Zimbabwe vice-captain Regis Chakabva says his teammates are bracing themselves for a backlash from the West Indies ahead of the teams’ crucial T20 World Cup Group B encounter in Hobart, Australia on Wednesday.
The Chevrons made a strong start to their campaign with a 31-run win over Ireland on Monday, the Caribbean side, who won the event in 2012 and 2016, crashed to a 42-run loss to Scotland in their opening Group B match.
West Indies will know they must beat Zimbabwe in Hobart to have a realistic chance of making it to the Super 12 stage.
However, Zimbabwe, who have enjoyed a resurgence in recent months will be fancying their chances of winning the match which would secure their place in the Super 12 for the first time.
Chakabva said they are well are that the West Indies will be desperate for a victory but they will be sticking to their game plan.
“West Indies are a force to be reckoned with, and they’ll be hungry tomorrow to put in a big fight, and we know they’re going to bring a big fight,” said Chakabva, who dons the wicket-keeping gloves for Zimbabwe.
“We just have to also try and make sure we play our best cricket on the day and hopefully that we come out on top. Every game is going to be different, facing a different side every day. It’s just a matter of us trying to look at what we’re going to face up, and again, just trying as much as possible again to stick to our strength and to stick to our plans,” he added.
After struggling with the bat against Ireland, Chakabva is one of the players who will be eager to make amends against the Windies.
Chakabva was dismissed for a two-ball duck as Zimbabwe struggled early on before a match-winning 82 off just 48 deliveries set the platform for an imposing total of 174 for seven.
A superb bowling display by the pace trio of Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava and Tendai Chatara ensured Zimbabwe successfully defended their score to record a crucial win.
Meanwhile, West Indies star Jason Holder said his side must improve in all departments of their game in a must-win contest against Zimbabwe on Wednesday if they are to get their T20 World Cup campaign back on track following their stunning defeat by Scotland.
“We were all disappointed with the performance that we had yesterday,” Holder told reporters on Tuesday. “But I think the most important thing for us to do is to come together even tighter now and try to find solutions.”
“I think we’ve got what it takes to win this competition within our dressing room,” Holder added. “But there’s no point in just having the talent. We’ve got to produce it.
“Execution is the name of the game. So more or less we just need to find a way to put it together, not only put it together in the batting front but a complete game,” he added.