T20 Cricket News

Alan Butcher, the new Zimbabwe coach, is banking on his team to pull off an upset during the opening round of World Twenty20 matches in the West Indies. They have been grouped with New Zealand and Sri Lanka for the opening phase of the tournament and Butcher believes the nature of the format gives his side a chance.

"We could have been in a worse group, I tell you," Butcher said. "We have to try and match the standards of at least one of these two teams, if we do that we can make it. The nature of Twenty20 cricket, however, is that teams can be upset by a single heroic achievement. One catch, fifty or one good over can turn things around for any team; we have to take every half chance and catch we can get, that's all there is to it."

In an aim to give themselves the best chance of success, Zimbabwe are arriving in the Caribbean ahead of many other teams for a warm-up schedule that includes a four-day and one-day matches against West Indies A, plus a one-dayer against West Indies before the official World Twenty20 practice matches.

The squad has recent experience of conditions in the Caribbean - including Guyana where they will play their group matches - after the recent tour where they lost the one-day series 4-1 having started with victory in the Twenty20 international.

Zimbabwe's tactics throughout that series were based around their spinners, with the new ball given to Ray Price. Butcher joined that trip late after his appointment to the coaching role, but is set to continue with a similar style of play on what is likely to be a slow, low wicket at Providence in Guyana.

"We had a game plan in the last West Indies tour that would have really worked if we had batted better," he said. "I will work with a similar strategy. My overall strategy will unfold as we go through our four day match and two ODIs, and its details will become more refined after that.

"We are working hard to make sure that there are enough good options and combinations to force people to get out there and bring the best out of themselves."

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