WI vs ZIM: West Indies’ six-appeal meets Zimbabwean steel

Mumbai, Sunday evening: the floodlights at Wankhede Stadium had barely cooled from the earlier double-header when two of the tournament’s most colourful outfits returned to the outfield, one side swinging hard enough to make the Arabian Sea breeze whistle, the other standing as straight and unyielding as the granite stands beyond the midwicket fence. On Monday they collide in Super Eights Group 1, and the contrast in pedigree and pathway could hardly be starker.

West Indies arrived in Mumbai unbeaten in the group phase, a record that masks the turbulence of the past two years. Series losses to New Zealand, Nepal, Afghanistan and South Africa left question marks over the two-time champions, yet inside the dressing-room the mood is relaxed. “The team is in a good space,” coach Daren Sammy said after a two-and-a-half-hour nets session, the same venue where he lifted the trophy as captain eight years ago. Familiarity helps: most of the squad are IPL regulars and have thrived on Indian pitches that have generally favoured bowlers in this competition.

The hallmark of the Caribbean surge has been shared responsibility. Shimron Hetmyer’s 64 off 36 balls and Romario Shepherd’s maiden five-wicket haul sank Scotland. Sherfane Rutherford’s unbeaten 76 and Gudakesh Motie’s 3 for 33 toppled England. Jason Holder’s 4 for 27 and Shai Hope’s fluent 61 not out overpowered Nepal, before Hope’s 74 and Shamar Joseph’s four-wicket burst brushed aside Italy. Shepherd, nursing a niggle for the past week, is fit again, giving Sammy a full deck of power-hitters and wily death bowlers.

Zimbabwe, meanwhile, have gate-crashed the elite bracket with the same fearless brand that stunned Australia and Sri Lanka in Hambantota. Inspirational captain Sikandar Raza has marshalled a unit low on superstar names but heavy on belief. Brian Bennett, technically yet to be dismissed in the competition, provided the early impetus in both upsets, while Blessing Muzarabani’s nine wickets give the attack the bite it has lacked in previous global events. Graeme Cremer’s experience and Brad Evans’ variations complete a pace-spin cocktail that has flummoxed better-rated batting line-ups.

The head-to-head offers little recent form to dissect: the sides last met in the 2022 edition in Australia, where West Indies prevailed by 31 runs. Conditions at Wankhede, however, tilt the balance towards whoever adapts quickest. Early swing under lights and the tournament trend of scores hovering around 150 mean both camps spent Sunday fine-tuning yorkers and ramp shots rather than net-clearing practice.

For West Indies, the equation is simple: keep the six-appeal alive while avoiding the complacency that cost them dearly in 2022 and 2024. For Zimbabwe, the mission is to prove their group-stage heroics were no coastal mirage. One more upset and the Chevrons will believe a semi-final berth is no longer fantasy; one misstep and the Calypso kings risk another early flight home.

Monday night under the Wankhede lights, Caribbean flair meets African resolve. Only one narrative can survive.