Zimbabwe vs. Ireland: Date, Live Stream, TV Info, Cricket World Cup Preview
Ireland face a crucial match against Zimbabwe in Hobart, Australia on Saturday, in a must-win fixture if the William Porterfield-led squad is to power past Pakistan for a spot in the quarter-finals of the 2015 Cricket World Cup.
The Test nation currently holds the advantage in the standings thanks to a superior net run rate, but Ireland have a match in hand and already have a big win over West Indies under their belt. Pakistan's schedule looks daunting from here on out, so a win for Ireland on Saturday could all but secure a spot in Group B's top four.
Zimbabwe have won just a single match; a four-wicket triumph over United Arab Emirates. The Irish can't afford to slip up against a squad that has little left to lose. Here's all you need to know about the Group B clash:
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Date: Saturday, March 7
Time: 2:30 p.m. local time/3:30 a.m. GMT
Venue: Bellerive Oval, Hobart
TV info and live stream: Sky Sports (UK) and ESPN (U.S.) carry full coverage of the 2015 Cricket World Cup, with mobile coverage available via the Sky Go app and ESPN Cricket 2015.
Preview
Zimbabwe had low expectations coming into the tournament, and with just a solitary win in four matches, it looks like those expectations were warranted. And if the squad was hoping for a win on Saturday, their bid took a big blow with the news skipper Elton Chigumbura won't be playing, via ESPN Cricinfo's Freddie Wilde:
The 28-year-old boasts Zimbabwe's second highest strike rate at 101.29, taking some much-needed firepower out of the side.
Ireland have two spinners with economy rates under 5.00—Andy McBrine and Paul Stirling—and that's after the 201-run drubbing the team took from South Africa. Cricket writer Peter Miller correctly predicted the Irish bowling would struggle against the top nations, but it has more than held up against the rest:
He also noticed some of the Associate nations have suffered a tremendous drop in form after suffering big losses at the hands of Test nations, something Ireland will have to be wary of:
But should Ireland's bowlers fail to replicate their early success against Zimbabwe, the Europeans should feel confident in their batting.
A platoon approach saw them beat the favoured Windies and overcome UAE, and while the lack of a true ace batsman will cost them in some matches, the strength in numbers is a serious weapon against the likes of Zimbabwe.
This is the same Zimbabwe squad that took just two wickets against West Indies, and they're playing without their captain this time. Via Cricbuzz, Porterfield didn't mince his words—Ireland have to win this match:
The key will be to get over the heavy loss against the Proteas in a hurry. If the Irish squad allows the result of that match to influence their preparation for Zimbabwe in any way, it opens the door for the Africans to capitalise on shaky confidence, led by pace bowler Tendai Chatara.
If the likes of Porterfield, Stirling and Ed Joyce fall early, it puts too much pressure on the middle order—and the O'Briens (Niall and Kevin) in particular—to play catch-up, setting the table for a Zimbabwe win.
Ireland's lack of strong pace bowlers will remain an issue, but against a Zimbabwe squad struggling to put runs on the board and entering the match without their skipper, the Irish should book another win to add to their chances of qualifying for the quarter-final.
Prediction: Zimbabwe put up a good fight, but Ireland win a close encounter.
All statistics used are courtesy of ESPN Cricinfo.
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