Online Reporter
Tinashe Kusema, Zimpapers Sports Hub
THERE was a renewed sense of confidence within the Zimbabwe Under-19 camp as they went about putting the final touches on their preparations for their crunch tie against England at Takashinga Sports Club today.
Yes, the weather remains a contentious issue with the chances of more rain today high.
There is even a distinct possibility that the host could finish their group stages without actually playing a game.
And all they can do now is pray and hope that the cricket gods are merciful and the skies open up.
“It really isn’t within our control,” said skipper Simbarashe Mudzengerere.
“All we can do is just prepare for whatever outcome comes our way. If it rains, most probably we will play reduced overs, which means we will need to adjust a little bit to our game and tactics.
“What we want is just to play cricket,” he said.
The weather forecast aside, the Zimbabwe camp appeared to be in high spirits and they owe it all to their opponents today — England.
England sprung the biggest surprise result of the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup so far when they eased to a 37-run win over group and tournament favourites Pakistan at Takashinga Sports Club on Friday.
The win saw the Europeans throw out the window what many perceived to be a simple script with the Asia Cup champions expected to breeze through the preliminary rounds of the tournament.
Defending a low-score of 210, the English bowlers produced a disciplined display to restrict Pakistan to 173.
England were asked to bat first by Pakistan and couldn’t get going with Pakistan making inroads at crucial junctures.
With England in a spot of bother at 90 runs for four in the 19th over, Caleb Falconer and Ralphie Albert put together an 80-run partnership to resurrect the innings.
However, the Pakistan bowlers quickly tightened the screws after breaking the partnership to bowl England out for 210.
Ahmed Hussain grabbed three wickets while Ali Raza, Abdul Subhan and Momin Qamar snapped two wickets each.
England came out all guns blazing with the ball to dismiss the Pakistan top order, leaving the 2006 winners and reigning Asia Cup Under-19 champions reeling at 28 runs for three.
Skipper Farhan Yousaf led the counter-attack for Pakistan, scoring 65 runs but lost partners at the other end at regular intervals.
The English bowlers kept the pressure on the Pakistan batters, not allowing any partnership to blossom.
With the required run-rate shooting, the English bowlers applied the choke to wrap up the Pakistan innings and pick up a crucial win in Group B.
The win saw England shoot to the top of the group after the match between Zimbabwe and Scotland was abandoned without a ball bowled.
More importantly, it gave the Zimbabwe camp some reassurance that anything can happen, especially as Afghanistan also pulled off a surprise 28-run victory over South Africa on the same day.
“I think England were the more consistent side, especially on the bowling side, and that was a pretty good thing that led them to a victory,” said Mudzengerere.
“There were a lot of lessons for us to take from that game, especially the way Pakistan mostly struggled and put themselves under pressure due to the accumulating number of dot balls.
“They ended up trying to go for the big shots and that is where they lost the plot.
“The result also proved that nothing is written is stone and that any side can be beaten.
“I also watched the game between South Africa and Afghanistan.
“Anything is possible in this tournament and those results were a great confidence booster
“Talking to the boys, I tried to use them as proof that no team is unbeatable and was a great motivator,” he said.
The Zimbabwe technical team was also on high alert, trying to keep the confidence at a manageable level.
Zimbabwe bowling coach, Donald Tiripano, had a short and sweet message to his charges — stick to the basics and keep it simple.
“I think we are still very much optimistic and confidence is high,” said Tiripano.
“I feel the boys are ready.
“First of all, we have to trust the process, make sure we do our best and the results will take care of themselves,” he said.
While Zimbabwe were looking forward to the match against Scotland, Tiripano believes that the boys have made peace with the result and moved on.
Now, all the attention has shifted towards England.
“Yeah, we really wanted to play that game (against Scotland), and fancied our chances against them, but that is water under the bridge now.
“We shifted our focus and are now looking ahead to the games that are ahead of us,” he said.
As it pertains to the game against England today, Tiripano said every team is the same because it’s about bat and ball.
“We just have to focus on the process, make sure we take care of our own space and keep to the game plans.
derick.khumalo