daniel chigunwe
Sports Reporter
TWO years ago, Zimbabwe and Ireland battled in a cracker of a cricket match, which delivered until the final ball, on an historic day for local cricket at Harare Sports Club.
The T20I was the first international cricket match to be played under lights in this country.
A good crowd was there and the Chevrons, powered by Sikandar Raza’s exploits with both the ball and the bat, powered to a one-wicket win off the final ball.
When Barry McCarthy removed Richard Ngarava, with the penultimate ball of the innings, Zimbabwe needed a run to tie the match and two runs to win after Ireland had posted 147/7.
Blessing Muzarabani walked to the crease and he rode his luck with an inside edge that was fumbled by the ‘keeper and Zimbabwe squeezed the two runs they needed for the win.
Raza was the standout player for the Chevrons as he 65, which was about half the entire runs scored by his team, but was one the two wickets to fall in that final over.
“I was upset that I didn’t finish the game. Don’t want to leave it to the tailenders. There was a lot of good things done by the team, and I’m proud of the team,” Raza said back then.
Tomorrow, the two teams clash again in the first of three T20I matches at Harare Sports Club.
And while this one is not a day/night game, and we won’t have one until the final match of the series, it still promises to be explosive.
The game starts at 1.30pm.
A good crowd is again expected, with the game coming during a long holiday weekend in this country, which starts today.
And, if the battles are half as good as that historic match two years ago, the fans will feel that they have got action which is worth their money.
The Chevrons have a spring in their step after their crushing win in the final game of the ODI series when they hammered the Irish by nine wickets to take the series.
Ireland will be without big-hitting T20I opener Ross Adair who has been ruled out of the series and Tim Tector was called in as Adair’s replacement.
Adair’s last innings for Ireland was a remarkable 100 off 58 balls against South Africa in Abu Dhabi last September.
A calf injury has forced his untimely withdrawal.
FIXTURES
Tomorrow: Zimbabwe v Ireland – 1st T20I (Harare; 1.30pm start)
23 February 2025: Zimbabwe v Ireland – 2nd T20I (Harare; 1.30pm start)
25 February 2025: Zimbabwe v Ireland – 3rd T20I (Harare; 6.30pm start; D/N)
Online Reporter