Zimbabwe vs UAE – 1st One Day International Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is Zimbabwe vs UAE taking place? Thursday, 10th April, 08:30
Where is Zimbabwe vs UAE taking place? Harare
What is the expected weather for Zimbabwe vs UAE? 25-27c with cloud but no rain expected
What channel is Zimbabwe vs UAE on? The match will not be shown live
Where can I stream Zimbabwe vs UAE? The match will not be streamed live
Where can I get tickets for Zimbabwe vs UAE? Tickets can be purchased directly at the stadium
LAST MEETING
UAE beat Zimbabwe by 3 runs
THE TEAM NEWS
ZIMBABWE
Captain: Peter Moor
- Zimbabwe come into this four-match ODI series with the UAE having not won any of their last 15 one-day international matches, including a loss to their opponents here in an ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier just over a year ago in Harare.
- They have been dealt a blow by the absence of captain Hamilton Masakadza and key batsman Brendan Taylor who are both struggling with injuries so that leaves them without two key players and means Peter Moor will deputise as skipper.
- That will only increase the pressure on all-rounders Sikandar Raza and Sean Williams, along with pace bowlers Tendai Chatara and Kyle Jarvis, for their first ODI series of 2019, and there will be expectations locally for them to succeed against a non-Test playing nation.
UAE
Captain: Mohammad Naveed
- UAE warmed up nicely for this ODI series by beating a Zimbabwean Chairman’s XI by five wickets in the build up with Ashfaq Ahmed hitting an unbeaten 131 to give them a boost in confidence as they approach their first bilateral ODI series against a Full-Member nation.
- They will be aided by the fact that former Zimbabwean captain Graeme Cremer is on their coaching staff while they can also take heart from the fact that they scraped a victory the last time these two teams met last year by three runs.
- All-rounder Mohammad Naveed is a key man for them while they will be hoping for major contributions from Rohan Mustafa, Shaiman Anwar and Chirag Suri who all have plenty of experience and can match the home side for quality.
THE PREDICTION
There is unlikely to be too great a gulf in quality between these two teams as many may expect. Zimbabwe have been in turmoil for some time now and the likes of Bangladesh, Afghanistan and UAE have all either surpassed them or closed the gap on them in the last decade. The fact they are weakened by a couple of key injuries does not help matters, nor the fact they have not played for some time. UAE will have motivation on their side along with the fact that they beat Zimbabwe in their last meetings in Harare just over a year ago. Zimbabwe are big favourites for this match, but that is unjustified and expect UAE to push them all the way in this first ODI.
