CRICKET: Zim A clinch series

11 Jan, 2015 - 00:01 0 Views
CRICKET: Zim A clinch series pace is power . . . Zimbabwe A cricket seamer Cuthbert Musoko in action against Canada in the third ODI at Harare Sports Club yesterday. — (Picture by Kudakwashe Hunda)

The Sunday Mail

pace is power  . . . Zimbabwe A cricket seamer Cuthbert Musoko in action against Canada in the third ODI at Harare Sports Club yesterday. — (Picture by Kudakwashe Hunda)

pace is power . . . Zimbabwe A cricket seamer Cuthbert Musoko in action against Canada in the third ODI at Harare Sports Club yesterday. — (Picture by Kudakwashe Hunda)

Zimbabwe A clinched the four-match One day series against Canada with a polished all-round performance at Harare Sports Club yesterday.

Having won the first two games, the A side wrapped up the series with an easy seven-wicket win over their North American opponents who had set a middling 183 target.

Vusimusi Sibanda, one of Zimbabwe A’s five changes for the match, agonisingly missed on a fifth List A century, falling on 99 (12 fours, 2 sixes). But not after he had laid a strong platform with a century opening stand with Chamu Chibhabha (57).

Zimbabwean bowlers led by 20-year-old Cuthbert Musoko 4-33 and captain Prosper Utseya 3-21 had done well to restrict the opponents who wobbled from the start of their innings.

Canada lost their first six wickets for 95 runs in 29 overs after Musoko had given the hosts a brilliant start with the ball.

It was however, the Canadian tail-enders who pushed their side to their eventual score.

The hosts won the toss and elected to ball, a decision that was vindicated by Musoko’s three early wickets.

Ruvindu Gunasekera was his first scalp after miscuing an attempted pull shot that could go as far as the cover position.

The Mountaineers bowler struck again with the first ball of his third over, finding the edge of Usman Limbada, who was brilliantly snuffled by wicket-keeper Richmond Mutumbami.

Two balls later, Musoko dismissed Umar Nawaz in similar fashion with PJ Moor doing the catching at second slip.

The Canadians were reeling at 18-3.

Jimmy Hansra and Navneet Dhaliwal sedately built a partnership that reached 50 from 73 balls and amid that slow Canadian recovery, Zimbabwe A lost Timycen Maruma to an injury.

Maruma was stretchered off the field after hurting his quad while chasing the ball to the boundary.

After all the hard work, Hansra was bowled for 38, leaving a Mushangwe Doosra that went on to disturb his stumps.

The going was getting tough for the Canadians who needed to set a competitive score, while for the hosts it was a chance to quickly get to the tail.

The latter happened with Zimbabwe A captain Utseya clean bowling Dhaliwal 31 (72) and the very next ball he had his opposite number Tariq caught at mid-wicket. Utseya was on a hat-trick.

He could not repeat his heroics against South Africa at the same venue last year, but had done enough to leave Canada struggling at 95-6.

Nikhil Dutta (43) and Srimantha Wijiretre’s (27) fought their way to a vital 48 seventh wicket partnership which was ended in Utseya’s last over when the latter hit to Sibanda at square leg.

They got 39 more runs from the union of Sorane (17) and Dutta (43) before the former was dismissed by Jongwe, who almost had a hat-trick after uprooting Pervez’s middle stump with the following ball. Musoko finished off Canada’s innings getting Dutta who was caught by Sibanda at Deep Square.

Chibhabha and Sibanda had no problems chasing the score against the tame Canadian bowlers consistently scoring above 5 runs per over.

They were both strong on the off side playing some lovely drives as they brought up their 50 partnership off 62 balls.

Chibhabha was the first to reach his 50 off 61 balls and the pair made batting look easy rotating the strike well to get their century opening stand off 119 balls.

Dutta finally got the breakthrough, bowling out Chibhabha, but damage was already done.

Sibanda, who showed signs of returning to form reached his half ton soon after with a punch to the off side for a single.

He continued with his fine run later on accelerating as a ton was in sight, he got a reprieve when he was dropped on 92, but it was not second time lucky for the 31-year-old batsman.

Utseya, for the second game in a row, finished off the game with a six and did his trademark punch-the-air celebration.

The two teams complete their series tomorrow at the same venue.

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