Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], February 23 : Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza won the toss and opted to bowl first against West Indies in both teams' opening Super 8 clash of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Monday.
Both West Indies and Zimbabwe come into the Super 8 clash as the table-toppers of their respective groups in the tournament's group-stage. Two-time champions West Indies secured victories over Scotland, England, Nepal and Italy to progress, while Zimbabwe registered wins against Oman, Australia and Sri Lanka, with their fixture against Ireland ending in a no result due to abandonment.
West Indies' most notable group-stage triumph came against England, where the Shai Hope-led team defeated the Three Lions by 30 runs in a commanding performance. Zimbabwe, meanwhile, pulled off a significant 23-run victory over Australia, a result that underlined their strong campaign heading into the Super 8s.
After winning the toss and opting to bowl first, Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza said that he has chosen to bowl first because the pitch historically favours chasing teams. He wants to give the seamers an early opportunity to make breakthroughs, confirmed that Richard Ngarava replaces Wellington Masakadza, and added that it's an honour to face one of the champions at such an iconic venue.
"Looking at the history, it's a ground that's a lot suitable for chasing. Want to give our seamers a chance for early inroads. Ngarava replaces Masakadza. It's an honour to play one of the champions at an iconic ground like this," he said at the toss.
West Indies vs Zimbabwe T20 WC 2026 match playing 11s:
Zimbabwe playing 11: Brian Bennett, Tadiwanashe Marumani(w), Dion Myers, Sikandar Raza(c), Ryan Burl, Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, Brad Evans, Graeme Cremer, Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani.
West Indies playing 11: Brandon King, Shai Hope(w/c), Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Jason Holder, Romario Shepherd, Matthew Forde, Akeal Hosein, Gudakesh Motie, Shamar Joseph.