Zimbabwe crashed to a convincing 8-wicket defeat at the hands of New Zealand in Harare. The hosts put into bat couldn’t get going as the Kiwis completely outclassed them in all facets of the game. While New Zealand look strong with 2 wins out of 2 games and almost on the brink of reaching final, it is the total opposite to Zimbabwe who are on the brink of elimination after losing both their games so far. There are many areas where they need to work on and we will list out three reasons why they lost this game.
Total Batting Failure as a whole keeps Zimbabwe to a modest total.Â
Put into bat first, Zimbabwe were expected to put up a competitive score on the board. But the innings never really took off and towards the end they crawled their way to 120 which was way under par on this wicket. The openers started decently as the pair of Wessly Madhevere and Brian Bennett put on 37 for the first wicket with Bennett scoring 21 off 20 balls and Madhevere scoring 36 off 32 balls. Zimbabwe were 39/1 after the powerplay which is a decent start and a platform to get going later on.
But they lost their way in the middle overs and never got going. Clive Madande at 3 struggled to get going while Sikandar Raza also was not in his elements as well. Ryan Burl and Tony Munyonga got to double figures but the innings really frittered away. Zimbabwe could only muster 45 runs in the middle overs for the loss of 3 wickets and 36 runs in the death overs also for the loss of 3 wickets as the innings nosedived to post a below par 120/7.
With such less runs on the board, the game was as good as over and it needed a miracle for Zimbabwe to compete in this game from hereon. Scoring 120 batting first at Harare will never be enough with 9 times out of 10 the teams chasing will win that game. In both matches, Zimbabwe have batted first and posted below par scores. We know they are good at chasing. But going forward, they need to learn to post competitive and par totals to challenge top class sides like New Zealand who are a well-oiled machine as Matt Henry led the way with the ball with 3/26 in 4 overs.
Costly Drop of Devon Conway by Blessing Muzarabani costs Zimbabwe the match
Defending 120, Zimbabwe needed to get early wickets and most importantly take all the catches that come their way. Unfortunately, they made a big error in the first over itself. Devon Conway had just got off the mark and was batting on 1 when Richard Ngarava induced an outside edge that flew to Blessing Muzarabani at short third man and the fielder dropped a dolly to give Conway a lifeline. He sure made Zimbabwe pay after that moment.
In the very next over, Muzarabani redeemed himself somewhat as he got rid of Tim Seifert. Had the catch of Conway being taken, then New Zealand would have been 2 down in as many overs and the pressure would have been there on New Zealand. Instead, Conway built an invaluable partnership with Rachin Ravindra who scored 30 off 19 balls as the duo put on 59 runs off 44 balls. Rachin was the aggressor of the two while Conway played the perfect anchor role.
Later he put on an unbroken 58 run stand off 32 balls with Daryl Mitchell who was unbeaten on 26* off 19 balls. Conway himself scored 59* off 40 balls and walked away with the Player of the Match award. But it could have been so different had that catch being taken.
Muzarabani did take a good catch later on, but he dropped the most important one. Catches win matches as they say and against top quality teams, one dropped catch could be costly as these batters won’t give another chance easily. Conway rode his luck and played beautifully. Zimbabwe needs to be alert and must sharpen their skills in the fielding as well to be successful.
Sikandar Raza having a rare off-day hurts Zimbabwe a lot
Sikandar Raza is not only a talismanic skipper but he is the one who is supposed to do heavy lifting match after match. With a young side without the services of Sean Williams and Craig Ervine, the whole batting is dependent on Raza to inspire them and compete against bigger nations. Unfortunately, after a good first game, Raza had a below par performance with bat and ball.
Sikandar Raza came into bat at Number 4 and struggled for fluency. He faced 18 balls for his 12 runs which included a boundary and left the stage at the completion of the 16th over. The score was 93/5 in 16 overs with Raza departing and all of Zimbabwe knew they were doomed for the day as without him there is no one to take the mantle forward. They crawled their way to 120/7 in 20 overs.
With the ball, he would have hoped to take a wicket but returned wicketless. His 3 overs went for 23 runs as the New Zealand batters played him with ease without the pressure of asking rate and kept him at bay. Once they did that, half their battle was won. It’s tough being Sikandar Raza as he looks like a one-man army for Zimbabwe. But for Zimbabwe to compete against higher ranked nations, they need Raza to perform day in and day out and hope others support.
There are two more games left for Zimbabwe in this Tri-series and Raza will have to be at his best as leader and performer to get the right results and keep Zimbabwe’s slim hopes of qualifying for the playoffs alive. He is a champion cricketer and we expect him to bounce back in the remaining matches for the Chevrons.
What Lies Ahead
Zimbabwe are on the brink of elimination after losing two games while New Zealand are on the brink of reaching the finals after winning both their games. Both teams next face South Africa in their next assignment as the second round of fixtures kick off from Sunday onwards. Zimbabwe will face South Africa on Sunday in a must-win clash for the hosts while New Zealand will be back in action on Tuesday.
So, can the hosts keep their slim hopes alive by upsetting South Africa on Sunday? Or will South Africa get back to winning ways after losing their last fixture against New Zealand a few days ago. Only time will tell. The first half of the Tri-series is over and at this stage it looks like a South Africa-New Zealand final on the horizon. Will the hosts make a comeback and spice things up? Only time will tell.
Also Read:Â ZIM vs NZ : Can Zimbabwe Rise & Outfox Clinical Black Caps?