1/2-centuries from Evin Lewis, Shai Hope and Marlon Samuels mixed to outdo century from Brendan Taylor, conserving West Indies correctly seeking World Cup qualification
West Indies 290 for 6 (Samuels 86, Hope seventy six, Muzarabani 2-36) beat Zimbabwe 289 all out (Taylor 138, Mire 45, Holder 4-35, Roach 3-fifty five) by 4 wickets
nScorecard and ball-by-ball particulars
Clinching close matches and playing out closing-gasp finishes have turn out to be a behavior for Zimbabwe in this tournament. For as soon as, on the change hand, the result went against them as West Indies won by 4 wickets to fable their fifth-absolute most realistic winning dawdle in ODI history. This intended they had been correctly in preserve watch over of their destiny heading into their closing community fixture against Scotland. Zimbabwe, meanwhile, faced a must-engage of their closing Obliging Sixes fixture against UAE.
Brendan Taylor scored his Tenth one-day international hundred to propel Zimbabwe to 289, a total that can per chance per chance’ve swelled further if no longer for a controversial no-ball name that resulted in Sikandar Raza’s wicket. In response, West Indies misplaced Chris Gayle early, but a A hundred thirty five-budge 1/3-wicket stand between Shai Hope and Marlon Samuels tipped the dawdle in West Indies’ favour. Unhurried wickets raised hopes of an unlikely comeback for Zimbabwe, but Rovman Powell‘s nerveless cameo helped steer clear of any closing-minute hiccups as West Indies won with an over to spare.
West Indies’ hopes hinged on a quickfire start, but Zimbabwe might per chance per chance per chance also merely have entertained hopes of extending their unbeaten budge in the tournament when Chris Gayle used to be out cutting to third man off Blessing Muzarabani in the sixth over. But Hope and Lewis observed the shine off the ball and cashed in on anything free.
Lewis did bulk of the scoring in a partnership of 72 with Hope. But when he performed too early, and with onerous fingers, to give Sikandar Raza a straightforward caught-and-bowled likelihood in the 22nd over, Zimbabwe sensed one more. This used to be on the change hand extinguished slowly as Samuels and Hope, went berserk after digging in.
The bounce in the observe took the chunk out of what is on the total Zimbabwe’s energy: their spinners. Deliveries that can per chance have shot via on the shins in Bulawayo stood up on this onerous surface, and Samuels’ first three boundaries all came off prolonged hops. Adjusting their lengths with the enviornment unfold, the spinners did no longer concede a single boundary between overs 26 and 35, but the floodgates opened soon.
Hope got to a 71-ball fifty in the thirty fourth over and, seemingly taking that as his cue, Samuels right away shifted gears. Raza’s offspin used to be flambeed over prolonged-off for two enormous sixes, and Samuels then added two more sixes and a 4 to take 18 off an over from Cremer. The sport became then and there.
But as they got closer, West Indies let it hasten briefly. Samuels began to cramp up as his mobility on the crease suffered. He swiped two more brutal boundaries off Muzarabani, but then pushed flat-footed at one that left him off the pitch to be correctly caught by a tumbling Taylor in the abet of the stumps. Then, Jason Holder fell. But with two overs to slump, West Indies desiring 11, Powell boldly stepped out to hit Sean Williams for six over prolonged-on to close out the game.
Earlier in the afternoon, Taylor had work to have when he first got to the crease this morning. After Cephas Zhuwao gloved to stunning leg, Hamilton Masakadza used to be eliminated by a brutal lifter from Holder. When Solomon Mire used to be pressured to retire on account of of blurred imaginative and prescient after a bouncer struck him on the moral facet of his helmet grille, Zimbabwe had been successfully 30 for 3.
Craig Ervine helped regular the innings with Taylor, whereas Sean Williams helped to hoist the mainsail with a bellicose 34 at higher than a budge-a-ball. Together they helped to help Zimbabwe ticking at 5 an over, or thereabouts, on the change hand it wasn’t except Raza joined him on the crease that Taylor truly began to blueprint free. Together they rattled along with a boundary an over, with Taylor fittingly reaching his hundred with a reverse sweep.
Raza used to be given out in controversial conditions when he used to be out bowled, simplest for replays to point out no portion of Holder’s foot used to be in the abet of the road. The 1/3 umpire, on the change hand, gave Holder the profit of doubt to shock a stable home crowd. It used to be a 2d that can per chance per chance also merely have correctly place Zimbabwe the 20 extra runs they desperately wanted on the demolish.
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