Netherlands vs Zimbawbe Prediction: Crestfallen Zimbabwe to pick it up again, Raza to deliver

The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is on and this has been a scintillating tournament, probably transcending the competition level set during the Dubai World Cup leg. And I say that because there are more close finishes, and we aren’t seeing any clear-cut favorites thus far. Rain has been playing spoilsport but when it hasn’t been doing so, we have seen a lot of amazing battles, that have gone deep. This has been the case for Zimbabwe a team that has played two last-ball thrillers in a row. Will it be the case when Zimbabwe meets the Netherlands?

The Netherlands last played Pakistan and were blown away, suffering a six wickets defeat. They batted first and managed merely 91 runs for nine wickets and Pakistan chased the target with six overs and a ball to spare. In that game, Colin Ackermann scored 27 runs to lead the effort whereas Scott Edwards had 15 runs in 20 balls, apart from that, none of the batters could even reach the 10-run mark. The team lost three wickets for 19 runs and never recovered from it.

The bowling effort was much more respectable like it has been throughout the tournament. Seamer Paul van Meekeren gave just 19 runs in four overs for a wicket. Logan Van Beek was impressive too whereas Brandon Glover sneaked two wickets for 22 runs. However, the target was too small for Pakistan and Netherlands couldn’t put the scoreboard pressure against a Pakistan team that is too well-versed to lose their way while chasing such a small total.

The Netherlands have no chance of qualifying for the Semis and they weren’t expected to reach there anyway. They had their best chance again Bangladesh, losing by nine runs in their first Super 12s game while they stood virtually no chance against India. Still, the team had done a decent job in terms of bowling with Paul van Meekeren being their most impressive option both as a strike bowler and runs’ staller.

Zimbabwe would be kicking themselves after not winning two straight games. They had a golden chance against Bangladesh, limiting Bangladesh to 150 on a good batting track. Seamers Richard Ngarava and Blessing Muzurbani combined for four wickets and kept it tight, thus taking advantage of the pacy track. Brad Evans didn’t bowl well, going for over 10 runs an over and although Sikandar Raza struck once, he gave more runs than he usually does, going for 35 runs in three overs. Wesley Madhvere’s two overs were costly while Tendai Chatara kept it tight, giving just 18 runs in three overs.

Craig Ervine’s captaincy was questioned because he didn’t finish Blessing’s quota and Chatara, as he opted for match-ups rather than giving his best bowlers on the day a full quota. In terms of batting, Zimbabwe had a horrible start, losing four wickets for 35 runs in the Power Play including their leading scorer Sikandar Raza getting out. Having formed a 34 runs partnership with Regis Chakbva, Sean Williams managed the chase well but Zimbabwe lost five wickets for 69 runs and needed 82 runs at a 9+ rate.

Ryan Burl and Sean Williams put Zimbabwe in a much more commanding position with Williams accumulating runs at a good pace but with the team needing 19 runs in nine balls, Sean was run out after scoring 64 runs in 42 balls. With the team needing 16 runs, four runs through leg-bye and a Richard Ngarva’s ultimately meant that the team needed six runs in a ball. A mistake from Bangladeshi keeper Nurul Hassan meant that the team had another crack after missing out on the last ball. With four needed, they had a free hit but Muzurbani’s swing missed the ball. Thus, after winning a last-ball thriller against Pakistan, they lost the last-ball thriller against Bangladesh. What a change of fortunes!

• Zimbabwe: Sean Williams, Sikandar Raza, Blessing Muzarbani, Richard Ngarava;
• Netherlands: Colin Ackermann, Logan van Beek, Paul Van Meekeren.

While Zimbabwe’s dream to the Semis may have taken a huge hit, they have showcased that they can go up against the giants and their win against Pakistan signifies that. How would they rue that last-ball loss against Bangladesh! On the other hand, the Netherlands has been knocked out of the Semis contention and can play without that pressure. However, I believe Zimbabwe will parse through the pressure and come up with a big win here and Sikandar Raza to come up big.