Zimbabwe chose to bowl vs Ireland
Zimbabwe won the toss and put Ireland in to bat in the decider in Harare. Both teams are unchanged from the second ODI, which Ireland won by six wickets.
Craig Ervine said extras have hurt them and will need to bowl tighter to put more pressure on Ireland early. Paul Stirling said the toss hasn’t been as critical as compared to what it generally is in Harare.
It was an overcast morning in Harare and there are chances of rain, most likely an hour or two into the game, which could hand Zimbabwe the advantage. There is a bigger square boundary on the ground, which could tempt batters to aim for the shorter boundary. There is grass cover and some grass on the pitch.
Stirling and Curtis Campher made match-winning half-centuries in the last game and are Ireland’s highest run-scorers in the series so far. Along with Andy Balbirnie, they will have a key role to play in setting up the visitors’ innings.
Zimbabwe: Tadiwanashe Marumani (wk), Ben Curran, Craig Ervine (capt), Sikandar Raza, Wessly Madhevere, Brian Bennett, Jonathan Campbell, Wellington Masakadza, Trevor Gwandu, Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani
Ireland: Paul Stirling (capt), Andy Balbirnie, Curtis Campher, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker (wk), George Dockrell, Mark Adair, Andrew McBrine, Graham Hume, Matthew Humphreys, Josh Little
