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ZIMBABWE will play their second and final ICC World Twenty20 warm-up match against Ireland today. The match is at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) ground in Dharamshala, India, where Zimbabwe were on Thursday beaten by the local side by seven wickets with 36 balls remaining.

In the second match on the day, Ireland beat Hong Kong by 10 wickets with 46 balls remaining, thanks to the efforts of captain William Porterfield who led with an unbeaten 75 and fellow opener Andy Balbirnie who added 47 runs not out.

“It was a bit unusual for us to play like that. We have been playing very well, but were confronted by a different set of conditions which we were unable to negotiate very well,” explained Zimbabwe coach Davenell What- more.

“With the exception of Richy, the roles handed to our batsmen were never executed to any degree of satisfaction,” he said.

The coach pointed out that while it was disappointing to lose to the HPCA XI, preparations continue for the tournament and he expects an improved performance tomorrow.

“The main purpose now is to show improvement in these conditions once more,” he said.

Whatmore pointed out that Zimbabwe will face different conditions in Nagpur, where they play their three Group B qualifying matches for the Super 10 stage of the ICC World Twenty20 tournament.

The coach welcomed the arrival of Elton Chigumbura who was waiting for his visa in Dubai, where he has been playing for the Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League.

“We welcome back Elton whose absence was missed and we hope to perform better individually and keeping in mind our specific roles as batsmen,” he said.

Tomorrow, the Zimbabwe touring party will fly to Delhi and then connect to Nagpur, for their qualifying matches against Hong Kong, Scotland and Afghanistan on March 8, 10 and 12. — zim- cricket.