New Zealand Women vs Zimbabwe Women, NZ-W vs ZIM-W 2026, Today Match Prediction
New Zealand Women vs Zimbabwe Women, NZ-W vs ZIM-W 2026, Today Match Prediction
MATCH: New Zealand Women vs Zimbabwe Women
DATE: 11 March ,Wednesday
TIME:03:30 AM IST
VENUE: University Oval, Dunedin, New Zealand
TOURNAMENT: 3rd ODI 2026
Can New Zealand Women complete a clean sweep?
- Skipper Amelia Kerr has delivered match-winning spells for the hosts
- Teams batting first have won 3 of the last 5 one-day matches played at this venue
- Zimbabwe’s batting has collapsed in both outings so far
NZW vs ZIM-W Match Prediction & Analysis
The WhiteFerns will take on Zimbabwe Women one last time in this multi-format series. The hosts won the T20I series 3-0 and have sealed the ODI series 2-0 with one last game to go.
There hasn’t been any particular advantage to either batting or bowling first at the University Oval in Dunedin so far this series. New Zealand Women outplayed the opposition in both games while batting and bowling first.
Amelia Kerr has been exceptional with the ball, while Brooke Halliday’s unbeaten 157-run knock put them far ahead of the visitors in the first one-day international of the series.
For Zimbabwean women, nothing has worked in their favor. In the first game, while chasing a mammoth total, Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano and Kelis Ndhlovu built a strong partnership for the second wicket. Still, the collapse soon followed as the visitors went from 142 for 3 to 174 all-out.
The team winning the toss opted to bowl first in both matches so far. While that decision backfired on Zimbabwe in the first game, the NZ Women were on top after opting to bowl first in the second.
TEAMS PREVIEW
New Zealand Women Preview
New Zealand Women bowled out the visitors for 102 runs in the second one-day international. Skipper led the run-chase with a 45-run knock, and the hosts beat Zimbabwe Women by 8 wickets.
Kerr continued her bowling form as she picked up 7 for 34 runs after opting to bowl first at the University Oval. While New Zealand did not include Jess Kerr in the XI for the second game, Molly Penfold, one of the key performers from the opening game, picked up 3 for 17 in the last match.
Kerr and co. will pose a tough challenge with the ball. They will make it difficult for the visiting side to get to a competitive total. Nensi Patel and Rosemary Mair are other key bowlers in the side who can deliver key breakthroughs to prevent any partnership from flourishing in the Zimbabwean innings.
Amelia Kerr also holds a key position in the batting order. While she opened the innings in both games, her opening partner was changed from Emma McLeod to Isabella Gaze in the second outing.
Zimbabwe Women Preview
Zimbabwe Women have failed with both bat and ball in this series so far. They conceded 354 runs bowling first in the opening match, while being bowled out for 102 runs batting first in the second game.
Opening batter Kelis Ndhlovu was the top scorer for the visitors in the first game while chasing the massive target. However, her 52-run knock came in 109 balls, which wasn’t an ideal scenario for Zimbabwe in that run chase.
Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano is another crucial figure at number 3. She has been one of the more reliable batters in the side for quite some time. Her experience will be useful to the visitors. Beloved Biza and Loreen Tshuma must step up and deliver handy knocks in the middle order.
The bowlers have struggled throughout the tour, picking up only one wicket in each of the first two T20Is and going wicketless in the third. In the one-day internationals, the visitors bagged 3 wickets in the first match and 2 in the second.
Skipper Nomvelo Sibanda has been wicketless so far in the series and must lead the charge for Zimbabwe in this game. Christabel Chatonzwa, Loreen Tshuma, and Beloved Biza are others to watch out for in this bowling attack.
Weather Conditions
It will be sunny in Dundein at the start of the game, but likely to get cloudy as the afternoon progresses, with a high of 16 degrees Celsius. We don’t expect any weather interruptions during this match, and it should be a great day for batting despite the occasional cloud cover.
NZW vs ZIM-W Pitch Report
It is a batting-friendly wicket where NZ bowlers have been exceptional in the last two outings. The average first innings score in the last 10 one-day matches played at this venue is 264 runs. The highest total successfully chased at this venue in recent matches was 292 runs in a Hallyburton Johnstone Shield game. Maddy Green was the centurion in that game, while Brooke Halliday picked up 3 for 23 in her 7 Overs while defending 291.
Toss: To Bowl
Though the team batting first has won 3 of the last 5 matches played at this venue in Dunedin, the team winning the toss in the last two games opted to bowl first. It looks like a high-scoring venue, and the batters will find help in both innings. As such, chasing down a total will be a great choice for the teams. It may not be such a great option for Zimbabwe, considering how they conceded a huge total in the first game after opting to bowl first. But there is some potential in their top 4, and they should back themselves to post a competitive total.
