Ireland and Zimbabwe will clash in the third and final Twenty 20 International (T20I) of the three-match series at Bready on Sunday. The first game of the series was washed out on Wednesday whereas the home side came out on top comprehensively with a nine-wicket margin in the second match. Therefore, Ireland will enter the contest on Sunday as strong favourites as they will be looking to secure a series win.
Bready Cricket Club is the venue which will be used for the contest which will be hosting its ninth T20I on Sunday. Highest team score 169-5 in an international 20-over contest at the venue was registered by Hong Kong in the match against Ireland in 2016, whereas lowest team total of 79 was registered by the home side in the match against Afghanistan in 2018. Highest individual score of 83 not out at the ground in T20Is was registered Ireland's Stirling in the previous match, whereas best bowling figures of 4-17 was registered by Afghanistan's Rashid Khan.
In the batting department, hosts will be relying heavily on in-form Paul Stirling, captain Gary Wilson and hard-hitting Kevin O'Brien to score the bulk of the runs, whereas on the bowling front, the onus will be on Greg Thompson, Tyrone Kane and Craig Young to produce timely breakthroughs.
On the other hand, for Zimbabwe, the game is a do-or-die encounter as they will have to win in order to avoid a series defeat. In the batting department, the visitors
Ireland and Zimbabwe will clash in the third and final Twenty 20 International (T20I) of the three-match series at Bready on Sunday. The first game of the series was washed out on Wednesday whereas the home side came out on top comprehensively with a nine-wicket margin in the second match. Therefore, Ireland will enter the contest on Sunday as strong favourites as they will be looking to secure a series win.
Bready Cricket Club is the venue which will be used for the contest which will be hosting its ninth T20I on Sunday. Highest team score 169-5 in an international 20-over contest at the venue was registered by Hong Kong in the match against Ireland in 2016, whereas lowest team total of 79 was registered by the home side in the match against Afghanistan in 2018. Highest individual score of 83 not out at the ground in T20Is was registered Ireland's Stirling in the previous match, whereas best bowling figures of 4-17 was registered by Afghanistan's Rashid Khan.
In the batting department, hosts will be relying heavily on in-form Paul Stirling, captain Gary Wilson and hard-hitting Kevin O'Brien to score the bulk of the runs, whereas on the bowling front, the onus will be on Greg Thompson, Tyrone Kane and Craig Young to produce timely breakthroughs.
On the other hand, for Zimbabwe, the game is a do-or-die encounter as they will have to win in order to avoid a series defeat. In the batting department, the visitors will be relying on the likes of wicketkeeper-batsman Brendan Taylor, captain Hamilton Masakadza, left-hander Sean Williams and all-rounder Sikandar Raza to score the bulk of the runs, whereas on the bowling front, the onus will be on the likes of Kyle Jarvis, Chris Mpofu and Tendai Chatara to provide timely breakthroughs.
Player Recommendations:
Batsman: Craig Ervine (9.5 Cr)
Craig Ervine is now one of the most experienced batsmen in Zimbabwe cricket team. The left-hander showed great maturity in difficult circumstances during the second T20I and scored 55 valuable runs off 32 balls with the help of six fours and three sixes.
All-rounder: Paul Stirling (10 Cr)
Paul Stirling is Ireland's most accomplished player in white-ball cricket. The 28-year-old had an outstanding outing in the second T20I at the same venue on Friday where he played a match-winning knock of 83 not out of just 36 balls, which included six sixes and seven fours.
Wicketkeeper: Brendan Taylor (9 Cr)
Brendan Taylor is Zimbabwe's most experienced player in all formats. The veteran wicketkeeper-batsman has represented his national team in 33 matches in the 20-over format, where he has scored 727 runs at an average of 25.96.
Bowler: Craig Young (8.5 Cr)
Craig Young is becoming a permanent feature in the Ireland team across all formats. The 29-year-old had an impressive outing in the second T20I where he had figures of two for 20 and finished the match as the most economical bowler with an economy-rate of 6.66, which included 10 dot balls as well.
Predicted Playing XI:
Ireland: Paul Stirling, Kevin O'Brien, Andy Balbirnie, Gary Wilson (captain, wicketkeeper), Mark Adair, Gareth Delany, Shane Getkate, Tyrone Kane, Greg Thompson, Lorcan Tucker, Craig Young
Zimbabwe: Brendan Taylor (wicketkeeper), Hamilton Masakadza (captain), Craig Ervine, Sean Williams, Sikandar Raza, Ryan Burl, PJ Moor, Tendai Chatara, Kyle Jarvis, Chris Mpofu, Richmond Mutumbami
