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Nagpur: Zimbabwe skipper Elton Chigumbura won the toss and decided to bat first against Canada in the Group A World Cup league match at the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) stadium in Nagpur on Monday.
Beaten comprehensively in their respective opening encounters, it would be World Cup's 'Battle of the Minnows' between the teams.
Canada made one change to the side that lost to Sri Lanka in its tournament opener with Nitish Kumar, the youngest player in the World Cup, coming in for Henry Osinde in the opener's slot.
The day game at the VCA stadium is only the second clash between the two sides in one-day cricket and their maiden battle in the World Cup.
Zimbabwe had coasted to a 143-run win in May 2006 in the neutral venue of Port of Spain by bundling out Canada for a miserly 85.
While Zimbabwe bowlers managed to restrict Australia to 262 in their first match, their batsmen couldn't soak in the pressure and were all-out for 171.
Canada, on the other hand, were no match for former world champions Sri Lanka as they were walloped by 210 runs in the newly built Hambantota stadium.
With the format being very difficult for the minnows, a victory will certainly keep these teams interested in showing stomach for fight.
On paper, Zimbabweans are a superior side with players who have a lot of ODI cricket against the big teams against their names. The likes of Chigumbura, Tatenda Taibu, Brendan Taylor, Ray Price will hope to showcase their fighting ability on the biggest stage.
Charles Coventry, Taylor and Taibu are the three batsmen on whom Zimbabwe's hopes of a big total will rest.
Zimbabwe will again rely on spinners to keep the pressure on Canada after an eye-catching show by Ray Price, Prosper Utseya and Graeme Cremer against a strong Australian batting line-up.
Canada will be hoping that they put up a decent show which will have the big bosses of International Cricket Council sit up and take notice.
With the number of teams for the 2015 World Cup being reduced to 10, it will be a last chance for the Canadians to showcase their skills at the world stage.
The cavalier John Davison, who caught everyone's imagination with a blazing century in the 2003 edition, would like to make an impression.
So would the likes of skipper Ashish Bagai, Rizwan Cheema, Harvir Baidwan, Balaji Rao - all of whom have some Indian connection.
At 40, Davison, is the oldest player in this World Cup. Baidwan, who grabbed a couple of wickets against Sri Lanka in the last match feels that a good performance may just open the doors for him to play in Ranji Trophy (if he gets a chance he will apply for dual citizenship) and Indian Premier League.
Baidwan is one of the centrally contracted players of Cricket Canada which gives him a chance to concentrate fully on his game.
Then there is leg-break bowler WD Balaji Rao who was once considered as an India prospect and even played in the Challengers Trophy. Balaji, a regular for Tamil Nadu during early 2000, will also be gearing up to give a good account of himself.
