Preview:
Namibia and Zimbabwe will be up against each other in the 1st T20I of the bilateral series between both teams. It will be an important series for Zimbabwe, as they will be preparing for the T20 World Cup 2022 Qualifiers in July. Their last T20I series was against Scotland in September 2021, wherein they won by 2-1. The key players of the team will be Sikandar Raza and Milton Shumba.
On the other hand, the Namibia team has already qualified for the T20 World Cup 2022 and will look to find their best combinations and strengthen their game. They won their last T20 series against Uganda 3-2. The likes of JJ Smit and David Wiese are likely to play a key role for them.
Match Details:
Namibia vs Zimbabwe, 1st T20I
Venue: Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo
Date & Time: 17th May at 16:30 PM IST and 1:00 PM Local Time
NAM vs ZIM, 1st T20I Pitch Report:
A fresh pitch at this venue will be used for the opening fixture of the series and is expected to provide purchase to the pacers with the new ball. Overall, the batters will have a good day at the office.
Injury News:
(will be added if there is an update)
Also Read: England pacer Saqib Mahmood ruled out of season due to back stress fracture
NAM vs ZIM, 1st T20I Probable Playing XIs:
Namibia
Divan la Cock, Michael van Lingen, Craig Williams, Gerhard Erasmus (c), David Wiese, JJ Smit, Zane Green (wk), Jan Frylinck, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Ruben Trumpelmann, Bernard Scholtz
Zimbabwe
Regis Chakabva (wk), Craig Ervine (c), Wesley Madhevere, Sean Williams, Milton Shumba, Sikandar Raza, Ryan Burl, Luke Jongwe, Tendai Chatara, Donald Tiripano, Tanaka Chivanga
Top Picks for NAM vs ZIM 11Wickets Fantasy Cricket:
Sikandar Raza has been one of the finest all-rounders in Zimbabwe cricket. In the recent T20 series against South Africa A, he garnered 129 runs and picked up five wickets in as many appearances.
JJ Smit returned with 84 runs and 8 wickets in 3 T20I matches against Uganda. In one of the fixtures, he registered figures of 6/10, including a hat-trick.
Milton Shumba has over 600 runs at an average of 32.12 in T20s. In three matches of the series against South Africa A, he contributed 75 runs in 3 innings.
Suggested Playing XI No.1 for NAM vs ZIM 11Wickets Fantasy Cricket:
Regis Chakabva, Craig Ervine, Gerhard Erasmus, Jan Loftie Eaton, David Wiese (vc), JJ Smit, Milton Shumba, Sikandar Raza (c), Luke Jongwe, Ruben Trumplemann, Tendai Chatara
Suggested Playing XI No.2 for NAM vs ZIM11Wickets Fantasy Cricket:
Regis Chakabva, Craig Ervine, Gerhard Erasmus, Divan la Cock, David Wiese, JJ Smit (c), Milton Shumba (vc), Sikandar Raza, Bernard Scholtz, Donald Tiripano, Tendai Chatara
Captain and Vice-Captain Options
Captain Options: Sikandar Raza, JJ Smit
Vice-Captain Options: Milton Shumba, David Wiese
