Online Reporter
Tinashe Kusema
Zimpapers Sports Hub
IT was a night to remember for cricket fans everywhere except for, maybe, Australia.
Zimbabwe played out of their skins, Australia looked rusty, and, after the drama of a rain delay with Australia ahead on Duckworth-Lewis, the Chevrons edged to a memorable five-wicket win off the penultimate delivery.
It was an important win for Zimbabwe, against one of the biggest powerhouses of the game in Australia and on one of the biggest stages of the game.
The 2007 T20 World Cup in South Africa was the stage for this big win.
And lest anyone think this was a fluke, it was not.
For almost the entire game Zimbabwe were unbelievably on top.
Australian captain Ricky Pointing had won the toss, elected to bat, after which he saw his charges labour to 138 runs for nine during their allotted 20 overs.
Elton Chigumbura was the pick of the Zimbabwe bowlers with figures of three for 20 runs while Gary Brent chipped in with two for 19.
Prosper Utseya and Hamilton Chigumbura each claimed a scalp while only Andrew Symonds and Brad Hodges offered little resistance from the Aussie side with 33 runs off 25 balls and an unbeaten 35 off 22 balls.
However, the true hero of that game was Brendan Taylor, who anchored the Chevrons’ response with an unbeaten 60 off 45 balls.
He ran singles with ease and, as Australia began to tighten their grip, thumped two sixes off the 15th over from Brad Hodge to give his side renewed belief.
And yet still Australia had their noses in front as Zimbabwe needed 12 off the last over.
Taylor flicked the first ball for four past the grope of short fine leg and it then later came to four runs needed off two balls.
Ricky Ponting looked as stressed as he frantically marshalled his field.
Nathan Bracken bowled full on leg stump, it brushed Taylor’s pad and bobbled agonisingly slowly towards fine leg where it just had the legs to beat Stuart Clark’s despairing slide.
The Zimbabwe players raced onto the pitch even before the ball hit the boundary markers to signal the end of a historic win over Australia.
But that was then.
Now the two nations are destined to meet again, some 19 years later, as the Men’s T20 World Cup comes to Sri Lanka and India next year.
This follows the release of the schedule for the biennial tournament yesterday, where Zimbabwe and Australia were placed in the same group alongside co-hosts Sri Lanka, Ireland and Oman.
Two of the participants of Zimbabwe’s big win, Brent and Chamunorwa Chibhabha, have been amongst those hyping the Chevrons army as optimism of a Super Eight charge run rampant.
“It’s quite a fair draw to be honest, I am actually excited,” said Brent.
“Oman is a team we should beat easily while our games against Ireland have always been competitive and the team that shows up on the day wins.
“We recently beat Sri Lanka and we can do it again,” he said.
Chibhabha was a bit more sedated in his reactions.
“It is a very tough group but it is not impossible to progress,” he said.
“The team is on a good trajectory but we need the lower order to start imposing their will on the game.
“Many times when Bennett (Brian) and the top-order have given us good starts, the lack of a pure finisher has often exposed us.
“Yes, Ryan Burl has done some good work but we need more and more batters to show up, either in support or when he doesn’t put up the runs.”
Chibhabha, however, refused to underestimate any team.
“Australia and Sri Lanka are both quality sides and Ireland have been playing some good cricket of late, so it’s going to be tough,” he said.
“Yes, we beat Sri Lanka recently but they bounced back and could possibly make the Pakistan Tri-series final, which goes to show their quality.
“We shouldn’t underestimate any team in the group and just play the best cricket we can on the day,” said the former Zimbabwe international.
Zimbabwe does have a great chance of making, at the very least, the Super eight stage.
Yes, Australia remain favourites but Zimbabwe can take a leaf from their 2007 T20 World Cup performance as inspiration.
