Glimmer of hope for Chevrons… Senior players come good at the right time

ZIMBABWE Select may have not been at their level best against Pakistan Shaheens, however, there was something to smile about from the recently ended six-match one-day series played at Harare Sports Club.

The full-strength Zimbabwean team won the series 4-2 against a well-balanced Shaheens team. Apart from the series win, the Zimbabwean side will be happy with the way the senior players came through in the tour.

Using the series as part of their preparations for the upcoming Men’s World Cup Qualifiers, the Zimbabwean team looked ready for the big challenge that lies ahead of them however, with a few things needing to be worked on.

The national senior players like Tendai Chatara, Sean Williams, Craig Ervine and Sikandar Raza (in two matches), came in handy for the team throughout the series, taking wickets and scoring runs, however, the Zimbabwe Select team struggled in the top order, especially the opening partnership.

When trying out various partnerships for the first wicket, the problem persisted, leaving a lot of questions ahead of the crunch qualifiers. Zimbabwe Select kept on losing early wickets of openers, in most matches, within the first five overs of the game, leaving a lot to be desired at the top.

Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wessly Madhevere, Joylord Gumbie and Innocent Kaia were all tried at the top with Gumbie and Kaia managing to score some runs in at least one match.

Apart from the good touch that the seniors showed and struggles at the top of the order, there was another positive to pick from the series, Clive Madande. The 23-year-old wicketkeeper/batter was one of, if not, the most consistent player from the home side, with the bat and behind the stumps.

He played some crucial knocks that saw Zimbabwe Select through and in another match, put in gallant performances alongside all-rounder Ryan Burl. Skipper Wellington Masakadza was also good with the ball as bowlers in most matches flourished.

In the first match, it was Chatara and Masakadza who helped the home side cross the finish line after two brilliant spells with the ball, helping their team defend a target of 235 runs they had set. Zimbabwe Select were bowled out for 234 runs in 45,3 overs and that score was courtesy of a Burl and Madande partnership which helped save the team some blushes.

Burl top scored with 69 runs while Madande fell for 43 runs before Chatara went on to claim five wickets to help restrict their opponents to 210 runs all out in 47 overs. Masakadza finished with figures of 4/32.

Looking to double the series, Burl and Madande were again in the mix of things alongside player of the match, Blessing Muzarabani who put up a brilliant all-round performance.

The lanky fast bowler top scored for Zimbabwe Select with 50 runs not out while Burl and Madande fell for 47 and 43 runs respectively as their side finished on 236 all out in 38,5 overs. Muazarabani went on to finish with the best bowling figures of 4/23 as they bowled out the visitors for 1 565 runs in 37,3 overs. Williams took two scalps for 16 runs in the match.

In the third encounter, the visitors pulled one back, cancelling out a brilliant Williams innings of 78 runs. The hosts went on to finish 278 runs all out in 50 overs, with Madhevere being the second leading run-scorer with 41 runs. However, bad light saw the Shaheens win the match by five runs (D/L method) as they were on 263/8 when play was stopped with the par score being 258.

Ervine and Gumbie set a new Zimbabwean record as they put on 277 for the second wicket in the fourth match as they successfully chased down a target of 296 runs in 47,3 overs. Zimbabwe Select had restricted the Shaheens to 295/9 in 50 overs courtesy of a Bradley Evans fifer. Brilliant centuries from Ervine (161 runs) and Gumbie (111 runs) powered the Zimbabwe Select team to a seven-wicket victory over Pakistan Shaheens. The hosts finished on 299/3.

Pakistan Shaheens gave themselves a chance of salvaging something out of the series in the fifth match. Madande fought almost a lone battle, scoring a gallant 41 not out, as the Zimbabwe Select team struggled with the bat, going down by 177 runs. Shaheens scored 314/6 in 50 overs and bowled out the hosts for just 137 runs in 31,4 overs, leaving the series at 3-2 going into the decider on Saturday.

A total of 738 runs were scored on Saturday, including a magnificent innings of 195 by Ervine, which set a new national record and propelled the Zimbabwe Select to a 32-run victory over the Shaheens in the sixth and final match to win the series.

His score became the highest individual score by a Zimbabwean in any List A match. Kaia, who returned to the mix scored 92 runs as Zimbabwe Select finished on 385/7 in 50-overs before going on to restrict their opponents to 353 all out in 49,2 overs with Raza finishing with figures of 3/66.

This was Zimbabwe’s last series ahead of the qualifiers, and given their performance, the team looks well set for the global showpiece with only a few things, like solid opening partnerships needing to be worked on.

The bowlers came in good, and the senior seasoned players were good as well which will be the perfect confidence booster for the team.

Ervine was named player of the series.
“An awesome series against Pakistan A! A big qualifiers tournament coming ahead,” posted Burl on his Twitter account.

The World Cup Qualifiers start on June 18 and will be played in venues across Harare and Bulawayo. Zimbabwe was put in Group A alongside West Indies, Netherlands, Nepal and the United States of America (USA) and their matches will be played in Harare.
In Group B, there will be Sri Lanka, Ireland, Scotland, Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and their group matches will be played in Bulawayo. –@brandon_malvin