HARARE - Zimbabwe cricket captain Brendan Taylor says the team will target a win against hosts Sri Lanka in their opening Group C match of the ICC World Twenty20 next Tuesday.

The African side will kick-start its campaign against the host nation next Tuesday before winding up their pool programme with a date against neighbouring South Africa two days later.

The team left the country last night for Sri Lanka and will get the opportunity to feel the deck in the subcontinent when they engage Ireland and Bangladesh in warm-up matches on Thursday and Saturday respectively.

While conceding the locals were placed in a tough group, Taylor said last June’s nine-wicket win over South Africa in the Pran RFL T20 tri-series final at Harare Sports Club gave the team reason to believe.

“Obviously we are in a tough group but we have played some good cricket against Sri Lanka and South Africa in the ODI and T20 formats of late and we hope to build on that,” Taylor told the Daily News yesterday.

“The fact that we beat South Africa in a final in June is enough motivation for the team and evidence of how greatly we are improving with each passing game.

No team is invincible and on our day, we can take on virtually any opposition.

“Hopefully, if we can get a good start in the opening match it will put us on the right track for the rest of the campaign. We have the talent and it’s just a matter of coming to the party at the right intervals.”

ZIM SQUAD

Brendan Taylor (captain), Hamilton Masakadza, Vusi Sibanda, Stuart Matsikenyeri, Malcolm Waller, Elton Chigumbura, Graeme Cremer, Raymond Price, Kyle Jarvis, Chris Mpofu, Richard Muzhange, Brian Vitori, Prosper Utseya, Foster Mutizwa.