CHEVRONS HUMILIATED

Lawrence Moyo-Head Zimpapers Sports

THE national cricket team suffered a humiliating series defeat against lowly Namibia, losing the fifth and final T20 International by eight runs chasing a small target of 102 at the United Sports Ground in Windhoek yesterday.

Zimbabwe were 93/7, needing just nine runs with three wickets in hand and seven balls remaining but lost all those wickets for no run for what will rank as their worst ever T20I performance. 

That number eight batsman, Luke Jongwe was the topscorer with 24 runs from 16 balls before being run out, tells the story of yet another miserable batting innings for the Chevrons when faced with a defining moment. 

With the win, Namibia won the series 3-2 against a Zimbabwe side that led 2-1 with two matches remaining. 

It was the first time in the series that a team batting first won. Johannes Jonathan Smit took three wickets for 14 runs in four overs and was duly named player-of-the-match having scored 29 runs from 28 balls earlier in the game. 

Namibia now have a 6-4 advantage over Zimbabwe in T20I matches after a similar 3-2 series win in Bulawayo last year. 

Just like in the 50-over ICC World Cup qualifiers in June when they needed to beat lowly Scotland to reach the finals in India, Zimbabwe suffered a batting collapse and lost a match that had been theirs by the halfway stage. Zimbabwe won the toss against and captain Craig Ervine did what seemed the right thing, electing to field first, as all previous four matches had been won by the team chasing.

On Sunday Ervine had opted to bat and suffered a seven wicket loss that made yesterday’s game a series decider. 

The Namibians were rocked after three balls when Michael van Lingen fell for a duck and they were 46/4 after 9.1 overs. 

Zane Green and Smit too Namibia to 92/4 after 15.3 overs but Zimbabwe hit back to claim six wickets for nine runs in exactly three overs.

It was the first time in the series that Zimbabwe bowlers took 10 wickets with all-rounder Sikandar Raza taking four wickets for 24 runs in four overs. 

It was the first time Sikandar Raza took wickets having been wicketless in the previous four matches and his 4/24 in four overs yesterday was the best by a Zimbabwean bowler on the tour. 

Tendai Chatara took three for seven in 3.4 overs as Namibia suffered a monumental collapse by their own standards. 

All that needed were cool heads in the Zimbabwe top-order as a required run rate of 5.1 looked too easy for the Test-playing Chevrons against the game’s minnows. 

However, the Chevrons got off to a disastrous reply and lost four wickets for just 12 runs in the powerplay. 

These included captain Ervine (duck), Raza with two runs from 10 balls and Madhevere with four from four balls.

A score of 12/4 in 4.4 overs was not something any cricket follower expected from the Chevrons especially in Game 5 of the short tour. There were no meaningful partnerships to win the match and Namibia duly secured their second ever series win over a Test playing nation with Zimbabwe the victim on both occasions. Both teams were using the series to prepare for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier 2023 that will be held in Namibia from 20 November 20 to December 1. 

Apart from Zimbabwe and Namibia, the other countries taking part in Africa’s final qualifying event are Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, with the regional tournament’s top two teams booking their places at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 to be co-hosted by the West Indies and the United States of America. After yesterday’s performance, the World Cup might remain a dream for the Chevrons.