ZIMBABWE U19 will be looking to bring their campaign back on track when they date powerhouse Australia in their second match of the ICC U19 Men's Cricket World Cup in South Africa.
The Prosper Utseya-coached side lost their opener to Sri Lanka by 39 runs via the Duckworth-Lewis Method in a rain affected match earlier this week.Australia are one of the favourites to win the tournament having claimed the title thrice before, in 1988, 2002 and 2010.
In contrast, Zimbabwe are yet to make it to any final of the competition.
The Aussies, who beat Namibia in the opening match, currently top Group C standings on superior net run rate to Sri Lanka as both teams are tied on two points after winning their opening encounters.
Zimbabwe are in third place while their fellow African brother, Namibia, anchor the log standings. Utseya believes his boys are beginning to get used to the demands of the competition.
“We just need to keep a positive mindset,” Utseya told NewsDay Sport. “Now that we have a better understanding of the conditions, application is going to be key.“Our bowling plans remain the same, just a few improvements. We should take all our chances and not allow the batters to settle.”
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Zimbabwe did well to restrict Sri Lanka U19 to 204 runs although it could have been for less. However, the batting department cost the team when faced with what appeared to be a chaseable target.
“Our batters look to occupy the crease longer while rotating strike. Running all our singles is going to be crucial,” Utseya added. Commenting on the loss to Sri Lanka, Utseya said it was disappointing as they missed an opportunity for an electrifying start to the tournament.
“It was disappointing to lose, I thought we had a good chance. However, there were some positives from the match, particularly in our bowling department. The bowlers gave us a lot of chances. We need to keep the bowling intensity and try to capitalise on our opportunities. We missed out on a couple of chances; three runouts and two dropped catches,” he added.
“Our batting was probably our biggest letdown. We need to show more intent and not allow the opposition bowlers to dominate us.”