We had an absolute nail-biter at Harare Sports Club in Harare, where the 3rd ODI was played between Zimbabwe and Australia. The pendulum swung from one team to another, and in the end, the experienced Australians found a way to hold their nerve and break the hearts of Zimbabwe. It was a heartbreak for the hosts as they were left to think of what might have been. They had their chances to beat Australia, but lacked a little under pressure as Australia got lucky.
There were a few little aspects where Zimbabwe messed things up a little bit, and we will try and analyse them for you here.
Losing 5/65 in the last 10 overs of the batting innings pushed Zimbabwe back a little bit
Zimbabwe won the toss and this time decided to bat first and went along quite well through the various phases of the innings. The Chevrons scored 57 runs and lost both their openers in the power play. The middle phase, which was crucial for them, went well as they only lost Brendan Taylor in that phase while Innocent Kaia was retired hurt with a hamstring injury. But the two senior pros, Sikandar Raza and Craig Ervine, steadied the ship as the hosts were 206/3 in 40 overs.
With wickets in hand, the aim for Zimbabwe was to get in the range of 280-290, which would have been a winning score. But they collapsed in the end phase. Ervine got out, and the entire batting collapsed thereafter. The middle and lower middle order did not show up post Raza. Wickets fell in tandem as Raza fought a valiant lone battle. It was due to his efforts that they breached 270, but 65/5 in the back 10 wickets in hand is under par. The score should have been 280+. In a close game, these things come back to haunt you.
In future, whenever Zimbabwe plays the big teams, they need to be mindful of doing well in all phases of the game in ODI cricket. Even one bad phase can undo all the good and hard work done before that. This is something they must be mindful about. The Chevrons showed great spirit, and hats off to them for that. But they need to do the one-percenters right in order to be a better team at this level.
Dropped catches by Wessly Madhevere cost Zimbabwe the match
Defending 271, Zimbabwe were in the game and constantly pushing Australia. The Aussies were stumbling but also were giving their best as well. It was a see-saw close battle going either way. When the game becomes close, sometimes a moment of brilliance or a blunder in the field makes all the difference. And for Zimbabwe, it was the latter. The fielder in question was Wessly Madhevere, and he made the blunder twice on different occasions. Australia made them pay for it.
At first, when the team’s score was 111/3 in the 19th over, Josh Inglis, batting on 48*, cut him to backward point where Madhevere got a hand to it and put it down. Inglis had a life and did not need a second invitation as he converted this 48 into his second ODI ton, falling for 103 off 102 balls towards the end of the innings. Had Inglis been dismissed earlier, with the other batters falling, Zimbabwe would have won this game much earlier. Madhevere redeemed himself a bit by taking a stunner to dismiss Alex Carey later on.
But after Inglis went and Zampa too, the Aussies needed 27 runs with Nathan Ellis and Spencer Johnson on strike. Nathan built a stand with Spencer and took the game deep. Then another chance came Zimbabwe’s way as Nathan Ellis miscued a ball at deep midwicket where Madhevere dropped the easy catch. Zimbabwe could not believe it. To add salt to the wounds, Zimbabwe had 9 runs to defend in the final over when Madhevere was called onto bowl.
Ellis hit Madhevere for the maximum on the first ball, to literally seal the deal as Australia won the contest by 1 wicket with 1 ball to spare. But it could have been a lot different. Catches win matches, and Zimbabwe fumbled under pressure. Those two chances cost Zimbabwe the game, and the hosts need to be careful about their fielding in crunch moments in all situations in order to do well against strong opposition.
Blessing Muzarabani returning wicketless dented Zimbabwe
Another aspect to look at would be a wicketless series for Blessing Muzarabani. In the absence of regular captain Richard Ngarava, Muzarabani was supposed to lead the pace attack by taking wickets. He was the chief destroyer against Australia in the T20 World Cup 2026 in Sri Lanka. But in this 3-match ODI series, he went cold. He kept the run rate down and was economical in two of the three games. But his lack of wickets hurt the hosts.
He finished with 0/49 in 10 overs and had similar figures in Game 1 as well. In Game 2, he leaked runs without taking a wicket. Zimbabwe needed their spearhead to stand up and be counted, but he didn’t, unfortunately. When we think of it, Brad Evans, his new ball partner, picked up 4 wickets yesterday and 3 wickets prior to that in Game 2. All Zimbabwe needed was Blessing to pick up a wicket or two, and they would have won the game. But his lack of taking wickets hurt them.
Blessing needs to forget this series as far as taking wickets is concerned, move ahead, and see how he can improve on the upcoming assignments that lie ahead. Zimbabwe goes to the UAE in October for multiple engagements, and so, Blessing has to lead from the front with Ngarava still recovering from injury. We have to see how Blessing shapes up in the upcoming assignments.
What Lies Ahead
So, Australia will now head off to South Africa for a 3-match ODI series starting on September 24th in Durban. The 3-Test series against the Proteas takes place from October 9th onwards. Zimbabwe will head off to the UAE in October to play in multi-format matches against Afghanistan and Bangladesh. So, plenty of white-ball cricket coming our way for both teams looking ahead.
Also Read: ZIM vs AUS: Josh Inglis’ Ton Wins A Thriller