Zimbabwe lose ODI series

Firdose Moonda in BULAWAYO
NOT even Zimbabwe’s most successful performance in the field against South Africa in 15 years could change the inevitable as the hosts slumped to a 61-run loss. Despite bowling their big brothers out for the first time since the 1999 World Cup, and just the third time in their 34-ODI history, Zimbabwe could not avoid a series defeat.

After stemming South Africa’s speedy start and punctuating their progress by plucking through their middle and lower order, Zimbabwe gave themselves the best chance of levelling the series and then squandered it.

Their batting proved brittle with only Sean Williams and the tail mounting any resistance.
The rest engineered their downfall against a disciplined but not overly dangerous South African attack.
Zimbabwe would have known there were no demons in the pitch when they watched South Africa bat.

Quinton de Kock breezed to a sprightly 38, helped by Brian Vitori’s struggles to find a strangling line as he made his return from an ankle niggle, and became the fastest to join the 1 000 ODI runs.

De Kock only added one run to the landmark figure before becoming the second of three quick wickets, as Zimbabwe wrested control of the innings.

Both he and Hashim Amla fell to John Nyumbu and AB de Villiers was run out freakishly after thinking he had paddled the ball past wicket-keeper Richmond Mutumbami, when in fact it had stopped at the wicket-keeper’s feet.

South Africa lost three wickets for 13 in the space of 26 deliveries to land Faf du Plessis in a familiar rebuilding role.
With JP Duminy, du Plessis negotiated Zimbabwe spinners, Sikandar Raza included, with care.

Du Plessis was their only half-centurion, proof that watchfulness can go further than all-out aggression on occasion.
South Africa struggled at 206-6, the wickets testament to Elton Chigumbura’s more creative captaincy – he rotated bowlers with more thought and set better fields – and the spinners’ stranglehold.

But Wayne Parnell and Kyle Abbott put on 41 runs for the eighth wicket to take the score past 250.
Zimbabwe would have been pleased with their last 10-over squeeze of 51 for four, until their own first 12 were complete. As was the case in the first ODI, Zimbabwe lost the match in the space of 22 overs when the chase was crippled in its infancy.

Mutumbami was dropped on three by de Villiers at second slip but added just nine more before being trapped lbw by an Aaron Phangiso arm ball.
Hamilton Masakadza left a gap between bat and pad, which Parnell snuck through with a good-length ball, and Raza left a Ryan McLaren ball that angled into him.

At 26 for three, Brendan Taylor was considered Zimbabwe’s last hope but he disappointed again when he hit Duminy straight to Miller at long-on.
Williams held together the middle order but found few allies as McLaren and Parnell, who picked up his 50th ODI wicket when Chigumbura top-edged a short ball that got big on him to mid-on, sliced through.

The margin of defeat was cut by a stubborn ninth-wicket stand of 41 in 5.3 overs between Neville Madziva and Nyumbu, who thrilled his home crowd with his shot-making, and lusty blows from Vitori, who took 20 runs off Duminy’s last over. – Cricinfo.