Zimbabwe Cricket Players

Alistair Campbell | Andy Blignaut | Andy Flower | Brian Murphy | Douglas Hondo | Douglas Marillier | Eddo Brandes | Grant Flower | Heath Streak | Henry Olonga | Murray Goodwin | Stuart Carlisle | Tatenda Taibu

Zimbabwe's ICC Champions Trophy 2006 campaign

Qualification Standings

Team	MP	W	D	L	Pts
Sri Lanka	3	3	_	_	6	Qualifier 1
West Indies	3	2	_	1	4	Qualifier 2
Bangladesh	3	1	_	2	2	DNQ
Zimbabwe	3	_	_	3	0	DNQ

Match 5, ZIM vs BAN: Bangladesh consolation win

Shahriar Nafees made 123 for Bangladesh as they completed a 101-run win over Zimbabwe in the Champions Trophy.
Earlier, Zimbabwe captain Prosper Utseya won the toss and elected to field first. Nafees remained on 123, only the second Bangladesh batsman to score two ODI centuries and the second to carry his bat in an ODI innings - a feat Javed Omar achieved twice without scoring a hundred.
Neither team was able to qualify for the main tournament after both were beaten by Sri Lanka and West Indies. Bangladesh : S Nafees, R Saleh, A Ahmed, S Hasan, H Bashar (Captain), F Reza, K Mashud (Wicket Keeper), M Rafique, M Mortaza, A Razzak, M Hossain jnr
Zimbabwe : B Taylor (Wicket Keeper), C Chibhabha, H Masakadza, G Strydom, E Chigumbura, G Brent, S Matsikenyeri, P Utseya (Captain), A Ireland, T Kamungozi, E Rainsford

ICC Champions Trophy qualifying round, Jaipur: Bangladesh 231-6 (50 ovs) bt Zimbabwe 130 (44.4 ovs) by 101 runs

Bangladesh to play for pride

Bangladesh will have more to prove than Zimbabwe when the two teams clash in an inconsequential Champions Trophy qualifying match today.
Both the sides are out of the reckoning following two defeats each in as many matches, against Sri Lanka and the West Indies who have clinched the two spots available in the Super Eight stage. Zimbabwe were handed a nine-wicket thrashing after being bundled out for 85 by title holders West Indies and then Sri Lanka pasted them to register a 144-run victory. Nothing more could have been expected of a team that has been stripped of its Test status and comprises a bunch of raw youngsters whose average age is 21. Bangladesh, on the other hand, have consistently flattered to deceive. They started the tournament with a reasonable performance against the Lankans in the first tie at Mohali where they held themselves while chasing a tall target of 304.
But the batting crumbled when asked to set a target against the West Indies, crashing to their 113th loss in 135 matches. Captain Habibul Bashar, who has failed to score a run and has lasted only three balls at the crease from the two innings he has played so far, said it was a "bad game" and did not expect it to be repeated again. Bashar would also remember the recent one-day series loss to Zimbabwe. Bangladesh (from): Habibul Bashar (Captain), Shahriar Nafees, Khaled Mashud, Mohammad Rafique, Mohammad Ashraful, Mashrafe Mortaza, Rajin Saleh, Abdur Razzak, Aftab Ahmed, Syed Rasel, Shahadat Hossain, Farhad Reza, Saqibul Hasan, Mehrab Hossain.
Zimbabwe (from): Prosper Utseya (Captain), Gary Brent, Chamu Chibhabha, Elton Chigumbura, Anthony Ireland, Tafadzwa Kamungozi, Hamilton Masakadza, Stuart Matsikenyeri, Tafadzwa Mufambisi, Tawanda Mupariwa, Ed Rainsford, Piet Rinke, Gregory Strydom, Brendan Taylor.

Habibul Bashar wants to go back home with win

Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashar desperately wants to end his Champions Trophy campaign on a winning note with his team's final qualifying match against Zimbabwe on Friday.
"We need to win this game and get our pride back," Bashar said. Bashar is yet to score a run in Champions Trophy qualifying, in which Bangladesh has lost to Sri Lanka and the defending champion West Indies so far. "We came here in this tournament to do a lot better and we want to win at least one game," Bashar said. Both Bangladesh and Zimbabwe are out of contention for the main round of the biennial limited-overs tournament, while the West Indies and Sri Lanka have already earned their berths.
Bangladesh' top-order batting lineup failed to chase a strong Sri Lankan total of 302 in the first match and lost the game by 37 runs, before Brian Lara's West Indies hammered it by 10 wickets on Wednesday. The West Indies outclassed Zimbabwe by nine wickets and Sri Lanka crushed it by 144 runs in its two qualifying matches. But the African team will have some confidence heading into Friday's match after beating Bangladesh 3-2 at home in a five-match limited-overs series earlier this year. "We need to be on top when we play Bangladesh tomorrow," said Zimbabwe coach Kevin Curran "We beat them 3-2 recently, we have that advantage."

Match 3, SRI vs ZIM: Sri Lanka through to the next round

Sri Lanka beat Zimbabwe by 144 runs and made it to the group stage of Champions Trophy. Chasing 286 to win, Zimbabwe were bowled out for 141 runs in 42.3 overs. Zimbabwe is yet to win a match in the five editions.
Upul Tharanga who hit his second century in two matches, was adjudged Man of the Match. He scored 110 and was involved in a 168-run partnership with Kumar Sangakkara, who hit his 34th one-day fifty.
Sri Lanka Team M Jayawardene (Captain), M Atapattu, M Bandara, T Dilshan, D Fernando, S Jayasuriya, C Kapugedera, F Maharoof, S Malinga, M Muralitharan, P Perera, K Sangakkara (Wicket Keeper), U Tharanga, C Vaas
Zimbabwe Team T Duffin, T Mufambisi, C Chibhabha, E Chigumbura, S Matsikenyeri, P Rinke, B Taylor (Wicket Keeper), G Strydom, H Masakadza, P Utseya (Captain), A Ireland,T Mupariwa, T Kamungozi, E Rainsford

Champions Trophy qualifier, Ahmedabad Sri Lanka 285-7 (50 overs) bt Zimbabwe 141 (42.3 overs) by 144 runs

Sri Lanka aim to raise tempo against Zimbabwe

Sri Lanka coach Tom Moody will raise Zimbabwe to the same league as Australia and India when they clash in Tuesday's Champions Trophy qualifier.
"Quite clearly we'll be approaching this game just like any other - whether it's Zimbabwe, England, Australia or India, it makes no difference," said Moody. The Sri Lankans, considered one of the favourites to win the 10-nation tournament, began their campaign with an emphatic 37-run win over Bangladesh in Mohali on Saturday. Lowly Zimbabwe were thrashed by nine wickets by Brian Lara's West Indies here on Sunday, the match ending towards the close of the first session even before the lights were switched on in the day-night game.
Sri Lanka will qualify for the main tournament with their second win on Tuesday and the West Indies will join them if they defeat Bangladesh in Jaipur on Wednesday. Moody, a two-time World Cup champion as a player with Australia in 1987 and 1999, said his team will not take victory for granted against cricket's whipping boys. "My emphasis to the players will be that we're going in to win this match, the opposition is irrelevant," he said.
"Whether Zimbabwe have world class players in their side or not is not relevant. What is more important is that we have a game to play with the intensity we have with any match." "If anyone thinks they can come into a match like this with a foot off the gas and not quite switched on they can be in for a rude shock." Moody rubbished suggestions Sri Lanka would prefer to bat on winning the toss to gain useful practice rather than field and bring about a quick end to the match - like the West Indies did with Zimbabwe. Sri Lanka Team : Jayawardene (capt.), Marvan Atapattu, Sanath Jayasuriya, Upul Tharanga, Kumar Sangakarra, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Chamara Kapugedara, Farveez Maharoof, Chaminda Vaas, Ruchira Perera, Dilhara Fernando, Lasith Malinga, Muttiah Muralitharan, Malinga Bandara.
Zimbabwe Team : Prosper Utseya (capt.), Stuart Matsikenyeri, Hamilton Masakadza, Elton Chigumbura, Terrence Duffin, Chamunorwa Chibhabha, Brendan Taylor, Harry Rinke, Gregory Strydom,Tawanda Mupariwa, Edward Rainsford, Anthony Ireland, Tafadzwa Kamungozi, Tafadzwa Mufambisi.

Match 2, WIN vs ZIM: Windies thrash Zimbabwe

Chris Gayle starred with ball and bat as holders West Indies began their ICC Champions Trophy qualifying campaign with a nine-wicket win over Zimbabwe. Skipper Prosper Utseya (27) was one of only three Zimbabweans to make double figures as they were shot out for 85. Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Brian Lara eased them home off only 14.2 overs - and before the scheduled dinner break.

Champions Trophy, qualifying round, Ahmedabad: West Indies 90-1 (14.2 overs) bt Zimbabwe 85 (30.1 overs) by nine wickets

Lara to play in India after 10 years; West Indies not taking Zimbabwe lightly

West Indies captain Brian Lara, who is playing in India after almost 10 years, said his team would not take depleted Zimbabwe lightly in Sunday's ICC Champions Trophy qualifier. Defending champions West Indies and Sri Lanka are expected to advance to the main rounds from the four-team qualifiers which also involve Bangladesh.
Although Lara has played 128 Tests and 275 one-day internationals, the last time he was in action in an ODI in India was in the 1996 World Cup semi-final, against Australia at Mohali. The last time he played a Test in India was in December 1994, at Chandigarh. Since Lara took over as captain for a third term in April, the West Indies routed Zimbabwe 5-0 and stunned India 4-1 at home, before edging out the Indians to reach the Malaysian tri-series final last month. Zimbabwe were routed 3-0 by South Africa in a recent ODI series, but a 3-2 victory in a preceding home series against Bangladesh offers hope of winning at least one match against an established side.

Zimbabwe ready to take on Windies

Zimbabwe will hope to take a few lessons from batting great Brian Lara when they clash with his West Indian team in a Champions Trophy qualifying match here on Sunday.
Zimbabwean cricket is attempting to rebuild after being battered and bruised by political turmoil at home that forced top stars like Andy Flower, Heath Streak and Tatenda Taibu to quit the country. Zimbabwe, now coached by former international Kevin Curran and captained by 21-year-old Prosper Utseya, will cause a major upset if they progress beyond the qualifying round also featuring Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The top two teams in the round-robin qualifier will join world champions Australia, South Africa, India, Pakistan, England and New Zealand in the main tournament that begins on October 15. Since Lara took over as captain for a third term in April, the West Indies routed Zimbabwe 5-0 and stunned India 4-1 at home, before edging out the Indians to reach the Malaysian tri-series final last month. West Indies Team (from): Brian Lara (Captain), Ramnaresh Sarwan, Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Runako Morton, Dwayne Bravo, Dwayne Smith, Carlton Baugh, Corey Collymore, Fidel Edwards, Ian Bradshaw, Jerome Taylor, Marlon Samuels, Wavell Hinds.
Zimbabwe Team (from): Prosper Utseya (Captain), Stuart Matsikenyeri, Brendan Taylor, Tafadzwa Mufambisi, Elton Chigumbura, Hamilton Masakadza, Terry Duffin, Tawanda Mupariwa, Ed Rainsford, Piet Rinke, Anthony Ireland, Gregory Strydom, Chamu Chibhabha, Tafadzwa Kamungozi.

ICC Champions Trophy Cricket 2006

Zimbabwe matches full coverage

Qualifying round

Oct 7 Sri Lanka v Bangladesh, Mohali

Oct 8 West Indies v Zimbabwe, Ahmedabad

Oct 10 Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe, Ahmedabad

Oct 11 West Indies v Bangladesh, Jaipur

Oct 13 Bangladesh v Zimbabwe, Jaipur

Oct 14 Sri Lanka v West Indies, Mumbai
Group A

Oct 15 India v England, Jaipur

Oct 18 Australia v West Indies [Q2], Mumbai

Oct 21 Australia v England, Jaipur

Oct 26 India v West Indies [Q2], Ahmedabad

Oct 28 England v West Indies [Q2], Ahmedabad

Oct 29 India v Australia, Mohali
Group B

Oct 16 New Zealand v South Africa, Mumbai

Oct 17 Pakistan v Sri Lanka [Q1], Jaipur

Oct 20 New Zealand v Sri Lanka [Q1], Mumbai

Oct 24 South Africa v Sri Lanka [Q1], Ahmedabad

Oct 25 New Zealand v Pakistan, Mohali

Oct 27 Pakistan v South Africa, Mohali
Semi-finals

Nov 1 Australia [Group A1] v New Zealand [Group B2], Mohali

Nov 2 South Africa [Group B1] v West Indies [Group A2], Jaipur
Final

Nov 5 Winner Semi-final 1 v Winner Semi-final 2, Mumbai