Preview: Canada U19s v Zimbabwe U19s
It will be Canada U19s taking on Zimbabwe U19s to decide who finishes in 11th place at the ICC U19 CWC in Rangiora on Sunday.
Form guide
Canada have come good when they have faced fellow Associate teams so far, but when they have faced Full Member opposition they have found the step up hard to cope with. Wins against Namibia and Papua New Guinea have been offset by heavy losses to Bangladesh, England and the West Indies.
There have been runs in the middle order with Arslan Khan and Akash Gill both registering big scores but there hasn’t been much in the way of back-up performances. They are the only two Canadians with over 100 runs for the tournament from the five matches they have played.
Zimbabwe have had a very similar tournament. They also have two wins and those came against the same sides – Namibia and Papua New Guinea. Sizeable defeats when defending low totals against Australia, India and Sri Lanka gives them an identical record of two wins and three losses.
Three men have passed fifty for the Zimbabweans, with Wesley Madhevere the most consistent top order player with three scores of 30 or more. As with Canada U19s, there has not been much in the way of support once you look past the top performers with the bat.
Players to watch
Akash Gill (Canada) ****
It is impossible to look past Akash Gill in this team. Not only is he the second-highest run-scorer for this side, he also has the second-most wickets – 12 victims at an excellent average of 18.9 with his right-arm mediums. If Canada are to claim a Full Member scalp they will need Gill performing at his best.
Akash Gill bowls out PNG's Heagi Toua for 9
Milton Shumba (Zimbabwe)
Recent form counts for so much in cricket, and the man in the Zimbabwe team with runs under his belt from their last outing against Sri Lanka is Milton Shumba. The 17-year-old made 63 not out from 53 balls in his team’s defeat to Sri Lanka. More is needed from him for Zimbabwe to beat the Canadians. He has chipped in with useful wickets as well.
Milton Shumba makes a mess of Nou Rauua's stumps
World Cup history
In six ICC U19 CWC appearances Canada have never made the quarter-finals. Their best finish was 11th in 2010, but they’ve finished second-from-last in all their other campaigns. Highlights include a tie with Bangladesh in their very first tournament, and the defeat of Zimbabwe during the 2010 edition.
Zimbabwe have appeared at all 10 tournaments since their reintroduction in 1998, with a best finish of sixth in 2004.
Head to head
This will be the fifth time these two teams have met with Zimbabwe boasting the better record with three wins and one loss. That one win for Canada came at the 2010 tournament when a 114-ball 90 from Usman Limbada saw them post a winning total of 201/7.
Forecast
It looks like being a great day for cricket in Rangiora. There will be a 25°C top temperature with some cloud cover keeping the players cool.
Squads
Canada: Arslan Khan (c), Akash Gill, Ashtan DeoSammy, Emanuel Khokhar, Kavian Naress, Kevin Singh, Pranav Sharma, Randhir Sandhu, Krishen Samuel, Faisal Jamkhandi, Arshdeep Dhaliwal, Rishiv Joshi, Aran Pathmanathan, Pieter Pretorious, Rommel Shazad.
Zimbabwe: Liam Roche (c), Gregory Dollar, Donald Mlambo, Tanunurwa Makoni, Jayden Schadendorf, Milton Shumba, Alistair Frost, Dion Myers, Nkosilatu Nunu, Jonathan Conolly, Wesley Madhevere, Kieran Robinson, Robert Chimhinya, Tinashe Nenhunzi, Taun Harrison.