ZIM vs SA, Preview | Zimbabwe to play South Africa in opening game of Tri-series

Yesterday at 12:23 AM

Harare Sports Club will be hosting the first game of the Zimbabwe T20I tri-series featuring Zimbabwe, South Africa, and New Zealand on July 14. Rassie van der Dussen is set to lead a young and inexperienced South African side in this upcoming encounter against Zimbabwe in the opening game.

‌The Zimbabwe T20I tri-series will start on July 14, with the Zimbabwe side to take on the Rainbow Nation in the opening encounter. The last time these two sides met each other was in the two-match Test series in which the hosts suffered a 2-0 whitewash.

The Zimbabwe side will be led by legendary all-rounder Sikandar Raza, who will want to make the fans forget about what went down in the Test series. There will also be some players who will be returning back in to the squad after injury, which include the likes of Richard Ngarava, who was ruled out due to a lower-back injury. They will also want to improve their recent form in the shortest format, where they have only one match in the last five games they have played.

The Proteas will be playing this tournament with some new faces within the team. Some of the players include Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Kwena Maphaka, who have already impressed in the Test matches with some good performances. These youngsters will be looking to thrive under the leadership of Van der Dussen, who will be leading the team for the fourth time in the T20I format.

Form Guide

ZIM: NR W NR L L

SA: A W W L L

ZIM vs SA Head-to-Head in Tests

Zimbabwe played their first T20I against South Africa in 2010 and are yet to win a game against them in the format. In the six games the two teams have featured in South Africa have won five, and one game ended in a no result

ZIM 0-5SA

Pitch and Weather

The surface at the Harare Sports Club has been known to be a two-paced surface, where the record of the team batting first and fielding first is almost even. The ground has hosted a total of 52 T20I matches in which the team batting first has won 28 and the team fielding first has won 22. This might be a challenge for the team winning the toss.

The temperature at Harare is expected to be 22 degrees Celsius, and though the conditions might be cloudy, the chances of rain will probably be very low.

Team News

The Zimbabwe team will most likely stick to a core that has won them some big games. Sikandar Raza, Brian Bennet, and Ryan Burl are expected to be the key batters, while Blessing Muzarabani, Wellington Masakadza, and Ngarava will most likely be the first-choice bowlers in the eleven.

South Africa, on the other hand, might look to give opportunities to some new faces, with Pretorius and Maphaka expected to make their debut in the match. Dewald Brevis, Corbin Bosch, and George Linde will probably be added to the playing XI as well to add some depth in both the batting and bowling departments.

ZIM Probable XI: Brian Bennet, Sikandar Raza (c), Wesley Madhevere, Dion Myers, Ryan Burl, Clive Madande (wk), Wellington Masakadza, Tony Munyonga, Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani, Trevor Gwandu.

SA Probable XI: Lhuan-dre Pretorius (wk), Reeza hendricks, Rassie van der Dussen (c), Dewald Brevis, Corbin Bosch, George Linde, Gerald Coetzee, Senuran Muthusamy, Lungi Ngidi, Nandre Burger, Kwena Maphaka