NELSON, New Zealand — Zimbabwe has warned it will show no mercy against cricket minnows the United Arab Emirates in their World Cup match here Thursday, with captain Elton Chigumbura promising a “ruthless” approach. The Pool B match statistics are heavily lop-sided in favor of Zimbabwe, seeking a commanding win as it bids to bounce back from its opening loss to South Africa. “You have to take every game seriously, do the basics right and make sure when you get into a good winning position you are ruthless and win the game,” Chigumbura said Wednesday. Zimbabwe put up a credible showing in parts during their tournament opener against South Africa. It had its border rival struggling at 83 for four before century-makers David Miller and JP Duminy mounted a 256-run rescue mission to lift the Proteas to 339. In reply, Zimbabwe reached 191 for two before it lost its last eight wickets for just 86 runs. “It was a confidence boost the way we played (in parts) but also disappointing to play the way we did for 90 overs but we didn't manage to finish off,” Chigumbura said. On paper, an established cricket nation such as the 10th-ranked Zimbabwe should be far too powerful for UAE who scrapped into the World Cup as one of the final two qualifiers along with Scotland. Zimbabwe's aim in the build-up to Thursday's match has been to correct problem areas that surfaced against South Africa. “We have to make sure that we improve on things that we didn't do well from the first game,” Chigumbura said. “That's the most important thing when it comes to our team because we are quite balanced when it comes to batting and bowling, so it's just polishing up where we went wrong in the first game.” Zimbabwe is seen to be in a three-way battle with Ireland and the West Indies for the fourth quarterfinal spot in a pool which also includes South Africa, defending champion India and Pakistan. Ireland has already struck the first blow with its upset win over the West Indies Monday and Zimbabwe knows it cannot afford to slip-up against any of the minor teams or its chance to make the knockout phase could be over. Saxton Oval, with its short boundaries, offers the potential for a high-scoring game. Chigumbura is expecting big totals from his top order and not just Hamilton Masakadza who impressed with 80 against South Africa followed an unbeaten 117 against Sri Lanka in a warm-up match. “He's leading from the front as the senior batter in the team and it's rubbing off on the rest of the players,” the captain said. “The good thing about our team at the moment is everyone is in good nick, so don't expect just Hamilton to put up a good performance.” Meanwhile, a United Arab Emirates team composed largely of expatriates and semiprofessionals, is determined to show it isn't at the tournament merely to make up numbers. UAE last played at a World Cup in 1996, beating the Netherlands by seven wickets for its only win. But it comes into the current tournament with a mature squad — captain Mohammad Tauqir and leading batsman Khurram Khan share the distinction of being the World Cup's oldest players at 43 — and with a solid preparation. The deficit between the teams in experience broad, epitomized by the respective captains. Zimbabwe's Elton Chigumbura has played 170 One-Day Internationals, considerably more than the entire UAE squad. Tauqir has played only five official ODIs since his debut 11 years ago, most recently in its win over fellow World Cup qualifier Afghanistan in November. UAE lost narrowly to Afghanistan and was beaten heavily by Australia in its two informal warm-up matches ahead of the World Cup but showed potential by finishing second behind Scotland in the qualifying tournament in New Zealand in October. Tauqir expects his players, many whom have to balance their cricket careers with fulltime jobs, to savor a rare opportunity to play on a big stage. “It's an honor for me and for the whole team to represent the country,” he said. “Iit's long back we last played World Cup. Everybody is excited and looking forward to participating in this event.” Tauqir said his players, being “mature characters,” could “handle a pressure situation and be calm on the ground, don't get over-emotional.” The UAE has set goals for the tournament that are ambitious. Like the other associate nations — Ireland who beat the West Indies in their opening match and Scotland which ran New Zealand close Tuesday — it hopes to prove it can compete with cricket's top-eight teams. “Collectively we are looking forward to at least having a couple of wins against Test nations,” Tauquir said. “That's what we are targeting.” — Agencies
