Captain Sikandar Raza led from the front and led the team from the front when the team needed it the most. Sikandar Raza came out to bat when Innocent Kaia retired hurt for 55 and held the innings together as wickets fell at the other end. He was ably supported by Craig Ervine in particular, but lost his partners at the other end in the end phase. Still, he hung in there and scored an unbeaten 81 off 72 balls with the tail to help the Chevrons reach a fighting 271/8 in 50 overs.
For Australia, they came back well with the ball in hand. Nathan Ellis was the pick of the bowlers with 3/50 while Spencer Johnson finished with 2/50 in 10 overs. Adam Zampa finished with 2/53 as there was one run out as well towards the end of the innings. This match can go either way but Australia’s depth in batting certainly gives them the advantage at the interval.
Zimbabwe gets off to a solid start despite losing both the openers in the power play
Winning the toss and electing to bat first, Brian Bennett and Ben Curran came out to open the batting for Zimbabwe while Spencer Johnson had the ball in hand for Australia. Johnson bowled a wide and gifted a boundary away as he bowled on the pads which Bennett tickled it away to the fine leg fence for a boundary. Xavier Bartlett had the ball in hand from the other end. He bowled a decent first over. Johnson continued and delivered a maiden.
Bartlett continued as Bennett threw his hands at that and drove it through the cover point region for a boundary. Johnson continued and kept things tight, under check. Bartlett continued as Bennett took him on and pulled it over deep square leg for the maximum. He then hit a boundary as an inside edge past the leg stump and away to the fence for a boundary. Bennett was in his zone as he flicked it away past forward square leg for a boundary.
Johnson continued and drew the first blood as he dismissed Curran for 7 off 13 balls thanks to great usage of DRS as he was caught down the leg side with the ball hitting the gloves. The umpire had to change the decision. Innocent Kaia came out to bat next and received a wide first-up. He got off the mark with a boundary as he leaned forward as the ball went away to the fine leg fence for a boundary.
Bartlett continued as he bowled on the pads which Kaia flicked it away through midwicket for a boundary. Nathan Ellis came onto bowl next. Bennett helped it on its way towards the fine leg fence where Spencer Johnson misfielded and allowed the ball to go to the ropes. Ellis hit back a few balls later and picked up his first wicket as he dismissed Bennett the set batter for 30 off 29 balls with 5 fours and one six to his name as he was caught at mid-on by Travis Head. Brendan Taylor came out to bat next.
Bartlett continued and bowled the last over of the power play as Kaia pulled the ball away past long-leg for a boundary. Taylor got into the act as he flicked the ball through midwicket for a boundary to end the over and the first power play. At the completion of 10 overs, Zimbabwe were 57/2 with Innocent Kaia unbeaten on 14 off 13 balls and Brendan Taylor unbeaten on 4 off 5 balls as we entered the middle phase of the game.
Brendan Taylor falls, but Innocent Kaia drives Zimbabwe forward till the half way stage of the game
Nathan Ellis continued after the power play and bowled a tight over. Cooper Connolly came into the attack next. He bowled a decent first over as well. Ellis continued and bowled a decent over. Matt Renshaw came into the attack next. He bowled a decent first over as well. Adam Zampa came into the attack next and struck for Australia as he knocked Brendan Taylor over with a beauty for 9 off 16 balls with one four to his name. Craig Ervine came out to bat next and got off the mark soon as well.
Oliver Peake came onto bowl next and he too kept things tight. Zimbabwe were 73/3 in 16 overs when we paused for the first Drinks Break of the match. Zampa continued after the break and bowled a miserly over. Renshaw returned to the attack as Innocent reverse swept him away past short third man for a boundary. Innocent got a reprieve off Renshaw as a stumping chance went begging when he was batting on 26*. The keeper made an absolute meal of a simple stumping chance.
Zampa continued as Innocent punched him down the ground past long-on for a welcome boundary. Cooper Connolly returned as Ervine lofted him inside out over extra covers for a boundary. Zimbabwe were 99/3 in 20 overs. Zampa continued as the 100 came up for the Chevrons in 20.3 overs. Spencer Johnson came back into the attack next. Ervine looked to jab at it and got an inside edge past the leg stump and away to the fine leg fence for a lucky boundary.
Ervine then drove the ball past mid-on and away to the fence for a boundary. Renshaw returned to the attack as Kaia ran down the wicket and tried to hit it down the ground and he beat the fielder past wide long-on for a boundary. Johnson continued and bowled a wide as well. He overstepped as well. The free hit was dealt with as Innocent crunched the ball by rocking back and pulled it away in front of square for a boundary. Cooper Connolly came to bowl the 25th over.
Ervine reverse swept the ball past the point region as the ball raced away for a boundary as the batter showed great innovativeness. At the end of 25 overs at the halfway stage of the game, Zimbabwe were 132/3 with Kaia batting unbeaten on 49 off 57 balls and Ervine with him unbeaten on 31 off 36 balls.
Innocent Kaia retires hurt after his 3rd ODI fifty; Craig Ervine & Sikandar Raza drive Zimbabwe forward till the 40th over
Matt Renshaw continued as Kaia reached his 3rd ODI fifty in 59 balls. Nathan Ellis returned to the attack and bowled a decent over. Xavier Bartlett returned to the attack as well and bowled a probing over. Ellis continued and in the 29th over, Kaia hurt himself in the hamstring and was down in severe pain. The physio had to come in and put heavy strapping on the right hamstring. He continued but two balls later he retired hurt for 55 off 66 balls with 7 fours to his name which brought captain Sikandar Raza to the crease. He got off the mark straightaway.
Bartlett continued and bowled a tight over as Zimbabwe were 151/3 in 30 overs. Ellis continued and bowled a tight over. Renshaw returned to the attack as Australia wasted a DRS against Raza for LBW as the height saved the batter. But it was a maiden over from Renshaw. Zimbabwe were 153/3 in 32 overs when we paused for the Drinks Break. Zampa continued after the break as Raza took him on with the short ball outside the off-stump which he whacked it over deep midwicket for the maximum. Renshaw continued and bowled a decent over.
Zampa continued as Ervine completed his second fifty of the series in 67 balls. Spencer Johnson came back into the attack and he bowled a decent over as well. Zampa continued as Ervibe got down on one knee and swept it firmly past the right of backward square leg for a boundary. Johnson continued and bowled a wide and then another review was wasted by Australia against Raza for caught behind down the leg side as the Aussies were down to 0 reviews. Johnson delivered a few wides but bowled a decent over.
Xavier Bartlett came back into the attack as Raza welcomed him by using his feet and converted it onto a full toss and drove it past left of mid-on for a boundary. Sikandar Raza now had the most runs at Harare Sports Club. Ellis came back to bowl the 40th over as Raza helped it on its way past fine leg as the ball raced away to the fence for a boundary. Raza was in the zone as he got on top of the bounce and flat batted it past mid-off for a boundary. The 200 came up for Zimbabwe in 39.3 overs.
At the completion of 40 overs, Zimbabwe were 206/3 in 40 overs with Ervine unbeaten on 59 off 78 balls and Raza unbeaten on 38 off 39 balls. We now entered the final phase i.e. the death overs phase of this innings.
Australia strike back with late wickets but captain Sikandar Raza’s valiant knock takes Zimbabwe to a fighting 271/8 in 50 overs
Adam Zampa came to bowl his 8th over and he got rid of Ervine and broke the threatening stand as he was holed out at long-on by Matt Renshaw for 59 off 79 balls with 5 fours to his name. Wessly Madhevere came out to bat next. He got off the mark soon. Ellis continued and he dismissed Madhevere for 1 off 2 balls as he chipped to Renshaw at short cover. Brad Evans came out to bat next and got off the mark next. Zampa continued and bowled a tight over.
Spencer Johnson came back into the attack as Evans took him on with a pull shot by rocking back through the midwicket region for a boundary and then slapped it down the ground over mid-off for a boundary. Johnson had the last laugh as he dismissed Evans for 11 off 11 balls with 2 fours to his name as the edge carried to Inglis. Graeme Cremer came out to bat next. Ellis changed ends and got rid of Cremer LBW for 1 off 4 balls. Ernest Masuku came out to bat next as Zimbabwe were 231/7 in 45 overs.
Spencer continued as Raza completed his 26th ODI fifty off 51 balls. Johnson kept things under check. Zampa continued as Raza hit the ball down the ground to long-on where Bartlett let it go through the palms for a boundary. Zampa bowled a couple of wide balls and finished his spell. Xavier Bartlett came back into the attack and bowled a decent over. Ellis continued to bowl the 49th over as Raza heaved it over mid-off for a boundary. He bowled a wide before Raza hoisted it over extra covers for a boundary.
Ellis finished his spell. Bartlett came to bowl the final over of the innings and he bowled a wide ball. Raza ramped the ball past short fine leg for a boundary. Then there was a run out of Masuku for 3 off 9 balls in the penultimate ball of the innings. Blessing Muzarabani came to the crease at the bowler’s end as Raza managed a brace of the final ball of the innings. Zimbabwe finished with 271/8 in 50 overs with Raza unbeaten on 81 off 72 balls with 7 fours and one six to his name while Muzarabani was unbeaten on 0 off 0 balls. 14 extras given by the Aussies.
The Australian bowlers bowled decently out there. Nathan Ellis was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3/50 in 10 overs. Adam Zampa finished with figures of 2/53 in 10 overs. Spencer Johnson finished with 2/50 in 10 overs. Xavier Bartlett finished with 0/69 in 10 overs. Cooper Connolly bowled 3 overs for 17 runs. Matt Renshaw bowled 6 overs for 26 runs. Oliver Peake bowled an over for 4 runs. This meant that the target for Australia would be 272 runs off 50 overs to win the series 3-0.
Who’s Winning, Australia or Zimbabwe?Â
Zimbabwe have done well after opting to bat first and have posted a competitive 271/8 on the board. But at 206/3 in 40 overs, they ought to have gotten a few more runs. Maybe they are 10-15 runs short of what they might have liked to be as the Aussies came back well in the death overs. Australia still have to bat well to win this match. Zimbabwe will aim for early wickets to make a match out of this.
Sit back, as we could be in for a thrilling second half of the innings.
Also Read:Â ZIM vs AUS: Travis Head & Co Hammer Zimbabwe