The Sunday Mail
ZIMBABWE won their first match of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier yesterday with openers Chipo Mugeri and Modester Mupachikwa powering them to a 10 wicket victory against China.
The day began with Zimbabwe winning the toss and captain Mugeri sending China in to bat, in their group B match at the Asian Institute of Technology Ground in the Thai capital, Bangkok.
China found the Zimbabwe bowling hard to negotiate and only two of their batters put up more than 20 runs – captain Huang Zhuo top-scoring with 24 runs off 28 balls and Zhao Ning adding 22 runs from 41 balls.
Other than that, there was the fifth wicket-stand of 30 runs between Zhuo and Song Yangyang which was China’s highest partnership, as Zimbabwe restricted them to 88 runs for five wickets in their allotted 20 overs.
For Zimbabwe, four of the seven bowlers they used finished with one wicket each: Audrey Mazvishaya 1 for 11 runs in three overs, Josephine Nkomo 1 for 12 in three, vice-captain Precious Marange 1 for 13 in four and Mugeri 1 for 14 runs in three overs.
Chasing, Mupachikwa made an unbeaten 33 runs off 49 balls, two of them fours and Mugeri a 61-ball 51 not out which included four fours, to take Zimbabwe to victory in 18.2 overs.
Zimbabwe will face the Netherlands today before rounding up their Group B action against Ireland on December 1.
Thailand, Bangladesh, Scotland and Papua New Guinea make up Group A of the eight-team tournament.
The top two sides from each group will make it to the trophy semi-finals, while the bottom two from each group will play in the shield semi-finals.
The two trophy finalists will join defending champions Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies at the 2016 ICC Women’s World Twenty20 finals, which will be played alongside the men’s competition in India from the 11th of March to the 3rd of April. — Zimbabwe Cricket
