Zimbabwe have chosen to chase. At the Wankhede, captain Sikandar Raza won the toss, looked at a surface he felt might quicken under lights, and sent West Indies in. “We are hungry and relieved to be in the Super Eight,” Raza said, explaining that his bowlers prefer a target in front of them.
Shai Hope, leading West Indies, admitted he would have done the same. “I would have bowled first as well,” he shrugged, suggesting both skippers read the pitch in similar fashion.
Team news came in pairs. Zimbabwe’s left-arm quick Richard Ngarava has shaken off a side strain and replaces finger-spinner Wellington Masakadza. The hosts of the last qualifying pool expect Ngarava’s extra bounce to matter more than Masakadza’s control on a ground with short straight boundaries.
West Indies, meanwhile, welcome back all-rounder Romario Shepherd after two matches out with a sore leg. He takes the spot of off-spinner-bat Roston Chase, keeping seamer Matthew Forde in the XI. Coach Daren Sammy called Shepherd’s return “a timely boost”, noting his death-overs hitting and yorkers.
This is only the fifth T20I between the sides, the previous four split two apiece, so there is little historical baggage. Both camps, though, feel momentum building; Zimbabwe have already upset Pakistan, West Indies swept their group. Pace and power dominate both squads, but spin could still dictate the middle overs, especially Motie versus Burl and Cremer against Hetmyer.
Playing XIs
West Indies: Brandon King, Shai Hope (capt, wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Jason Holder, Romario Shepherd, Matthew Forde, Akeal Hosein, Gudakesh Motie, Shamar Joseph.
Zimbabwe: Brian Bennett, Tadiwanashe Marumani (wk), Ryan Burl, Sikandar Raza (capt), Tashinga Musekiwa, Tony Munyonga, Dion Myers, Brad Evans, Graeme Cremer, Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani.
First ball is at 7.30 pm local.
