adminWith West Indies needing four off the last over at Queens Sports Club, Donald Tiripano cunningly gave away just three runs and denied Jason Holder off the last ball, earning Zimbabwe a hard fought draw.West Indies were comfortable at 220 for 2 in the 45th over in a chase of 258, but once Shai Hope fell for 101, they lost five wickets for 35 runs.
The equation ultimately boiled down to the last ball and West Indies needing just one run to win the game. Tiripano flicked out a full slower ball, wider than a set of stumps outside off; it was tantalisingly close to the tramline.
Both Holder and Jonathan Carter, from the non-striker’s end, scampered off for a bye, but wicketkeeper PJ Moor took his time and nailed the stumps at the striker’s end with an accurate under-arm throw.
Tiripano set off on a celebratory sprint and left Bulawayo bouncing in utter delight. Having opted to bat, Zimbabwe had lost their last eight wickets for 67 runs, and just about managed to last 50 overs for the first time in eight attempts in ODIs in 2016.
Their fielding was worse than their batting implosion. Tiripano gave Hope his first life on 59 when he trod on the long-off rope while pouching an over-head catch.
Three overs later, Sikandar Raza reprieved Hope on 69 by shelling a regulation waist-high catch at short extra cover.
Raza’s day turned into a nightmare when he ran back from the same positon and dropped the same batsman in the 39th over. Hope pressed on to raise a maiden ODI century in his second match when he shovelled Mpofu to wide long-on.
In the process, Hope became only the joint second-quickest, along with Roy Fredricks and Travis Dowlin, to make a first hundred for West Indies in ODIs.
Desmond Hayes was the quickest, scoring 148 on debut against Australia in 1978. Tiripano was earlier in the midst of the Zimbabwe implosion. He was the only batsman among the hosts’ last seven to reach double-figures.
It starkly contrasted with the attacking enterprise showed by Craig Ervine and Raza in their 144-run partnership, and the solidity shown by openers Brian Chari and Chamu Chibhabha in their 38-run opening stand.
Ervine and Raza made the running for Zimbabwe by placing the ball into the gaps with laser-guided precision. They joined forces at the start of the 14th over, and West Indies did not find a way past them until the 39th over. By then, the score was nearly 200.
Ervine was the first to reach his fifty, off 62 balls. Raza then reached his milestone off 59 balls and took the lead. — Cricinfo
Online Reporter