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Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE all but sealed their place in the semi-finals of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier following a deserved six-wicket victory over Thailand at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi yesterday.
Teenage all-rounder Kelis Ndhlovu was in top form again as Zimbabwe made it two wins in two games.
Ndhlovu was voted player of the Match following her 40-ball 46 in the chase after the bowlers had done extremely well to restrict their opponents to 86 runs in their 20 overs.
Zimbabwe, for the second time, lost the toss. Opting to bat first, Thailand were in big trouble early on after losing wickets in quick succession.
The bowlers led by Nomvelo Sibanda (2-12) and Audrey Mazvishaya (2-14) made life difficult for the Thailand batters in the opening exchange that saw their opponents lose half their side inside the first seven overs.
Opening batter Nannapat Koncharoenkai and Sornnarin Tippoch were forced to drop anchor to avoid getting bundled out for cheap.
However, it meant that they had to bat extremely cautiously. Their 22-run stand came off 47 balls. Koncharoenkai remained unbeaten on 47 runs as Thailand ended up with a modest 86/6 in their 20 overs.
In response, Sharne Mayers and Ndhlovu got Zimbabwe off to a quick start and within the first five overs, had knocked off half the target. The duo continued steadily and were also beneficiaries of some sloppy fielding after they were dropped, at least once each.
However, Mayers (19) fell after the Powerplay and Zimbabwe lost three quick wickets thereafter, including that of Ndhlovu.
The 16-year-old was just four runs short of a fifty. The game was good as done, nonetheless, and Pellagia Mujaji got the winning runs from the boundary as Zimbabwe reached 87/4, in a successful chase, which they achieved with more than three overs to spare.
The win catapulted Zimbabwe, who beat Papua New Guinea by eight wickets in their opening match, top of the table with four points. Zimbabwe play their final Group B match against hosts United Arab Emirates, tomorrow.
Thailand retained second place on account of superior net run race as they were joined on two points by Papua New Guinea, who beat UAE by 29 runs in the other Group B match.
The two teams are set to cancel out each other in the last group games, with the winner set to join Zimbabwe on four points, and getting the other semi-final slot.
UAE anchor the table with no point.
Scorecard:
Zimbabwe win by 6 wickets
Thailand 86-6 in 20 overs (Khoncharoenkai 47*, Sutthiruang 13, Phannita Maya 12*; Nomvelo Sibanda 2-12, Audrey Mazvishaya 2-14, Kelis Ndhlovu 1-12)
Zimbabwe 87-4 in 16.4 (Kelis Ndhlovu 46, Sharne Mayers 19; Putthawong 1-12)
Online Reporter