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Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE’S Lady Chevrons suffered a five-wicket defeat in the second T20I against hosts Thailand at the Terdthai Cricket Ground in Bangkok yesterday.
The series is now delicately balanced 1-1, with the decisive game set to take place today as Gary Brent’s team wind off a two-week tour of the Asian country.
The Lady Chevrons put up a lukewarm performance with the bat yesterday after winning the toss.
They had 103 runs on the board for the loss of nine wickets at the end of their allotted 20 overs.
Chipo Mugeri Tiripano was the top scorer with 37 runs, while Sharne Mayers could not replicate her match-winning heroics from the first game after she managed only 29 runs.
Thailand managed to chase down the target when they reached 105/5, with three balls remaining.
The Zimbabwe Women’s team had a poor start after losing one of their openers Kelis Ndhlovu for a duck the second ball of the innings.
Mayers was joined on the crease by Mugeri-Tiripano and the pair added 65 runs before the partnership was broken in the 11th over.
Tiripano was the more belligerent of the two with her 37 runs coming off 34 deliveries.
At the other end Mayers continued batting at a slower pace and was involved in more short-lived partnerships with skipper Mary-Anne Musonda (8) and Josephine Nkomo (1) as Zimbabwe Women slid from 64/2 in 11 overs to 78/5 in 15.1 overs.
Mayers gobbled 42 balls for her 29 runs. But the Zimbabwean batters generally struggled on the day with only Mayers and Mugeri-Tiripano managing double figures.
Thailand’s Nattaya Boochatham returned impressive bowling figures of 3-7 while Thipatcha Putthawong also chipped in with 2-28 to restrict the visitors from getting a big score.
In response, Thailand reached 106-5 in 19.3 overs with opening batter Nannapat Khoncharoenkai leading the chase with an unbeaten 39 runs.
For the Zimbabwean bowlers, Audrey Mazvishaya recorded 2-27 while Kelis Ndhlovu 1-6.
Zimbabwe and Thailand will no longer play four T20Is as initially planned as the second game was postponed after a storm that blew across the ground on Wednesday afternoon and caused some damage to the facility.
The Cricket Association of Thailand also said changes to the schedule of the South East Asia Games in Cambodia have meant an early departure for their team, so this would now be a three-match series, with the final match being played today.
The Zimbabwe Women had taken a 1-0 lead in the T20I series thanks to a magnificent unbeaten 71 from 67 balls from opener Mayers.
Zimbabwe reached a total of 144 for 4 in their 20 overs as they quickly adapted to the demands of T20 cricket.
Thailand only reached 119 runs for the loss of nine wickets. Zimbabwe won the game by 24 runs, with Audrey Mazvishaya taking 4 for 27.
Online Reporter