Three wins in a row for Zim

February 7, 2015

Three wins in a row for Zim

Craig Ervine

Zimbabwe XI – 301 for 7 in 50 overs (Craig Ervine 58, Stuart Matsikenyeri 53; Jono Boult 2/59)

Northern Districts XI – 290 all out in 48.3 overs (Brett Hampton 114; Tendai Chatara 3/37)

Zimbabwe XI won by 11 runs.

Zimbabwe XI beat Northern Districts by 11 runs at the Harry Barker Reserve in Gisborne, New Zealand in their final of three warm-up matches organised by Zimbabwe Cricket to help them prepare for the International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricket World Cup.

After winning the toss and opting to bat first, Zimbabwe reached 301 for the loss of seven wickets in their allotted 50 overs, thanks to middle order contributions from Craig Ervine (58) and Stuart Matsikenyeri (53). Sean Williams (46) and Regis Chakabva (42) also had a part to play before Solomon Mire (39*) provided the fireworks at the back end of the innings.

The bedrock was provided by Ervine, who ground out a responsible and intelligent knock as he demonstrated his highly regarded skill in handling the middle period of the innings. He combined with Matsikenyeri to put on an 87-run partnership after the rest of the top order had chipped in.

Jono Boult (2/59) was the pick of the Northern Districts bowlers but the rest of their bowling attack could not exert sustained pressure by way of wickets at regular intervals.

Chasing, Northern Districts slipped to 137 runs for six wickets at the half-way stage, as Elton Chigumbura (2/61) and Chamunorwa Chibhabha (2/20) ripped through the top order.

When it seemed the match was out of reach, all-rounder Brett Hampton kept local hope alive with a magnificent 114 off just 74 balls.

It had to take nerves of steel from experienced seamer Tawanda Mupariwa, whose two late wickets wrestled back the initiative for Zimbabwe. Opening bowler Tendai Chatara also showed his class with three wickets of his own that eventually suffocated the opposition into submission.

For its intended purposes, the three practice-match exercise prior to the ICC Cricket World Cup schedule was beneficial not least for shaking off the cobwebs of inactivity and for helping to consolidate clearly defined roles for the team — Zimcricket.