Zimbabwe vs Ireland 2015, 3rd ODI at Harare, Preview: Hosts aim to make a clean sweep

Zimbabwe take on Ireland for the final time this series as they face off in the third One-Day International (ODI) at the Harare Sports Club on Tuesday. Having registered a comfortable five-wicket win and claimed an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series, Zimbabwe would definitely aim for a clean sweep, while Ireland would aim to finish the series on a winning performance. Considering the previous game at Harare, Ireland had a better outing with the bat than that in the opening ODI. Paul Stirling hit 72, Niall O’Brien made 50, and Gary Wilson scored 65 to help Ireland put up a challenging total of 268 runs on the board. SCORECARD: Zimbabwe vs Ireland 2015, 3rd ODI at Harare

Ireland would want a repeat with the bat; however, it was their bowling that let them down. Kevin O’Brien took 2 for 46, while John Mooney, Tim Murtagh, and Andy McBrine took a wicket each. Left-arm spinner George Dockrell and part-time off-spinner Paul Stirling failed to grab a single wicket and ended up leaking runs instead.

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Zimbabwe, on the other hand, had a decent outing in every department, with Sikandar Raza shining with the ball, claiming 3 for 49. Most of the other bowlers were economical as well. It was their batting line-up that ended up making them proud; Craig Evine scored his second ODI ton, while Sean Williams cotntributed 43, and other batsmen helped Zimbabwe chase the total down comfortably.

Now, since the final game too is being contested at the same venue, both the teams have a fair idea on how the track is going to behave. Zimbabwe would not like to make any changes to the team that already won them the series. Ireland, on the other hand, would again like to make a few changes, now that they have nothing to play for but pride. They will want the likes of Stirling, the O’Brein brothers, Wilson, and Mooney to use their experience and come good.

With all that being said, all is not lost for Ireland and they still hold the ability to bounce back and cause an upset for the Zimbabweans. The match should prove to be another interesting clash.

Squads:

Zimbabwe: Elton Chigumbura (c), Brian Chari, Chamu Chibhabha, Craig Ervine, Luke Jongwe, Neville Madziva, Wellington Masakadza, Tinotenda Mutombodzi, Richmond Mutumbami (wk), Taurai Muzarabani, John Nyumbu, Tinashe Panyangara, Sikandar Raza, Malcolm Waller, Sean Williams.

Ireland: William Porterfield (c), Andy Balbirnie, George Dockrell, Ed Joyce, Andy McBrine, John Mooney, Tim Murtagh, Kevin O’Brien, Niall O’Brien, Stuart Poynter (wk), Max Sorensen, Paul Stirling, Stuart Thompson, Gary Wilson (wk), Craig Young.

Time: 09:30 local | 07:30 GMT | 13:00 IST

(Ayush Gupta is a reporter at CricketCountry. A passionate supporter of Manchester United, he idolises Roger Federer and is also a World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) maniac. He can be followed on Twitter @Ayush24x7)