Namibia
Zimbabwe
Namibia and Zimbabwe will face each other in the 5th match of the Namibia T20I Tri-Series at Namibia Cricket Ground, Windhoek. Both teams will enter this game with one win and one loss from their first two matches of this series.
Namibia will come into the match with stronger recent form, having won 4 of their last 5 matches. Zimbabwe, meanwhile, will have won only one of their last 5 games and lost the other 4. This difference in recent results will give Namibia an edge heading into the contest.
However, Zimbabwe will have the advantage in the recent head-to-head record. They have won 4 of the last 5 meetings against Namibia, including 2 wins while chasing and 2 while defending. Sikandar Raza will lead Zimbabwe, while Gerhard Erasmus will captain Namibia.
Zimbabwe’s Ben Curran and Brian Bennett should have the stronger chance of building the bigger opening stand, given their recent 45-run partnership against South Africa and Bennett’s strong T20I record
The betting tip is...
Highest Opening Partnership - Zimbabwe
60 %
40 %
NamibiaZimbabweNamibia’s batting had produced strong numbers after two matches. Jan Frylinck and Alex Busing-Volschenk had scored 82 and 69 runs respectively, making them the second and third-highest run-scorers of the series.
Both had scored a fifty. Zane Green had also hit a fifty and had batted at a strike rate of 196.66. Louren Steenkamp and captain Gerhard Erasmus had been other key batting options.
Namibia have batted well in both matches and lost the second game only by 5 runs. Erasmus and JJ Smit had taken four wickets each in two matches. Ruben Trumpelmann had taken three wickets, while Max Heingo had taken two. Jack Brassell and Bernard Scholtz had also been key bowling options.
Frylinck, Green and Erasmus are the key players in the team.
Predicted Lineup: Jan Frylinck, Louren Steenkamp, Gerhard Erasmus (c), Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Zane Green (wk), Alex Busing-Volschenk, JJ Smit, Ruben Trumpelmann, Bernard Scholtz, Jack Brassell, Max Heingo
Zimbabwe’s batting unit had shown some positive signs in their only match of the series against South Africa. Brian Bennett had scored 34 runs, while Tadiwanashe Marumani had made 30 runs at a strike rate of 230. Ben Curran had also batted at a 200 strike rate.
Dion Myers and Brad Evans had been the other key batting options, while Bennett and Sikandar Raza had remained the main batters. Bennett had scored 1,251 T20I runs for Zimbabwe in the last year.
The bowling unit had struggled to take wickets against South Africa. Brad Evans, Blessing Muzarabani and Newman Nyamhuri had taken one wicket each. Evans and Muzarabani had been the main bowlers, with 48 and 36 T20I wickets respectively for Zimbabwe in the last year.
Namibia have fielded the same playing eleven in both matches so far. Expect no changes in the lineup once again.
Bennett, Raza and Evans are the key players in the team.
Predicted Lineup: Brian Bennett, Ben Curran, Dion Myers, Sikandar Raza (c), Ryan Burn, Wessly Madhevere, Tadiwanashe Marumani (wk), Brad Evans, Graeme Cremer, Newman Nyamhuri and Blessing Muzarabani
Zimbabwe will have the edge at the start of the innings, with Ben Curran and Brian Bennett expected to provide a solid opening stand. Both batters will have more experience in List A cricket than Namibia’s top-order batters, which should help them handle the new ball.
Bennett will also bring strong recent T20I numbers, having scored 1,251 runs for Zimbabwe in the last year. In the previous meeting, Curran and Bennett had already shown their ability to attack early, putting together 64 runs in the powerplay.
Namibia will have Jan Frylinck and Louren Steenkamp at the top, but Zimbabwe’s opening pair should have the better chance of producing the stronger start.
