ZIM vs NEP Match Prediction & Betting Tips - Jun 18, 2023
The ODI World Cup Qualifiers 2023 are about to get underway this weekend in Zimbabwe. With the last two spots in the upcoming ODI World Cup up for grabs, 10 teams will battle it out over 22 days to claim them.
The first match of this tournament will see hosts Zimbabwe take on Nepal at Harare on Sunday for a Group A fixture.
Zimbabwe vs Nepal head-to-head record
This is the first time that both teams are facing each other for an international fixture.
Zimbabwe vs Nepal Live-streaming and Broadcast
This match can be live-streamed on the Disney+ Hotstar App or can be watched live on the Star Sports Network.
ZIM vs NEP Team Previews
Zimbabwe
The past 4 years have been sort of a mixed bag for Zimbabwe as far as the ODIs are concerned. They defeated Pakistan in a Super-Over early on and also went on to defeat the mighty Australians in their backyard, earning valuable points. However, they weren’t consistent enough to claim direct entry to the World Cup and now have to take the longer route.
Zimbabwe hasn’t made many changes to the team that featured in the ICC T20 World Cup held last year. Milton Shumba, Regis Chakabva, and Tony Munyonga will not be seen in action this time around. They have been replaced by Joylord Gumbie, Innocent Kaia, and Tadiwanashe Marumane.
Innocent Kaia had a good run recently in the domestic circuit, scoring runs across formats, while Tadiwanashe Marumani played well in the Pro50 Championship. Gumbie will be making his international debut here. The team will be led by Craig Ervine and will also feature regulars like Sean Williams, Luke Jognwe, and Blessing Muzarabani.
Wessly Madhevere and Ryan Burl will be seen in the middle order. However, the most important player for the home team will be Sikandar Raza, who was brilliant during the T20 World Cup. Overall, Zimbabwe has a well-balanced squad but they will need to play consistently.
Zimbabwe Playing 11
Joylord Gumbie, Craig Ervine, Wesley Madhevere, Sean Williams, Sikandar Raza, Ryan Burl, Clive Madande, Wellington Masakadza, Richard Ngarava, Tendai Chatara, Blessing Muzarabani.
Nepal
It has been a grueling 4 years for the Nepal international cricket team. They didn’t have the best of starts to their League 2 campaign and were seen lagging the top-3 for the most of the season. However, the team managed to script a turnaround that was nothing short of a fairytale, winning 11 of their last 12 matches, and managed to claim the 3rd spot after their very last match of the schedule.
The team will be led by Rohit Paudel, who is arguably the most successful ODI captain in recent months with an incredible winning percentage of 92.85% in his last 14 outings. It isn’t surprising then that the team management has made very few changes to the squad that got them this far. Arjun Saud and Aasif Sheikh are the two wicket-keepers on the team.
Gyanendra Malla, Kushal Bhurtel, and Aarif Sheikh are likely to feature at the top of the batting order, while Dipendra Singh and Bhim Sharki will play an important role in the middle order. Kishor Mahato has been named in the squad, thanks to his exploits in the domestic circuit and we are likely to see him play here.
He will be supported by the young Gulshan Jha. Karan KC and Sompal Kami will bring experience to the pace attack. Sandeep Lamichhane will lead the spin attack along with Lalit Rajbanshi.
Nepal Playing 11
Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh, Bhim Sharki, Rohit Kumar Paudel, Kushal Malla, Aarif Sheikh, Dipendra Singh Airee, Gulsan Jha, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Sandeep Lamichhane.
ZIM vs NEP Toss Prediction
The team winning the toss will likely opt to bowl first here.
Read our guide on toss predictions to learn how we analyze and come up with our tips.
Pitch and Conditions
The pitch at Harare isn’t the easiest to bat on and the batsmen will find it difficult to play the big shots early on in the game. There will be some movement off the pitch for the seamers, while the spinners will get some turn as the match progresses. A score of around 250 is a par score here. The weather is expected to remain clear with temperatures of below 25 degrees Celsius.
ZIM vs NEP Betting Tips
While Nepal has been brilliant this year, playing against a team like Zimbabwe, which has a lot more experience on the international stage, will test them to the limits. The home team on the other side has a well-balanced squad and knows the conditions here well and will be able to exploit them.
Bet on Zimbabwe to win.
Bonus Cricket Bets
The Harare Sports Club is one of the favorite hunting grounds of Zimbabwean players like Sikandar Raza, Sean Williams, and Craig Ervine. As they face a relatively inexperienced bowling attack of Nepal, we can expect a couple of good innings here.
The pitch here isn’t the easiest to bat on and the batsmen will have to get their eye in before they start playing the big shots. We, therefore, expect a relatively quiet opening over.
Nepal hasn’t played a lot of cricket in Zimbabwe and this is the first time that they will be facing the hosts here in an ODI. They will find it tricky to settle down on this pitch and we can expect the Zimbabwean bowlers to pick up early wickets here.
Who will win ZIM vs NEP
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Match Predictions
Cricket Betting Tips
- Highest opening partnership - India W (1.55) and 1 more BANW vs INDW betting tip
- Total runs in the highest scoring over of the match - Over 22.5 (1.95) and 2 more MI vs SRH betting tips
- Nazmul Hossain Shanto to become the top batter. - 4.10 and 3 more BAN vs ZIM betting tips
- Delhi Capitals to win the toss - 1.90 and 4 more DC vs RR betting tips
We are eager to know what you think of our match predictions, if there is anything we can do better or if you want to let us know your own predictions for the match.