mbulelo smpofu
Brandon Moyo, Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE Cricket head coach, Justin Sammons, hailed the team’s two-wicket victory over Pakistan in the third T20I at Queens Sports Club as a crucial confidence booster ahead of their upcoming series against Afghanistan.
The win in the final T20I helped Zimbabwe avoid a series whitewash after losing the first two T20Is by 57 runs and 10 wickets, following a 2-1 defeat in the One-Day International (ODI) series.
Despite the heavy losses earlier in the series, Sammons believes the victory was essential for the team’s morale, especially with the Afghanistan series just around the corner.
“I am more disappointed with the first two games and the way that we finished the last ODI as well. The way we played, we asked for guys not to be scared to make mistakes, to play a certain way and they were a little bit tentative.
“But that’s also natural because they are young and trying to find their feet. For us it’s just continually carrying them to go out and play in a certain way that we know down the line will give us more consistent wins against big teams like this,” he said.
Sammons added: “So for me it’s about learnings, we got to take those learnings and keep instilling a belief in the players that allows them to go out and play in a certain way, win or lose.”
The Zimbabwe coach emphasised that lessons learned from the challenging series against Pakistan would help the team progress.
“There were a lot of learnings because we made things very difficult for ourselves. Hopefully, those learnings will come through in a bigger way going forward.”
Sammons, who was coaching his first-ever ODI series, expressed disappointment in the players’ cautious approach, noting that a fear of making mistakes hindered their growth.
“We asked the players not to be scared to make mistakes and to play in a certain way, but they were a little bit tentative. It’s natural because they are young and still finding their feet. For us, it’s about continually encouraging them to play the way we know will bring consistent wins in the long term,” he said.
Zimbabwe’s series against Pakistan began with a historic 80-run victory in the opening ODI, their first win over the visitors in nine years.
However, they struggled in the subsequent matches, with Pakistan dominating both the second ODI (winning by 10 wickets) and the decider (winning by 99 runs).
In the T20I series, Zimbabwe’s batting collapses were alarming, with the team being bowled out for a new all-time low of 57 runs in the second match, their lowest score in T20Is. The collapse in both games was compounded by Pakistan’s dominance, but Zimbabwe’s final-match victory was a glimmer of hope for the team. The upcoming series against Afghanistan, which starts with three T20Is on December 11, will be crucial for Zimbabwe’s preparation for the historic Boxing Day Test match against Afghanistan scheduled for Bulawayo.
The Test series will mark Zimbabwe’s first home Boxing Day Test in 28 years, a significant moment for local cricket fans.
The team will also host their inaugural New Year’s Test at Queens Sports Club, adding to the excitement surrounding the Afghanistan tour. The Afghanistan team arrived in Zimbabwe on Thursday, and both teams will look forward to an intense series across formats, with Zimbabwe aiming to build on the momentum from their dramatic T20I win.
The first three T20Is of the Afghanistan series are pencilled in for December 11, 13 and 14 all at Harare Sports Club before action shifts to the one-day games scheduled for December 17, 19 and 21 also at the same venue. – @brandon_malvin
Online Reporter
