http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Zimbabwe-c3045 v New Zealand – 3rd ODI – Match Preview
After two resounding defeats, Zimbabwe will look to avoid another clean sweep when they take on http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754 in the third One Day International, which will played at the Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo, today October 25, 2011.
Despite two commendable centuries from skipper, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/BRM-Taylor-c1200, the hosts have been easily outmuscled by their opponents. The Rhodesians have found it difficult to make the cut among the big boys and the third one-dayer will be their final chance to salvage
some pride before the start of the one-off Test match.
The grey area remains the bowling line-up, who has so far not been able to contain the Kiwi batters; however, the inclusion of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/KO-Meth-c1803 has given the team a added dimension upfront. His ability to extract swing with the new ball was key and he troubled
the opposition with some precise bowling.
The idea of going with two spinners in the bowling line-up has backfired in the series so far, with http://www.senore.com/Cricket/P-Utseya-c2145 and Raymond Price, failing to complement each other. The management might have a re-think in their stance and could play three pacers along
with either Price or Utseya.
The key for the team will again be their skipper, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Taylor-c92915, who has arguably been the stand out performer through the course of the series. He has been fluent and aggressive and has earned praise from all corners. The main task for him will be to ensure that
the rest of the batting line up also plays assertively.
The fielding has been surprisingly poor from the Rhodesians, where they dropped several easy chances, which cost them a substantial threshold in the last game. However, one will expect them to be a little more clinical in their approach and get a win under
their belt.
For the Kiwis, it has been all about their top three batters, who have done the most damage. With http://www.senore.com/Cricket/BB-McCullum-c1129 firing the team to resounding wins in the T20 arena, their transition to the 50-over game has been swift, with some towering
performances.
The start of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/BJ-Watling-c1172
miss out.
With the series already won, the Kiwi skipper, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/LRPL-Taylor-c1849 might be tempted to rest some of its stars and give a run to its inexperienced players. Also the middle-order has not got the opportunity to spend notable time on the crease and it will be interesting
to see how they perform, if the openers fell cheaply.
The key remains Guptill, who has added consistency to his game over the course of the year, which is a great plus for the team. His century in the second match ensured the team’s easy win, despite the middle-order not performing up to their potential.
On injury front, pacer Kyle Mills’ groin strain has been a worry for the team, and he might again be left out, which will give the player more time to recover before the start of the one-off Test match.
The pitch will be another placid track for batters and the bowlers will have to bend their backs in order to extract pace and bounce, with the new ball holding the key.
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