Online Reporter
Brandon Moyo, [email protected]
ZIMBABWE senior men’s national cricket team head coach, Justin Sammons, expressed relief after securing his first series win as the Chevrons’ head coach, with a 2-1 victory over Ireland in a three-match One Day International (ODI) series at Harare Sports Club on Tuesday.
The Chevrons delivered a remarkable performance with both bat and ball in the series decider, marking their first series victory since 2023 when they triumphed 2-1 over the Netherlands in Harare.
Although pleased with the win, Sammons, who took charge of the Chevrons in June last year, emphasised that there is still considerable work to be done. Speaking during the post-series press conference, he stressed the importance of improving the players’ skill levels if they are to reach their potential.
“I see improvements without a doubt. We are improving even if results don’t go our way. There are still small improvements that we are seeing in this process. We have a long way to go, we have a lot of improving to do in all facets of the game. From a mindset point of view, our level of skill needs to improve but that should be the case. If you look at the very best in the world, Virat Kohli is constantly trying to improve, Joe Root is constantly trying to improve, regardless of where he is at.
“As cricketers, I don’t think we are ever satisfied in terms of actually where we are but we know there is a long way to go for us to be where we want to be and that’s competing with the best in the world. We want to be competing with the best in the world and we know the standard that they are,” said Sammons.
He added: “We are not going to make those improvements that we are looking for just by being in the nets. The majority of those improvements will come from experiences that you get in the middle. That is where our improvement will take place. Lessons may not sink in immediately. That exposure to playing the best is priceless, to be honest.”
In the decider on Tuesday, Zimbabwe won the toss and chose to field first. They restricted Ireland to 240/6 in 50 overs before comfortably chasing down the target in just 39.2 overs, finishing on 246/1.
Ben Curran scored his maiden ODI century, finishing unbeaten on 118 runs from 130 balls. Captain Craig Ervine was also impressive, remaining not out on 69 runs from 59 balls. Curran’s opening partner, Brian Bennett, was dismissed just two runs short of his half-century, contributing 48 runs from 50 balls, as Zimbabwe claimed a record-breaking nine-wicket victory.
Sammons praised his players for their positive attitude throughout the series.
“I will take the responsibility for the losses but at the end of the day, it’s the players that go to win the series. Credit goes to them, they have been unbelievable, and they have put in a lot of hard work in the last six or seven months. It’s great to see it showing off in this series.
“We know we have come really close over the last few months. There have been moments that could have gone our way but didn’t and that has hurt us in a sense.
The message is the same as it has always been and that is we want to try — in those moments — to play to win the game, not wait for the opposition to make mistakes.
“We want to grab the bull by the horns and that is what Ben did brilliantly. He and Bennett were unbelievable in the power play. So that is the big message, don’t be scared, and don’t wait for the opposition to make mistakes. Let us go and win the game. It’s that sort of mindset that we are looking for and that is regardless of whether we are 1-1 or 2-0 down or up or it’s the first game of the series. We want that approach. We want to be able to not be scared to make mistakes. Smart cricket doesn’t mean we are reckless, it doesn’t mean we are stupid but we need to be brave when doing that,” he said.
With the Test and ODI series concluded, the focus now shifts to the T20Is, which are set to begin on Saturday. The remaining two matches will take place on Sunday and Tuesday, completing Ireland’s all-format tour of Zimbabwe. – @brandon_malvin
