News / National
Zimbabwe clinches historic T20I series win
2 hrs ago | 18 Views
Zimbabwe's senior men's cricket team, the Chevrons, delivered a commanding all-round performance at Queens Sports Club yesterday, defeating Namibia by five wickets to secure the three-match T20I series with a game to spare. This marks Zimbabwe's first T20I series triumph over Namibia, having lost the previous two contests.
Coach Justin Sammons made two changes to Monday's winning XI, bringing in Tony Munyonga and Tinotenda Maposa for Dion Myers and Blessing Muzarabani. After winning the toss, Zimbabwe elected to field first, restricting Namibia to 169/6 in 20 overs. The hosts chased down the target in 18.1 overs, finishing on 170/5.
Opener Tadiwanashe Marumani continued his impressive form, hitting a third consecutive half-century. He shared a 59-run stand with Brian Bennett, who fell just 10 runs short of his fifty, and later added 56 with Brendan Taylor to anchor the chase.
"It was more of a partnership thing, we had another good foundation at the top with the bat. We put in a lot of work coming into this series and it's showing. It's nice to win the series. We are trying to put a statement as well going into the qualifiers," said Maposa. "It's always special playing at Queens Sports Club. Every time I play here, I cherish the moment," he added.
In Namibia's innings, Richard Ngarava struck early, bowling Jan Frylinck for 22 with the last ball of the fourth over. Sikandar Raza then broke a 71-run second-wicket stand by having Malan Kruger caught by Bradley Evans for 45. Maposa followed with a key wicket, dismissing Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton for 47 in the 15th over. Namibia's lower order collapsed late, with Ngarava and Evans claiming the final three wickets. Ngarava and Evans each finished with 2/25, while Maposa and Raza took a wicket apiece.
During the chase, Marumani scored 50 from 36 balls, and Taylor added 29 off 26. After quick dismissals for Raza (3) and Munyonga (10), Ryan Burl (24 not out off 13) and Tashinga Musekiwa (9 not out off 4) sealed the victory, with Musekiwa hitting a towering six to finish the match. Bernard Scholtz, JJ Smit, and Ruben Trumpelmann each took a wicket for Namibia.
The third and final match of the series is scheduled for Thursday at the same venue, starting at 1:30 PM, with free entry for fans.
Coach Justin Sammons made two changes to Monday's winning XI, bringing in Tony Munyonga and Tinotenda Maposa for Dion Myers and Blessing Muzarabani. After winning the toss, Zimbabwe elected to field first, restricting Namibia to 169/6 in 20 overs. The hosts chased down the target in 18.1 overs, finishing on 170/5.
Opener Tadiwanashe Marumani continued his impressive form, hitting a third consecutive half-century. He shared a 59-run stand with Brian Bennett, who fell just 10 runs short of his fifty, and later added 56 with Brendan Taylor to anchor the chase.
In Namibia's innings, Richard Ngarava struck early, bowling Jan Frylinck for 22 with the last ball of the fourth over. Sikandar Raza then broke a 71-run second-wicket stand by having Malan Kruger caught by Bradley Evans for 45. Maposa followed with a key wicket, dismissing Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton for 47 in the 15th over. Namibia's lower order collapsed late, with Ngarava and Evans claiming the final three wickets. Ngarava and Evans each finished with 2/25, while Maposa and Raza took a wicket apiece.
During the chase, Marumani scored 50 from 36 balls, and Taylor added 29 off 26. After quick dismissals for Raza (3) and Munyonga (10), Ryan Burl (24 not out off 13) and Tashinga Musekiwa (9 not out off 4) sealed the victory, with Musekiwa hitting a towering six to finish the match. Bernard Scholtz, JJ Smit, and Ruben Trumpelmann each took a wicket for Namibia.
The third and final match of the series is scheduled for Thursday at the same venue, starting at 1:30 PM, with free entry for fans.
Source - The Chronicle
