Zimbabwe recorded a clinical win over Nepal [Source: Twitter]
The fifth group-stage encounter of the ongoing ICC World Cup qualifiers will see the mega clash between Zimbabwe and Netherlands. This will be Zimbabwe's second match, while the Dutch will kickstart their campaign with this high-voltage face-off.
Team Preview: Zimbabwe
Hosts Zimbabwe had an extraordinary start to their campaign, swatting aside Nepal by eight wickets in the tournament opener in Harare on Sunday. Batting first, Nepal posted a challenging total of 290 runs, which Zimbabwe chased without breaking a sweat, riding on scintillating tons from Craig Ervine and Sean Williams.
Although their batters' performance was satisfactory, the Zimbabwean bowling needs a bit of fine-tuning, as they took almost 32 overs to scalp the first wicket. Richard Ngarava was exceptional in the slog overs, finishing with impressive figures of four for 43, while Tendai Chatara had the most disappointing outing, conceding 59 runs in his seven overs.
Team Preview: Netherlands
Netherlands team in action [Source: Twitter]
On the other hand, Netherlands will be keen to make it into the ODI World Cup for the very first time after the 2011 edition. They have played some courageous cricket in the recent past, but somehow failed to upset the big boys of the game. But considering they will be up against a team with similar strengths as of themselves, we can't rule out the possibility of a Dutch victory on Tuesday.
Their batting unit looks solid, studded with the likes of Max O'Dowd, Bas de Leede, Scott Edwards alongside the dynamic Teja Nidamanuru, who stunned Zimbabwe with a magnificent century when both these teams collided in a three-match ODI series in March this year.
Meanwhile, the Dutch bowling unit lacks penetration, as they have excluded Paul van Meekeren, Brandon Glover and Fred Klaassen. But the likes of Vivian Kingma, Logan van Beek and Ryan Klein can certainly be lethal if the surface assists classical seam bowling.
Match Details
Date & Time: June 20, 12.30 PM IST
Venue: Harare sports club, Harare
Live Streaming: Star Sports Network & Disney+Hotstar
Pitch Report
The surface in Harare will offer decent assistance to the seamers early on before flattening out and transforming into a batting beauty with the day's progression. So, the toss-winner will likely opt to bowl first and capitalise on the batting-friendly conditions in the latter half of the game.
Probable playing XIs
Zimbabwe: Joylord Gumbie, Craig Ervine (C), Wesley Madhevere, Sean Williams, Sikandar Raza, Ryan Burl, Clive Madande (WK), Wellington Masakadza, Richard Ngarava, Tendai Chatara, Blessing Muzarabani
Netherlands: Vikram Singh, Max O'Dowd, Wesley Barresi, Bas de Leede, Teja Nidamanuru, Scott Edwards (c) (wk), Shariz Ahmad, Logan van Beek, Vivian Kingma, Clayton Floyd, Aryan Dutt
Cricket Exchange fantasy tips
Wicket-keeper: Scott Edwards
Batters: Max O'Dowd, Craig Ervine, Wesley Barresi/Teja Nidamanuru
All-rounders: Sikandar Raza, Sean Williams, Bas de Leede
Bowlers: Logan van Beek, Richard Ngarava, Wellington Masakadza, Blessing Muzarabani
Captain: Sean Williams
Vice Captain: Max O'Dowd/Bas de Leede
Prediction
Considering the strength of both teams, we expect a cracking battle in Harare on Tuesday. However, Zimbabwe might continue their winning run and outclass Netherlands to emerge victorious in this match.
 "Debashis Sarangi")
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