Cricket World Cup 2015 Schedule: Key Players and Statistics for Day 6 Fixtures
Zimbabwe will get a chance to bounce back from the heavy loss against South Africa when they take on the United Arab Emirates in Nelson on Thursday, which is already a must-win match for both teams in the 2015 Cricket World Cup.
The Proteas, India and Pakistan are the favourites for the three top spots in Group B, leaving one more likely ticket to the next round for the rest of the teams. Ireland put themselves in the driver's seat with their win over West Indies, putting even more pressure on Thursday's clash.
On paper, Zimbabwe are the clear favourites against a UAE squad playing in its first World Cup since 1996. However, coming off the loss against South Africa, the team is vulnerable. Their recent international record has been spotty at best, so don't be shocked if the ODI minnows pull off the upset.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
All stats are courtesy of ESPN Cricinfo, unless stated otherwise.
Key Players
Hamilton Masakadza, Zimbabwe
Key Statistic: 80 runs from 74 balls against South Africa
Zimbabwe's group of bowlers took a collective hit on Sunday against the Proteas. There's simply no way around it.
Yes, there were some highlights, including excellent work in the powerplay, but all in all, it was a miserable day for Zimbabwe. David Miller and JP Duminy both scored centuries—the Proteas managed to score 339 runs and lost just four wickets in the process.
Masakadza and Chamu Chibhabha were the only two batsmen to really get going against South Africa, with 80 and 64 runs, respectively, and managing such a feat against one of the world's best group of bowlers should give the duo plenty of momentum going into their second match.
The likes of captain Mohammad Tauqir will like their chances against Zimbabwe, who looked shaky in the build-up toward the World Cup. According to AFP's David James, the 43-year-old appears to be oozing with confidence:
But Tauqir has played in five career ODI matches. The rest of the squad is incredibly inexperienced, and that lack of experience showed against Afghanistan just last week, where the team snatched defeat from the jaws of victory by simply collapsing.
Zimbabwe are the relative giants here, compared to their opponents, and it will be up to the in-form batsmen to show the Associate team their place in the pecking order.
Khurram Khan, UAE
Key Statistic: 53.37 career batting average in ODI matches
Veteran Khan may only have 10 ODIs under his belt, but there's no question he's UAE's leader in this format, both on and off the pitch.
In his most recent outing, Khan scored 86 runs against Afghanistan and his recent record overall has been very steady:
Zimbabwe had little success against the Proteas' hitters, with Tinashe Panyangara and Tendai Chatara taking the bulk of the overs and failing to keep their economy rates under seven.
Taking wickets was the biggest problem, particularly against the duo of Miller and Duminy. Those two have plenty in common, including impressive raw power, which was displayed during their innings.
Khan is a similar player. He knows his team-mates look to him for runs, and as a result, he is usually smart about taking risks. He can't be swinging at every delivery that is touch-and-go; if he stumbles early, UAE will lose.
Zimbabwe are going to go after Khan, who represents UAE's best chance of pulling off the upset. If he can build a head of steam and frustrate Zimbabwe's group of bowlers, a similar collapse like the one we saw against South Africa is definitely possible.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
