On March 21, Zimbabwe and the Netherlands are scheduled to play their first of three ODI matches. The competition will be held at the Harare Sports Club. Some major players have returned to Zimbabwe’s national team. Blessing Muzarabani, Tendai Chatara, and Sean Williams have all recovered from injuries. Williams fractured his finger in January and had to sit out the game.
Chatara was healing from a muscle injury in her thigh. In contrast, Muzarabani was hurt in the quadriceps. Craig Ervine will captain Zimbabwe. Their batting will also benefit greatly from the addition of Sean Williams and Gary Ballance.
After winning the Pakistan Super League (PSL) with the Lahore Qalandars, Sikandar Raza must be overconfident. Ryan Burl will play a crucial role for Zimbabwe because he has performed exceptionally with both the bat and the ball.
Additionally, the Netherlands have a potent squad at their disposal. For the Dutch team, Max O’Dowd has been incredible at the top of the lineup. During the inaugural SA20, the Sunrisers Eastern Cape’s Roelof van der Merwe displayed exceptional skill.
Match Details
- Match: Zimbabwe vs Netherlands, 1st ODI
- Date and Time: Tuesday, 12:45 pm IST, March 21, 2023.
- Venue: Harare Sports Club, Harare
Prediction
Zimbabwe will be favored going into their first match. Their team is loaded with power, and several of their stars have returned. The Netherlands should endeavor to beat Zimbabwe. Prediction: Zimbabwe to prevail in the game. This will be only the fourth one-day international match between Zimbabwe and Netherlands, and the second in Zimbabwe.
The last ODI match between these two in Zimbabwe was in 2003, when the hosts won by 99 runs in Bulawayo. Quick forward to 2023 and Zimbabwe have set up a good foundation for themselves as a generally excellent side at home and, surprisingly, got an ODI triumph away in Australia before the end of last year. This Zimbabwean team has the potential to be even more successful in 2023. They are expected to get off to a good start if they win against the Netherlands, who are without their key player Bas de Leede because of an injury.
Probable XIs
Zimbabwe
- Innocent Kaia
- Tadiwanashe Marumani
- Craig Ervine (C)
- Gary Ballance
- Sean Williams
- Sikandar Raza
- Ryan Burl
- Richard Ngarava
- Blessing Muzarabani
- Tendai Chatara/Brandon Mavuta.
Netherlands
- Max O’Dowd
- Vikramjit Singh
- Colin Ackermann
- Bas de Leede
- Tom Cooper
- Musa Ahmad/Shariz Ahmad
- Scott Edwards (C & WK)
- Roelof van der Merwe
- Paul van Meekeren
- Fred Klaasen
- Vivian Kingma.
Pitch Report
The batting surface in Harare has been excellent. Bowlers will need to put in a lot of effort to get the pitch to help them. After winning the toss, it should be best to field first.
Weather Forecast
At this time, there is no chance of rain. The temperature will hover around 22 degrees Celsius. 60 percent humidity is expected.
Where to watch
- TV: N/A
- Live Streaming: Fancode