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That's it from this rain affected thriller from the Harare Sports club. Zimbabwe win it in the end, there are 2 more ODIs left in this series. This is me, Divyansh signing off on behalf of myself and my partner Raghav. Stay tuned at Sportskeeda for more. You can follow the India vs New Zealand game here. It is turning into a thriller as well.
Ryan Burl (Player of the match): It's obviously one of those games where you want to get over the line, a good thriller. Unlucky for those two guys that scored a century. No message from the dugout, we knew there was rain around the ground so we went after the DLS score. Kudos to Madande as well as he got us over the line in the end.
Craig Ervine (Zimbabwe skipper): It's always close when we go up against Ireland. It was a difficult target, Tector and Balbirne batted really well to set up a big total for us. The wicket got better later on making it relatively easy for us.
Paul Stirling (stand in Ireland skipper): It was like a deja vu. Hope the crowd got there money's worth. Always a tough place to bat first (Harare), teams always like to put you to bat first after winning the toss. Kudos to the Zimbabwe batters, they did extremely well to get their side over the line.
Match Summary-
Zimbabwe win by 3 wickets. (DLS)
Ryan Burl 59 (41) | Victor Nyuachi 2/65 (10.0) Andrew Balbirnie 121 (137) | Mark Adair 2/40 (8.0)
A stunning thriller in the end, thanks to the delay due to rain. After Balbirnie and Tector helped Ireland get to 288 in the first innings, they would have felt like they can defend it.
They started off well with early wickets after which Ervine and Ballance got a little partnership together. But Tector brought them back in the game with Ervine's wicket and Ballance got out soon after that as well.
They still has a long way to go after that, and then a light shower started. Raza and Burl decided to chase down the DLS par score then, and they were 2-3 runs behind it for a few overs before the rain came in.
They were at 175 when the rain came in and the DLS score was 177. They would have been praying for the rain to stop and the game to resume, and their prayers were answered. Game resumed with a target of 214 for them in the next 22 deliveries.
Ireland started off well in that as well, got the wicket of Raza and did not let them hit a boundary until Burl hit a four and a six at the end of the 36th over. He got run out in the last over, and then Evans hit a first ball six when 11 were required off 4 balls. He got out on the next ball with 5 required off 3. Madande hit a boundary off the last ball to win it for them.
37
overs
214/7score
1
1W
6
W
1
4
runs
Clive Madande*
12(9)
Wellington Masakadza
1(1)
Graham Hume
2/41
36.6 Graham Hume to Clive Madande, FOUR! ZIMBABWE WIN! Hume after executing every yorker perfectly, misses out on it in the final delivery. Low full toss on middle-leg, right in the arc of Madande. He goes down on one knee and lofts it in the vacant deep midwicket region for a one-bounce boundary!
36.5 Graham Hume to Wellington Masakadza, slow, full and outside off, Masakadza tries to reach out and slam it away on the leg side but miscues it towards long off, settles for a single. 4 needed off the final ball.
Wellington Masakadze, LHB, comes to the crease.
6 and then out. Drama in the end. 5 required off 2 balls now with a new b atter on strike.
36.4 Graham Hume to Brad Evans, OUT! Full and on the pads, Evans tries to whip this one away but he was done by the pace. The ball came shaping in and crashed his pads. The umpire had no hesitation in raising his finger. 5 needed off 2!
Brad Evans lbw b Graham Hume 6 (2b, 0x4, 1x6)
5 off 3 required now. Evans has smoked it on the first ball that he faced.
36.3 Graham Hume to Brad Evans, SIX! MORE DRAMA! Full and wide, Evans quickly shuffles across, gets down on one knee and slices it over deep point for a maximum! 5 needed off 3 now!
Brad Evans, RHB, comes to the crease.
Burl tried his best to get back on strike. But a brilliant throw on the bounce, has him short of the crease. Is this match done and dusted, or do we have another twist?
36.2 Graham Hume to Ryan Burl, RUNOUT! 1 run completed. Is that the game? Hume executes the wide yorker to perfection. Burl gets across and carves it through the covers. Campher at deep cover was quick to get to the ball and get it to the keeper's end. Burl had no choice but to rush back for the second, he is significantly short off his crease.
Ryan Burl run out (Curtis Campher/Lorcan Tucker) 59 (41b, 6x4, 2x6)
Madande couldn't find a boundary, but he has put Burl on strike.
36.1 Graham Hume to Clive Madande, slower ball in the blockhole, Madande swings hard on the leg side but only manages an inside edge onto his pads, the batters steal a quick single and Burl is back on strike now.
Burl ends the over with a bang. He brought up his fifty with a boundary and then hits a hige maximum. 13 required off the last over now, but he is off strike.