ZIM vs IRE Prediction: Who will win today's T20 World Cup 2022 match?
Day 2 of the 2022 T20 World Cup features an understated Zimbabwe versus Ireland clash as the two teams attempt to punch above their weight and make the Super 12 stage of the tournament.
Zimbabwe are in an excellent run of form at the moment. With four wins in their last five T20I matches to go with an excellent display against Australia Down Under, the Chevrons are high on confidence.
Ireland, on the other hand, defeated Afghanistan in a five-match T20I series back in August. They were whitewashed by India, New Zealand, and England prior to that, but they've shown clear indications of being a side on an upward trajectory.
Defending totals has been Zimbabwe's strength in T20Is of late, with them having batted first in each of their last eight matches in the format. Seven of those eight games ended in wins, outlining just how good they can be once they have runs on the board. Although it's still early days, the general trend in this year's T20 World Cup appears to favor the side batting first. Zimbabwe could exploit that to great effect.
Zimbabwe vs Ireland Match Prediction T20 World Cup 2022
Ireland's side seems to be coming together well. Both the batting and bowling departments are slowly gelling, with experienced campaigners being supported by a few talented youngsters.
Mark Adair has taken up death-bowling responsibilities with great confidence, while Josh Little had an excellent campaign in The Hundred this year. Gareth Delany seems to have overcome a rough patch to strike form again, and the likes of Barry McCarthy and Simi Singh have supported them well.
Paul Stirling's form is a concern for Ireland, though. The explosive opener has scores of 37, two, 11, 0, one, one, five and 0 in his last eight T20 innings, with a miserable Caribbean Premier League season contributing to his woes. Andy Balbirnie has hit his stride at the other end to somewhat make amends for Stirling's poor returns, but the Irish need their star opener to come good in the T20 World Cup.
Zimbabwe, meanwhile, have a host of talented performers. Regis Chakabva shone in Craig Ervine's absence, while Ryan Burl has grown leaps and bounds as an all-rounder. Sikandar Raza, of course, has done so well recently that he even has an ICC Player of the Month award to his name.
The Chevrons are also not short of bowling options, with almost all of their playing XI members being capable of rolling their arm over. Their warm-up match was a clear indication of the same.
Speaking of warm-up matches, Ireland are on the back of a loss to Namibia where their batting lineup crumbled like nine pins. But seeing how the Eagles dismantled Sri Lanka in their first game of the T20 World Cup, it might be wise to adopt a wait-and-watch approach before judging Ireland's batting.
Overall, the Zimbabwe-Ireland contest is too close to call and will come down to the team that executes their plans better on the day. The chasing team might be at a disadvantage, especially if it's Zimbabwe. Keeping that in mind, Ireland can be labeled slight favorites. This one could go either way, though.
Prediction: Ireland to win Match 4 of the 2022 T20 World Cup