about, something to believe, something to hope for.
‘’God forbid, if things don’t work out well, careers could also be on the line.”
Raza has taken 20 ODI wickets since June last year showing his value as an all-round player. The Scots have looked relaxed ahead of today’s game, knowing fully well that pressure is on the hosts whom they shared a series last year in Edinburgh with the hosts winning the first game after posting 317/6, riding on Kyle Coetzer’s 109, and then losing the second game.
Coetzer scored a 61 in that losing cause.
The visitors have been posting images of themselves on safaris, with some rhinos in the background, on their social media pages and also teaching local school kids the basics of the game.
‘’A great couple of days recharging the batteries, walking with Rhinos and spending an afternoon visiting a school #education project with @Camfed@UKinZimbabwe@UNICEFZIMBABWEnow onto the main event tomorrow with our showdown vs @ZimCrickettv,’’ Coetzer posted on his Twitter account. Coetzer is the opener and skipper and has been laying the foundation for his team while Calum MacLeod showed against Afghanistan, when he scored that century, that he is a dangerous player if given the freedom to play his shots.
Scotland’s win over Zimbabwe at the Grange Club in Edinburgh last year was their first victory in an ODI contest against a Test playing nation.
Today, they have another chance to add another chapter to their history by becoming the first country to beat Zimbabwe in the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers.
Zimbabwe skipper Graeme Cremer, Tendai Chatara, Craig Ervine, Hamilton Masakadza, Solomon Mire, Williams, Raza and Richard Ngarava were part of the Chevrons team that toured Scotland last year.
They are part of the Chevrons side that will be out to make it four wins in four matches and, crucially, take the four points from this group in the Super Six battles.
Online Reporter