Who will win Zimbabwe vs Nepal, 1st T20?
The opening game of the Singapore T20I Tri-Series 2019 will see Zimbabwe take on Nepal. The match is scheduled to be played on September 27 at the Indian Association Ground. Live action will begin at 7:30 PM local time.
Zimbabwe are coming off a disappointing T20I tri-series in Bangladesh that also involved Afghanistan. They faced defeats in their first three fixtures but managed to bow out of the tournament on a high with a seven-wicket victory over Afghanistan in their last match. Batting first, the Afghans posted a respectable 155/8 in their 20 overs before Zimbabwe got off to a good start and wrapped up the chase with three balls to spare. Nepal, on the contrary, are coming off a fairly successful ICC Men's T20 World Cup Asia Region Final held in Singapore in July. After losing their campaign opener against Qatar, they registered back-to-back wins against Malaysia and Kuwait to seal their spot in the final. Nepal, however, could not win the tournament as they were blown away by hosts Singapore.
ZIM vs NEP: Where to watch/Live streaming
TV Channels: This match will not be broadcast live on TV.
Live Streaming: Bet365, Singapore Cricket YouTube channel
ZIM vs NEP Toss Prediction
With a few rain interruptions expected during the match, the DLS method could come into play and that should favor the side batting second. Moreover, since five of the last seven T20Is at this ground have been won by the chasing side, the team that wins the toss here is more likely to bat second.
ZIM vs NEP Weather Report
There is a good chance of a delayed start as plenty of thundery showers have been forecast before the match and the weather is expected to clear only after 9PM. Temperature is likely to be around 28-29 degrees Celsius while humidity should be around 82% during the match.
ZIM vs NEP Pitch Condition
Scores of 180+ have been achieved on three occasions in the last five T20 internationals that have been played at the Indian Association Ground, indicating that pitch here has been pretty good for batting. Pacers are likely to get more assistance due to the moisture underneath the surface.
Read on for team previews, betting tips, latest odds and match prediction for Zimbabwe vs Nepal, 1st T20...
Zimbabwe Team News & Playing 11
ZIM Team News
Zimbabwe have made quite a few changes to their squad from their recently concluded Bangladesh T20I tri-series. Their star batsman Hamilton Masakadza has signed-off from international cricket which means the team will be coming up with a new opening combination. Brian Chari and Craig Ervine could open the batting while Peter Moor is likely to be slotted in the middle order. Tendai Chatara will probably lead the Zimbabwean bowling attack.
ZIM Key Players
Sean Williams: He is one of the world's best all-rounders in T20 cricket. The left-hander is among the leading run-getters for Zimbabwe in the format with 691 runs which includes four half-centuries as well as among the leading wicket-takers with 26 wickets in 34 matches.
Craig Ervine: He is one of the most consistent performers with the bat in this team and has scored 461 runs in his 21 T20I innings. The left-handed batsman had struck a couple of fifties in the series against Ireland in July and he will be expected to make another 50+ score on Friday.
Tendai Chatara: With 22 wickets in 18 matches, Tendai Chatara has been one of Zimbabwe's best bowlers in the 20-over format. The fast bowler notched up four wickets in the two games he played in Bangladesh. He will likely lead the team's bowling attack and will look to dent Nepal's innings early on.
ZIM Recent Form
Zimbabwe have been faring very poorly in the shortest format of the game. They have managed to win only two of their last eighteen T20 internationals and both of those wins have been registered this year - against Ireland and most recently against Afghanistan. Zimbabwe had a tough time in the recently concluded tri-series in Bangladesh that also featured Afghanistan, losing three out of their four encounters. Prior to that in July, they drew a three-match series 1-1 in Ireland against the hosts.
Zimbabwe Predicted Playing 11
Brian Chari, Craig Ervine, Regis Chakabva, Sean Williams (c), Peter Moor (wk), Tinotenda Mutombodzi, Timycen Maruma, Richmond Mutumbami, Neville Madziva, Wellington Masakadza, Tendai Chatara
Nepal Team News & Playing 11
NEP Team News
Nepal have retained most of the players that were part of the squad that toured Singapore in July for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Asia Region Final. Paras Khadka will be leading the team's 15-man squad and will probably open the batting alongside Kushal Malla. Binod Bhandari is the lone specialist wicketkeeper in the side while Sandeep Lamichhane and Lalit Rajbanshi are likely to form the team's spin attack for the series opener on Friday.
NEP Key Players
Paras Khadka: Nepal's captain has scored the most runs for his side in the T20 format - 507 runs which includes three fifties. He had also chipped in with handy contributions in Singapore last time and he will be expected to take the team off to a strong start.
Sandeep Lamichhane: He is likely to trouble the Zimbabwean batsmen the most in this series. The leg-spinner was the best bowler for Nepal at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Asia Region Final with seven wickets in four matches and he recently returned impressive figures of 2-17 in the CPL.
Sompal Kami: The fast bowler is another key man in Nepal's bowling group. Sompal is one of the team's leading wicket-takers in the format with 23 wickets in 21 matches and he will look to replicate his 3-23 that he took against Malaysia at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Asia Region Final.
NEP Recent Form
Nepal have had plenty of success in the T20 format this year, winning six out of their nine matches. Their previous T20I assignment came a couple of months ago in Singapore at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Asia Region Final. They were pretty impressive in that tournament with two wins and as many losses from four fixtures. They even made it to the final which was played at this very ground but suffered a heavy 82-run defeat at the hands of the home team.
Nepal Predicted Playing 11
Paras Khadka (c), Kushal Malla, Sundeep Jora, Dipendra Singh Airee, Rohit Paudel, Binod Bhandari (wk), Lalit Rajbanshi, KC Karan, Sompal Kami, Sandeep Lamichhane, Abinash Bohara
Zimbabwe vs Nepal Head to Head
Zimbabwe and Nepal are yet to face each other in the game's twenty-over format. This will be the first ever T20 international played between these two countries.
Zimbabwe vs Nepal Betting Odds
Zimbabwe are heavy favorites to start the series off with a win at very short odds of 1.20 with Betway. Nepal, in contrast, are huge underdogs for this match and they are being offered at a much higher price of 4 on Betway.
🏆 Zimbabwe vs Nepal Prediction
Nepal have won many more matches in the T20 format than they have lost this year and having finished as finalists at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Asia Region Final in Singapore two months ago will further boost their confidence. However, they lack the kind of experience that Zimbabwe have in their squad and their batting seems to depend heavily on their skipper Paras Khadka. Zimbabwe may not have found much success in T20 cricket but they certainly have a lot more match-winners in their ranks which is why we expect them to make a positive start in this tri-series.
Sep 27, 2019
17:00 IST / 11:30 GMT
Indian Association Ground - Singapore, Singapore
ZIM vs NEP T20 
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