Zimbabwe vs West Indies, 1st Test, stats at the Queens Sports Club Bulawayo

Zimbabwe returns to the whites after an 18-month break, hoping for a great performance against the West Indies in the opening Test on February 4th.

Zimbabwe Cricket team in action (Courtesy: Zimbabwe Cricket/Twitter)
By Kshitij Ojha | Feb 3, 2023 | 3 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

Zimbabwe returns to the whites after an 18-month break, hoping for a great performance against the West Indies in the opening Test on February 4th. The team has several new players who will try to do well at home. The West Indies are visiting to try to recover from a dismal trip to Australia. Zimbabwe’s record against the West Indies is dreadful. The young team will find it difficult because they have yet to defeat them in a test match. The team has only won three tests in the last ten years, giving them little hope.

Kraigg Brathwaite’s team enters this series off the back of a humiliating loss to the Australians, in which they lost both games. The West Indies captain will look to put that behind him with a victory here. They are more powerful than the hosts, and Brathwaite wants his men to perform to their full capacity. Tagenarine Chanderpaul performed well in Australia and will look to carry that form forward and provide a strong start for skipper Brathwaite. Jermaine Blackwood must score runs at No. 3 to keep his spot in the lineup. In the middle order, he must form alliances with Devon Thomas and Jason Holder. Down the order, the team will look for runs from Joshua Da Silva and Roston Chase.

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As some of their key players will be absent, Craig Ervine, the new captain, faces a challenging assignment. It will be difficult for the team’s new players, who haven’t participated in the longer format, to compete against an experienced team. It will be up to Ervine to lead the inexperienced team to victory using his experience. The addition of Gary Balance improves their batting prospects, and he must add runs at the top with youngster Tanunurwa Makoni. In this game, Ervine must make good use of his experience by forming alliances with Milton Shumba and Joylord Gumbie. During the game, Brad Evans, Innocent Kala, and Chamu Chibhabha must all contribute.

FACTS

Opened1890
Capacity9,000
Known asQueens Club
EndsCity End, Airport End
LocationBulawayo, Zimbabwe

Pitch and weather

Beginning on February 4, there will be cloudy conditions over Bulawayo, which will be favourable to the quick bowlers. On Day 3 and beyond, spinners should find the conditions to their liking. In the first two days, the pitch is anticipated to be difficult to bat on. 350 runs scored in the first innings will please the team batting first. The Queens Sports Club field in Bulawayo has a quick pace and provides fast bowlers with early support. The key to success is spending time on the crease, therefore batsmen who become accustomed to these circumstances have done well. At this location, spinners perform well as the pitch ages.

Head-to-head

Zimbabwe has suffered five consecutive defeats, while the West Indies suffered heavy losses in their most recent defeat against Australia. Zimbabwe has never won a Test match against the West Indies, losing seven times and drawing three times. On paper, the West Indies are the superior squad. They recently defeated England in a Test series.





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