I really think Zim needed a bigger total. The pitch seems pretty flat (although we cant really judge that until we see both teams bat on it...) and the big Streak factor is working against Zimbabwe. The Indian spinners got hammered, which is also bad news for Zimbabwe, as they have 3 of them in their lineup. Although again, it could have just been the quality of the batting and bowling rather than the pitch.

I thought 275 would have been needed, but 250 is definately defendable. The key will be the opening bowlers. Utseya and Ewing can do a very good job in the middle overs, but if the opening bowlers have been hammered, Utseya and Ewing often do as well, so a good start is very important.

Coventry looks like a find for this series though. I saw his first ODI innings a while back, against England, and he looked REALLY out of his depth. Horribly balanced and played away from his body. But hes obviously fixed that up judging by this series. Taibu also played himself into form by hammering the medium pacers early, which was good to see. If Blignaut and Coventry had stayed at the crease for a little longer, a huge total was on the cards, but it wasnt to be. 250 is a good score though.

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