West Indies Tour of Zimbabwe

2nd Test: ZIM vs WI

Preview

Zimbabwe will cross swords with West Indies for the second test at the Queens Sports Club at Bulawayo. The match will begin at 10:00 AM on Sunday, 12th February 2023.
Brad Evans, Innocent Kaia, Tanunurwa Makoni and Tafadzwa Tsiga debuted for the hosts in the opening match of the series. England Test batter Gary Ballance also played his first test for Zimbabwe in the first Test. Zimbabwe impressed with their extreme grit and determination but were never in a position to win the First Test.

Gary Ballance was the best batter for Zimbabwe in the inaugural match and he also became the first player after Kepler Wessels to score a Test Century for more than one country. He along with Innocent Kaia who made a combined 91 runs will be an important part of the batting lineup once again this time.

Their bowling lineup has the service of Brandon Mavuta. The 25-year-old leg spinner took a fifer in the first innings of the game but failed to dismiss a single batter in the second innings. Left-arm spinner Wellington Masakadza also scalped timbers in both innings of the first test.

The hosts have shown a lot of character in the First Test which ended in a draw. This takes them to only one win in their previous 10 games in this format.

The rain on days 1 and 2 of the First Test resulted in the series draw. The results could be otherwise and West Indies would definitely fetch a victory if the weather favoured. There were no debutants in the First Test from the Caribbean side.

The batter who impressed us from the side last week is Tagenarine Chanderpaul. The opening batter hit his first century in the longest format of the game which later stretched to a double century. He along with skipper Kraigg Brathwaite were much stronger forces for the Zimbabwean bowling attack to resist. The opening pair batted on all five days of the First Test.

West Indies need to be slightly more accurate with the ball in the Second Test after taking only 15 wickets in the First Test and eventually failing to clinch a victory last week.  Alzarri Joseph picked 3 wickets giving away 75 runs in the first innings before spinner Gudakesh Motie picked a four-fer in the second innings of the First Test.

The West Indies side was better of both the teams in the inaugural game of the series but has now gone straight three matches without a win in the Test format.  

Match Details

Match: ZIM vs. WI, 2nd Test, West Indies Tour of Zimbabwe

Date: Sunday, February 12, 2023 - Thursday, February 16, 2023

Time: 1:00 PM

Venue: Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo

Pitch and Weather Report

In Bulawayo, the first three days of play should be suitable for the batters. As also in the first test, the spinners will definitely play a greater role in the game. As the match progresses, we expect the batting to get tougher. The skipper winning the toss would try to score lots of runs again batting in the first place.

The weather in Bulawayo will be sunny with almost no chance of rain on the first day and chances of heavy rainfall in the rest of days. The precipitation level is likely to be 10%, with humidity to be around 52%. This climate except the first day of the Second Test is not good for Test Cricket. There is a heavy chance of getting the match interrupted due to rainfall.

ZIM vs. WI Squads

ZIM: Gary Ballance, Chamunorwa Chibhabha, Tanaka Chivanga, Craig Ervine (captain), Bradley Evans, Joylord Gumbie, Innocent Kaia, Tanunurwa Makoni, Wellington Masakadza, Kudzai Maunze, Brandon Mavuta, Richard Ngarava, Victor Nyauchi, Milton Shumba, Donald Tiripano, Tafadzwa Tsiga

WI: Kraigg Brathwaite (C), Jermaine Blackwood, Nkrumah Bonner, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Roston Chase, Joshua Da Silva, Shannon Gabriel, Kemar Roach, Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Kyle Mayers, Raymon Reifer, Devon Thomas, Jomel Warrican, Gudakesh Motie

ZIM vs. WI Probable XIs

ZIM: Innocent Kaia, Tanunurwa Makoni, Chamu Chibhabha, Craig Ervine (c), Gary Ballance, Tafadzwa Tsiga (wk), Brandon Mavuta, Wellington Masakadza, Brad Evans, Victor Nyauchi, Richard Ngarava

WI: Kraigg Brathwaite (c), Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Raymon Reifer, Jermaine Blackwood, Kyle Mayers, Roston Chase, Joshua Da Silva (wk), Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Gudakesh Motie, Kemar Roach

Match Prediction

We expect the batters to control the game for the first few days of the Test match before the spinners come into effect for the final two days. West Indies’ batters have shown their depth in batting for long instances and we can expect high scores from their top order again. Zimbabwe has a good bowling line-up and will focus to get stronger than last week. We predict West Indies to win this match.

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