ZIM Vs WI, ICC ODI World Cup Qualifiers Highlights: Zimbabwe beat West Indies by 35 runs

AS IT HAPPENED | ZIM vs WI Score, ICC ODI World Cup Qualifiers: Sikandar Raza’s impressive all-round showing (68 from 58 and 2/36) helped Zimbabwe beat Zimbabwe by 35 runs in a Group A match of the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier on Saturday.

It all started to go wrong for WI with the new ball, which Joylord Gumbie and Criag Ervine took advantage of, but a famous collapse of 3 for 27 saw Zimbabwe start rebuilding again, which Player-of-the-Match Raza did with self-confidence.

Zimbabwe struck twice in the first 10 overs to stage a comeback after Brandon King and Kyle Mayers helped their side to an impressive start. After taking over Tendai Chatara’s third for 14 runs, the West Indies seemed to have the first power play completely under control.

However, Blessing Muzarabani broke through in his first ever over, removing King for 20. Zimbabwe got their second success when left arm pacemaker Richard Ngrava Johnson got rid of Charles in the 10th over. They could have grabbed another on the last ball, but the fielder missed a straight run-out opportunity. The score was 55/2 at the end of the first power play and it was still everyone’s game.

Disciplined bowling from Zimbabwe increased the pressure on Shai Hope and Mayers as the pair collected just eight runs between overs 11-14. However, Mayers skipped a four-four hat-trick in the 15th to elevate the West Indies.

The crucial third wicket stand of 64 from 67 helped the West Indies get past 100. It was Wellington Masakadza who gave Craig Ervine’s men their next success, when he had Mayers for 56 in the 21st over. Nicholas Pooran came in at no. 5 and continued in his characteristic free-flowing style. He hit the mark with a hat-trick of bounds.

However, all aspirations of another match-turning Hope-Pooran stand were nipped in the bud by talisman Sikandar Raza, who cleared Hope in the 24th over. Pooran (34) then completed a patient 41-run partnership with Roston Chase, but his dismissal in the 32nd again changed the flavor of the game. Muzarabani got Rovman Powell in the next over to put Zimbabwe on top.

Having found their way to the tail end of the West Indies, the Zimbabwean bowlers were relentless and pressed on for wickets. Chatara staged a brilliant comeback after a poor start to finish on 3/52, Raza added two wickets in another exceptional batting performance, while Richard Ngrava shone with wickets from Charles and Pooran.

Earlier, an important 87-run tie between Sikandar Raza and Ryan Burl had helped Zimbabwe to a respectable 268-10 aggregate after the West Indies landed crucial hits in the top half of their innings.

Neither side got the upper hand in the first power play as the West Indies had no wicket while Zimbabwe were limited to under four runs per over. This was the first time in 10 ODIs that the West Indies had no wicket in the power play overs.

While Zimbabwe managed to marginally increase their scoring percentage after this, West Indies stayed sharp on the field and held onto their chances. Joylord Gumbie (26) was lbw to Keemo Paul in the 16th over. Soon after, Wessly Madhevere (2) was caught halfway on Akeal Hosein.

Zimbabwe had hoped that the experienced duo of Craig Ervine and Sean Williams would come through in this trying hour. But their troubles deepened when Ervine fell in an ill-timed reverse sweep for 47.

Williams and Sikandar Raza then took an aggressive approach against West Indian bowlers. While this produced fast runs, it also brought about the southpaw’s demise. Williams fell for 23 when he attempted to sweep a rising delivery from Alzarri Joseph across the center of the wicket in the 25th over.

The previous game’s record centurion Raza then teamed up with Ryan Burl to revive Zimbabwe. The duo survived a few chances at close range before picking up the pace and going for their shots. Their fifth wicket stand added 87 runs from 94 balls, before Burl fell lbw to Hosein for 50. Raza continued to score at a brisk pace and spent his half-century with back-to-back boundaries against Jason Holder in the 42nd over.

The jack-of-all-trades finally fell for 68 after pulling a Kyle Mayers delivery to Joseph in the deep end. The West Indies bowlers fought back in the final power play to pick six wickets, although slack work towards the end helped the final pair add 25 runs from 15 balls.

Historically, the Men in Maroon have dominated Zimbabwe in the ODI format, with 36 wins in 49 matches, but they will know that the hosts have had exceptional touch in the tournament.

Short Scores: Zimbabwe 268 in 49.5 overs (Raza 68, Burl 50, Ervine 47; Keemo Paul 3-61) defeated WI 233 in 44.4 overs (Mayers 56; Chatara 3-52, Ngarava 2-25) with 35 runs