The third ODI between Zimbabwe (ZIM) and Ireland (IRE) is scheduled for Tuesday, February 18 and is the three-match ODI series decider, which will be hosted once again at the Harare Sports Club.

Zimbabwe (ZIM) will play Ireland in the third ODI game of the Ireland (IRE) tour of Zimbabwe. It will be held at Harare Sports Club. Zimbabwe defeated Ireland by 50 runs in the first match and Ireland defeated Zimbabwe in the second match as three-match series stands with 1-1. All One Day and T20I games in this tour will take place at the Harare Sports Club.

Zimbabwe were posted to bat and registered a colossal 299 runs in the first innings while Brian Bennett recorded an excellent 169. Bennett hit up to 20 fours and three sixes during his 163-ball inning and recorded 95-run partnerships with Ben Curran and 136-run partnerships with captain Craig Ervine for the first two wickets. The hosts had 299 on the board, which was slightly more than average for this wicket. Ireland replied and were in the game for most of the second innings, though they lost some early wickets during the powerplay. Campher and Stürling put on a 50-run stand, but when their partnership was dissolved, it came to nothing as Ireland were bowled out by 250 runs. Blessing Muzarabani ended with 4 for 51 and Richard Ngarava took three wickets of his own.

Ireland won the second match by six wickets and tied the series. Curtis Camphor was the man of the match. Zimbabwe are in dire need to get back on their feet and it is going to be an interesting game between these two teams.

Match Preview

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe come into this match following three losses in their previous five matches. Though they had won the opening match of the ODI series, they could not maintain the winning streak and lost their subsequent match to the same team. During the previous encounter between the two teams, Zimbabwe played first and had scored 245 runs.

Irish batters replied with a forceful effort, pursuing this plausible target in 48.4 overs losing four wickets. Zimbabwe's score was boosted predominantly by the half-centuries from Wessly Madhevere and Sikandar Raza.

Brian Bennett will captain the Zimbabwe batting team in this tournament. He scored 279 runs with an average of 34.88 and strike rate of 98.23 in his last eight matches. Zim skipper Craig Ervine has made 237 runs in his last ten matches with an average of 26.33 and a strike rate of 76.94.

Zimbabwe's pace attack is headed by Richard Ngarava, who has grabbed 14 wickets at a strike rate of 28.28 in his previous nine matches for Zimbabwe. Blessing Muzarabani has captured nine wickets in his previous seven matches at a strike rate of 36.66.

Ireland

The Irish have won three out of their last five matches against Zimbabwe, with one match being a draw. Zimbabwe's sole victory was in the first match of the series when they beat Ireland by 49 runs. Ireland have also won two out of their last five ODI matches.

Ireland won the last game of the series as they pursued the 245-run target in 48.4 overs. Curtis Campher was Ireland's hero with 63 runs from 94 deliveries and three wickets. Mark Adair got four wickets nicely and was Ireland's top bowler in the match.

Curtis Campher will be Ireland's batting line-up captain in this tournament. He has scored 336 runs in his last ten games at a strike rate of 76.36 and an average of 37.33. Harry Tector has scored 333 runs in his last ten games at a strike rate of 80.62 and an average of 37.

Mark Adair will spearhead the Irish bowling lineup. He has taken 16 wickets in his previous ten games at a strike rate of 33.31. Graham Hume has also picked 13 wickets in his previous ten games at a strike rate of 36.76.

Pitch Report

The Harare Sports Club track will assist the quicks in the initial stages when they bowl with the new ball. But towards the latter stages of the game, the track settles down and assists the batters. The rail will also assist the spinners later on. We are expecting some early morning fog during the competition and may receive some isolated showers in the afternoon.

Toss Prediction

We observed a total of 172 one-day international games at the Harare Sports Club in Harare. The teams who batted first have won 82 matches whereas the teams pursuing the finish have won 89 matches. It indicates that the level playing field holds good throughout the length of the competition. So the coin toss winning captain might opt to field first.

Weather Report

There is a 20 percent chance of rain on Tuesday in Harare as the scheduled season approaches. The maximum temperature will be up to 24° C with 70 percent humidity.

Head to Head

The Ireland and Zimbabwe teams have played against each other 24 times in ODI before. Twenty of the matches had a clear mandate and Ireland are ahead in those matches with an 11-9 record. There was one draw and three games were left unresolved.

Venue Details

Harare pitch is slower because of the strain and the batters would find it somewhat challenging here. Any total beyond 270 runs would be difficult to reach.

Match Prediction

Ireland played smart with the bat and the ball yesterday night and won quite comfortably. They were on spot with their attack and execution when it came to bowling and batting. Zimbabwe batsmen couldn't put up a big total and kept losing wickets in the middle order. Their bowling lineup didn't look menacing, apart from Muzurbani's opening in the previous game. We anticipate that Ireland will also carry on with their dream streak and win this match.

Ireland will take the match.

Betting Tips

The ODI series is equally poised with one win each claimed by both the teams. Ireland have enjoyed their recent matches played against Zimbabwe. It also boasts a better batting line-up and some bowlers in good touch. Home support is not going to benefit the Zimbabweans since the Irish should be accustomed to the conditions by now. In general, we anticipate Ireland to begin as favourites to win this tournament.

Bet on Ireland to win.

Probable Playing XI

Zimbabwe Playing XI

Brian Bennett, Craig Ervine, Ben Curran, Wesley Madhevere, Sikandar Raza, Blessing Muzurbani, Richard Ngarva, John Campbell, T Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Trevor Gwandu.

Ireland Playing XI

Andrew Balbirnie, Curtis Campher, Lorcan Tucker, Harry Tector, Paul Stirling, Graham Hume, George Dockrell, Mark Adair, Craig Young, Andy McBrine, Mathew Humpreys.

Top Fantasy Picks Dream11 Prediction

Zimbabwe Key Players

Brian Bennett also scored an excellent 169 while hitting up to 20 fours and three sixes during his 163-ball innings. It was the fifth highest score by a Zimbabwean batsman.

Blessing Muzarabani was in excellent form in the first game, ending with 4 for 51. He would be looking forward to giving another good performance.

Richard Ngarava is also capable of taking the new ball since he took three wickets in the last match. It will be a cost-effective budget option.

Ireland Key Players

Curtis Campher played well in the previous game, scoring 44 runs. He will also bowl some overs, so he is a top pick.

Andy Balbirnie is a high-risk, high-reward fantasy player for your team. Andy Balbirnie has an average of 41 match fantasy points and a fantasy rating of 7.5 over his last 10 matches. Andy Balbirnie is a first-class opening batsman and right-handed batsman.

Josh Little is a very inconsistent player in terms of fantasy points and can be a good choice for your team. This player has an average of 57 match fantasy points and a fantasy rating of 8.2 over the last 10 games.