Zimbabwe eye final upset, Lanka seek revenge

Giant-killer Zimbabwe will hope to cap their fairytale campaign with yet another stunning display while revenge will be high on Sri Lanka's agenda in the final of the cricket tri-series here on Wednesday.

Even though both India and Sri Lanka sent second-string squads for the low-profile tournament, few expected Zimbabwe to emerge as the table-topper with 13 points in their kitty.

The minnows twice beat India and both were comprehensive victories. As if to prove it was no fluke, they thumped Sri Lanka in Monday's dead rubber as well to finish their league campaign with three victories from four outings.

Key to their fortune has been Brendan Taylor's sensational form that has already earned the opener three Man of the Match awards.

In Taylor, Zimbabwe have got a batsman who have the skill and the temperament to see them through.

Hamilton Masakadza, Chamu Chibhabha, Tatenda Taibu and Charles Coventry are no dud with the bat either and they would put their best foot forward tomorrow to lift the title they have come so close to.

There bowling has been a revelation as well, especially their battery of spin bowlers. The likes of Ray Price, Prosper Utseya and Graeme Cremer have not only been accurate but also aggressive and the spirited support they got from the fielders made them all the more lethal.

In Monday's match, Sri Lanka threatened to run away with the game when Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga added 122 runs in 20-odd overs. Utseya's double strike then unhinged the Lankans and the Zimbabwean eventually bowled them out for 236 inside 48 overs.

Sri Lanka, however, would do everything tomorrow to prevent a repeat.

Skipper Dilshan will particularly expect Dinesh Chandimal, who scored his maiden ODI century against India the other day, to come good tomorrow and underline his talent with another significant knock.

In the bowling department, onus would be on Thilan Thushara and Dilhara Fernando to provide the early breakthrough and remove Taylor at the earliest.

Teams (From):

Sri Lanka: Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt), Angelo Mathews, Upul Tharanga, Thilan Samaraweera, Dinesh Chandimal, Lahiru Thirimanne, Chamara Kapugedera, Suraj Randiv, Nuwan Kulasekara, Thilan Thushara, Ajantha Mendis, Jeevan Mendis, Dilhara Fernando, Chamara Silva, Thissira Perera.

Zimbabwe: Elton Chigumbura (capt), Andy Blignaut, Chamu Chibhabha, Charles Coventry, Graeme Cremer, Craig Ervine, Greg Lamb, Hamilton Masakadza, Chris Mpofu, Ray Price, Ed Rainsford, Vusi Sibanda, Tatenda Taibu, Brendan Taylor, Prosper Utseya.

West Indies look to put Zimbabweans in their place

Sunday's result in the Twenty20 International between West Indies and Zimbabwe have raised the stakes in the One-day International series between the two sides which opens on Thursday at the Guyana National Stadium.

Zimbabwe, choosing to bat, dragged themselves back from no runs for three wickets to complete a stunning, 26-run victory over West Indies in Trinidad.

The Zimbabweans used a slew of spin bowlers to exploit the hard, slow Queen's Park Oval pitch which offered generous turn to upset West Indies, as they chased a modest target of 106 from their allocation of 20 overs.

It was a wake-up call for the home team, and gave their new coach Ottis Gibson a wake up call as to the size of the challenge that he faces to restore West Indies battered image.

Zimbabwe have made it clear that they plan to put a lot of faith in their spin bowlers for the five ODIs that the two sides will contest here and in St. Vincent, since the conditions are likely to be similar.

This means the home team will have to brace themselves for a battle with the likes of Zimbabwe captain Prosper Utseya and his off-spinners, along with left-arm spinner Ray Price, and leg-spinner Graeme Cremer, as well as the occasional off-spin of Greg Lamb, Stuart Matsikenyeri, and even Brendan Taylor.

But the visitors should be aware that the West Indies too, have spin bowling options led by Sulieman Benn, whose four wickets flattened their top-order batting, fellow left-arm spinner Nikita Miler, as well as the part-time off-spin of West Indies captain Chris Gayle and Narsingh Deonarine.

So the series will ultimately be decided upon the backs of which side manages its batting resources better - and neither side proved they were head and shoulders above the other in Sunday's T20I, despite West Indies' meltdown.

The 50 overs-a-side format offers batsmen on both sides a chance to settle down, and build an innings, rather than the crash, bang, wallop of the T20. Zimbabwe have a number of batsmen that have scaled the heights previously, including Charles Coventry, whose 194 was overhauled by Sachin Tendulkar last week as the highest individual innings in ODIs.

Others like Hamilton Masakadza, Elton Chigumbura, Matsikenyeri, Vusimuzi Sibanda, Tatenda Taibu, and Taylor have all had their moments in the sun in the past, and will have to step-up.

Gayle's return, following compassionate leave to visit his ill mother in Jamaica, should fortify West Indies' batting, so too, the addition of Deonarine, whose batting on the recent travels to Australia promised much.

Zimbabwe have never beaten West Indies in a bilateral ODI series, and the past results are heavily skewered in favour of the home team which has won 27 of the 36 matches they have contested.

This includes an 82-run triumph at Bourda Oval, the previous international venue in Guyana, four years ago.

But there is cause for optimism from Zimbabwe, since West Indies have lost two of the three ODIs they have contested at the new venue.

West Indies (from): Chris Gayle (captain), Adrian Barath, Sulieman Benn, David Bernard, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Andre Fletcher, Nikita Miller, Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Darren Sammy, Dwayne Smith

Zimbabwe (from): Prosper Utseya (captain), Hamilton Masakadza (vice-captain), Elton Chigumbura, Charles Coventry, Graeme Cremer, Kyle Jarvis, Greg Lamb, Tim Maruma, Shingirai Masakadza, Stuart Matsikenyeri, Chris Mpofu, Ray Price, Vusimuzi Sibanda, Tatenda Taibu, Brendan Taylor

© AFP

BCCI lends hand to help revive Zimbabwe BCCI lends hand to help revive Zimbabwe

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The Indian cricket board will throw open two tournaments and its national academy to Zimbabwe to help revive the beleaguered African team.

Officials agreed to extend the helping hand after a meeting with Zimbabwe Cricket Union chairman Peter Chingoka on Friday, said a Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) statement.

"The meeting was to discuss the role the BCCI can play in the redevelopment of Zimbabwe cricket in the years to come," the Indian board said on Saturday.

A Zimbabwe President's XI will now enter the Deodhar Trophy one-day series in March and next year's Duleep Trophy first-class tournament.

The BCCI has also decided to extend the facilities at the academy for the training of players from Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe cricket has lurched from one crisis to another in the last few years.

The national team has not played a test match since January 2006 following a series of confrontations between senior players and the administration that left the side depleted.

Last March an independent audit also found serious irregularities in the Zimbabwe board accounts. The International Cricket Council (ICC) did not call for sanctions after deciding there was no evidence of criminality and no individuals gained financially.

An ICC task force formed to help Zimbabwe return to the test fold will submit a report to the ruling body's board meeting in Perth next week.

That panel was appointed last July when Zimbabwe agreed to skip this year's Twenty20 World Cup in England to end a deadlock over demands for its suspension from international cricket because of Robert Mugabe's government.

Zimbabwe lost a one-day series to Bangladesh 2-1 on Friday.