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Brandon Moyo, [email protected]

ZIMBABWE’S poor run in international cricket continued as they suffered a humbling 63-run loss at the hands of Ireland in a one-off Test match at Queens Sports Club yesterday.

There is no justification for the defeat, as the Chevrons lost to an Ireland team that hadn’t played competitive cricket for four months and were in their off-season.

Zimbabwe put in a dismal show, particularly with the bat. After Ireland won the toss and elected to bat first, they were bowled out for 260 in 56.4 overs, courtesy of a stunning seven-wicket haul from Blessing Muzarabani. The Chevrons managed to take a slender seven-run lead in response, crumbling to 267 all out. Nick Welch stood out with the bat for Zimbabwe, scoring 90 runs on debut, while Muzarabani chipped in with a valuable 47.

In their second innings, Ireland responded with 298 all out, setting Zimbabwe a target of 292 runs to win. The Chevrons, however, faltered once again, being bowled out for 228 runs despite a gallant effort from Wessly Madhevere.

Speaking after the conclusion of the match, Zimbabwe head coach Justin Sammons expressed his frustration at his team’s inability to capitalise on strong positions.

“It’s a bit of a trend at the moment. We find ourselves in strong positions, but when we are on top, we are not being ruthless enough. We seem to fight when the chips are against us, but we let games slip away when we should be taking control. It’s a combination of the mental side of things, technique, and execution of key skills in crucial moments,” said Sammons.

Reflecting on Zimbabwe’s performance, Sammons acknowledged the team’s lack of discipline in key moments.

“Having them six down for 80 on day one, we knew we had to be ruthless, but we let them off the hook with poor, ill-disciplined bowling from the back-up seamers. That allowed them to get away from us.

“We could have restricted them to a lower score with better discipline. And in our first innings, we needed to put up a big total given the conditions. The conditions were good for batting, and essentially, that’s where we dropped the ball. We should have had at least a 100-run lead going into day three.”

The Chevrons entered the final day yesterday with three wickets in hand, needing 109 runs to win.

Madhevere was the only recognised batter remaining in the middle, making victory a tall order.

Historically, only one Test team had ever successfully chased over 100 runs with just three wickets in hand on the final day—Pakistan against Australia in Karachi in 1994, where they won by one wicket.

“If you’re seven down going into day five needing over 100, it’s always going to be a challenge. Things need to go right. Kudos to Wessly for staying in, but if Newman had put in 30 with him, and then Richard came in with another 30, suddenly we’re closer to the target.

“But we were essentially asking the tail to do what the top order should have done. It’s not the tail’s responsibility—it’s the top order’s job to get the majority of the runs,” Sammons added.

Zimbabwe began day five on 183/7 with Madhevere batting alongside Nyamhuri, who survived a run-out scare in the first over of the day. However, Nyamhuri didn’t last long, falling for eight runs to Matthew Humphreys.

The match was all but sealed when Humphreys bowled Madhevere for a valiant 84 off 195 deliveries.

Andy McBrine then wrapped up the game for Ireland, dismissing Richard Ngarava for 14 runs.

Madhevere’s 84 now stands as the highest score by a Zimbabwean batting at number six in a Test chase, surpassing the previous record of 53 set by Craig Ervine against Afghanistan in January.

Craig Ervine

Brian Bennett fell five runs short of a half-century, scoring 45 off 72 balls, while skipper Johnathan Campbell managed 33 off 62 deliveries.

Humphreys finished with remarkable figures of 6/57 in 28 overs—his best in Test cricket and the best by an Irish bowler in the format. Barry McCarthy claimed two wickets, while Mark Adair and McBrine took one apiece.

McBrine was named Player of the Match for his all-round contributions with both bat and ball.

This victory marked Ireland’s third consecutive Test win, making them only the second team in history to achieve that feat, after South Africa.

Zimbabwe will have little time to recover, as they return to action on Friday for the first One Day International (ODI) against Ireland at Harare Sports Club. — @brandon_malvin.