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Zimbabwe Bowl First vs West Indies in Crucial T20 World Cup Super 8 Clash

Zimbabwe captain Sikander Raza won the toss and elected to bowl first against the West Indies in a Super 8 Group 1 match at the Wankhede Stadium. Both teams made one change to their playing XIs, with Zimbabwe bringing in fit-again Richard Ngarava and the West Indies recalling Romario Shepherd. Raza explained his decision, stating the ground conditions appeared more suitable for chasing a target. With India losing earlier, both sides are eager for a win to boost their semifinal chances.

Key Points: T20 WC: Zimbabwe Bowl vs West Indies in Super 8

  • Zimbabwe wins toss and bowls first
  • Richard Ngarava returns from injury
  • Romario Shepherd back for West Indies
  • Both teams eye semis after India's loss
2 min read

T20 World Cup: Shepherd, Ngarava return as Zimbabwe elect to bowl first

Zimbabwe captain Sikander Raza opts to bowl first against West Indies in a pivotal Super 8 match. Both teams make one change to their XIs.

"It looks like it's a ground that is a lot suitable for chasing. - Sikander Raza"

Mumbai, Feb 23

Zimbabwe captain Sikander Raza won the toss and elected to bowl first against the West Indies in a Super 8 Group 1 clash in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Monday.

Both teams made one change to their playing XIs, Zimbabwe brought in a fit-again Richard Ngarava for Hamilton Masakaza. At the same time, the West Indies included Romario Shephard and left out Roston Chase.

Raza said he opted to field first because the ground is very suitable for chasing.

"It looks like it's a ground that is a lot suitable for chasing. Looks like a good deck, but we want to have a good chance of making early inroads...One change: Richard Ngarava has been declared fit," said Raza at the toss.

West Indies captain Shai Hope said he would have bowled first, too. "We've got to play nice cricket for the day. Romario Shephard comes back in, and Roston Chase goes out," he added.

With India losing to South Africa in the first match in Group 1, both the West Indies and Zimbabwe will be looking to win this match, as that will improve their chances of making it to the semifinals.

Playing XIs:

Zimbabwe: Brian Bennett, Tadiwanashe Marumani (wk), Dion Myers, Sikander Raza (c), Ryan Burl, Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, Brad Evans, Graeme Cremer, Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani

West Indies: Brandon King, Shai Hope (wk, c), Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Jason Holder, Romario Shepherd, Matthew Forde, Akeal Hosein, Gudakesh Motie.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

S
Sarah B
Interesting that both captains wanted to bowl. Shows how much the conditions matter. Ngarava being fit is a big boost for Zimbabwe's bowling attack. This is a crucial match for the group now after India's loss.
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Ananya R
As an Indian fan, this match is suddenly very important for us too! Need West Indies to lose to keep our semi-final hopes alive. Come on Zimbabwe, do the needful! 🙏
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Vikram M
Strong team on paper for West Indies. Shepherd's return adds firepower. But Zimbabwe at Wankhede can be tricky. Hope the pitch has something for the bowlers early on, otherwise it could be a run-fest.
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Karthik V
Respectfully, the article could have given a bit more context on the group standings. It just mentions India lost, but how does this match affect the points table? Otherwise, good coverage of the toss and team news.
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Priya S
Exciting to have a World Cup match in Mumbai! The atmosphere must be electric. Supporting Zimbabwe for an upset today. Their bowling lineup with Muzarabani and Ngarava looks sharp.

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