Online Reporter
Tinashe Kusema
Zimpapers Sports Hub
ZIMBABWE’S Under-19 cricket team are yet to complete a single match in the Youth One Day International tri-series, with the weather playing a huge part in their participation in the tournament and derailing their plans to gauge their strength and state of preparedness for the World Cup.
Their matches against both Pakistan and Afghanistan, the other participants in the tri-series, have either ended in a no-result or been abandoned due to the insistent rains that have hit the capital and the country over the festive season.
More troubling is the fact that in both cases, Zimbabwe were in a precarious position, with Afghanistan having bowled them out for 90 runs and Pakistan setting them a huge target of 355 runs to win before the rains hit.
However, the Zimbabwe Under-19 skipper Simbarashe Mudzengerere has poured cold water on suggestions of panic in his camp.
“I think we have lacked a little bit in terms of execution and a few mistakes,” said Mudzengerere.
“We just have to be a little bit more clinical and keep our mistake count down,” he said.
Zimbabwe return to the pitch this morning when they face Afghanistan at Sunrise Sports Club (9.30am).
Pakistan already have one foot in the final after their nervy one-wicket win over Afghanistan over the weekend and the share of the spoils due to their match against Zimbabwe being abandoned on Tuesday.
They currently lead the log standings with three points while Zimbabwe and Afghanistan are second and third with two and one point.
However, the weather continues to be a huge subplot going into the final lap of the tri-series with three more matches before the final.
Today’s weather forecast was that there are huge chances of rain with temperatures ranging from a high of 24 degrees Celsius and a low of 15.
In their efforts to prepare for every possible outcome, Mudzengerere admitted that they have had a few talks over the weather.
“Yes, we have spoken about the weather situation a couple of times,” he said.
They joined the likes of Australia, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, England, Pakistan, Scotland, the West Indies, South Africa and co-hosts Zimbabwe.
Debutants Tanzania, the United States of America, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka are expected to name their squads in the coming weeks.
India squad:
Ayush Mhatre (c), R.S. Ambrish, Kanishk Chouhan, D. Deepesh, Mohamed Enaan, Aaron George, Abhigyan Kundu, Kishan Kumar Singh, Vihaan Malhotra, Udhav Mohan, Henil Patel, Khilan A. Patel, Harvansh Singh, Vaibhav Soor-yavanshi, Vedant Trivedi
