Hosts look for final push

Between Nelson Mandela Avenue and African Unity Park,the poster stares down every passer-by driving down towards the City Centre....

Between Nelson Mandela Avenue and African Unity Park,the poster stares down every passer-by driving down towards the City Centre. The advertisement captures Yuvraj Singh,Hamilton Masakadza and Kumar Sangakkara playing their respective trade-mark strokes,as the slogan written in calligraphic font underneath reads: There can be only one winner.

Three buses,loaded with school children,scream as they spot the hoarding,while their vehicles meander their way through the avenues and into the parking lot of the Harare Sports Club. Forming symmetrical queues behind their teachers,the children buzzing with excitement make their way past the Maiden Club House and into the ground.

The first sight of their scarlet heroes sends the pack of blue and green uniformed children into a frenzy. With ruled-notebooks kept open,the children wait for their autographs,as the Zimbabwean cricket team go about their afternoon practice session in the mid-winter chill.

With the hosts powering their way through to the final with three wins two over India and one against Sri Lanka the tide has turned with respect to the fortunes of the game in the country. With zero international cricket played over the last 18 months,the organisers have made sure that maximum possible capacity of spectators will get to witness Zimbabwe making history,even if it a day before the big final.

This tournament has been a massive step for us. With the way Zimbabwe are playing,the crowds have once again accepted the game and are following the teams fortunes. It is a great moment in our history. But tomorrow,we have another cricket match to play and win, Dave Houghton,former Zimbabwe captain and assistant coach says.

Keeping the momentum

Going into the final,as far as momentum is concerned,Zimbabwe have the upper-hand over Sri Lanka. Having clobbered the Islanders by eight wickets in the dress rehearsal on Monday,mainly due to Brendan Taylors 119 not out his highest score in one-day cricket the side seem like a well oiled machine.

Masakadza too,has hit a thick vein of form,with 177 runs from four innings. He hasnt been used for his bowling,though,as the Zimbabwean spinners have been outstanding. Clamping the opposition for runs,Ray Price,Greg Lamb,Graeme Cremer and Prosper Utseya dominate both the bowling attack and wicket charts.

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While Taylors success at the top of the order will be crucial for Zimbabwes fairytale finish he is the leading run-getter in the tournament with 276 runs and three Man of the Match awards the toss too has played a large part in the series,as every match has been won by the team batting second.

Despite knowing that fact,I still wouldnt mind batting first and posting 300 on the board,it always works under pressure. But the decision will be made by the captain on the morning of the match, Sri Lanka coach Trevor Bayliss had said after their loss on Monday.

Bayliss feels that Tillakaratne Dilshan amp; Co cannot afford another collapse if they want to avenge their defeat. The openers did well to get us to 122 for no loss. The team then bundled up for the next 114 runs. If we have to win this series,it would be fair to say that Monday cannot happen again, Bayliss added.

The teams finish their practice,but the Zimbabweans stay back to oblige the waiting school children. On the eve of the final,the words on the poster make no sense. Cliched as it may be,whatever happens on Wednesday,Zimbabwe cricket has been the ultimate winner.