Match 4, Hobart, October 17, 2022, 01:30 PM
Zimbabwe
174/7(20.0ov)
Ireland
143/9(20.0ov)
Zimbabwe beat Ireland by 31 runs
Best Batsmen
R
B
4S
6S
SR
Best Bowler
O
R
W
Econ
Man of the Match
Sikandar Raza
Commentry
Right then! That is it from this one-sided affair. On the 18th of this month, Group A actions see, Namibia will take on Netherlands at 9.30 am IST (4 am GMT) and later, Sri Lanka will face United Arab Emirates at 1.30 pm IST (8 am GMT). Do join us for the build up. Till then, cheers!
Craig Ervine, the skipper of Zimbabwe says they are happy and feels they belong here on the big stage. Applauds the performance of Sikandar Raza, says he is their best batter from the past few months. Tells they learned from the Ireland innings and they went a bit fuller. Reckons run rate could be possibly in the end and they are disappointed for dropping a few catches in the back end.
Andy Balbirnie says he has no regret at all. Adds he was happy at halfway with the ball but Raza took the game away. On Josh Little, he is their strike bowler. On their batting, Andy Balbirnie says Zimbabwe bowled brilliantly. They wanted to play decent cricket but they will look to turn things around now.
Sikandar Raza is the Player of the Match. He says he and Sean Williams tried to take the stand till the deep. Adds he just tried to time the ball well. Shares the wicket got harder or he just got a bit tired in middle. Reckons there is no secret to success. Says try and channel all the emotions of success and failure into the right way and try to compete with the best in the world. Shares there is a bit of discomfort but he hopes that he will be ready for the next game. Tells that their goal is to qualify for the next round. Reckons he will not celebrate this victory as he wants to go more further in the tournament.
...Presentation coming up...
Earlier, it was the masterclass from Sikandar Raza that proved to be the match-winning one. His innings made Zimbabwe get past 170. In reply, Zimbabwe bowlers reacted brilliantly and Ireland had no chance at all to chase the score.
Ireland were off to the worst start possible as they lost four in six overs and since then it was really hard for them to get back on track. There were a couple of partnerships but none that took the required run rate down. Ireland will hope for a better performance with the bat in this tournament. It was a batting pitch but Ireland failed to play that anchor role.
A comfortable win in the end for Zimbabwe! A good performance overall from them and it feels, that Raza's performance made a real difference. The bowlers then took four wickets inside the Powerplay and then kept a lid on the run flow. They kept on taking wickets at regular intervals and didn't give a single chance for Ireland to get back in the game. Blessing Muzarabani was the pick of the bowler as he claimed three wickets while Tendai Chatara and Richard Ngarava ended with two each. Zimbabwe were untidy at the backend but the victory was never in doubt.
In over# 20
0
0
4
0
0
0
Richard Ngarava 22/2(4)
19.6
.
Short ball on middle. Little looks to play to third man but misses. Zimbabwe win by 31 runs.
19.5
.
A slower bumper on middle. Little lets it go.
19.4
4
FOUR! A length ball, outside off. Little slaps it hard through covers for a boundary. These runs will make a difference eventually in the net run rate.
19.3
.
On a length and outside off. Little shuffles to paddle it but misses.
19.2
.
Short again. Little fails to connect his bat.
19.1
.
Short in length and on middle. Little looks to ramp it away but misses.
In over# 19
6
1
1
0
0
4lb
Blessing Muzarabani 23/3(4)
18.6
6
SIX! Ireland are not giving away still! Tad short and outside off. McCarthy pulls it over deep mid-wicket for a biggie.
18.5
1
On middle on a length. Little flicks it to deep mid-wicket for one.
18.4
1
Short of a length and outside off. McCarthy pulls it towards deep mid-wicket for a single.