Zimbabwe clinch series after thumping Netherlands in decider

Netherlands – 231-9 in 50 overs (Max O’Dowd 38, Colin Ackermann 37, Scott Edwards 34; Sean Williams 3/41, Sikandar Raza 2/55, Blessing Muzarabani 1/19)

Zimbabwe – 235-3 in 41.4 overs (Gary Ballance 64*, Wessly Madhevere 50, Craig Ervine 44; Shariz Ahmad 2/71, Fred Klaassen 1/45) 

Zimbabwe gained by seven wickets

Gary Ballance and Wessly Madhevere each scored fifties whereas Sean Williams turned in a useful all-round efficiency as Zimbabwe cruised to a dominant seven-wicket victory over the Netherlands to safe the three-match one-day worldwide sequence in entrance of a capability crowd at Harare Sports activities Membership on Saturday.

The vacationers gained the toss once more however this time determined to bat first.

Their opening pair of Vikramjit Singh and Max O’Dowd gave the Netherlands an early benefit, as they placed on 67 for the primary wicket.

They had been nonetheless out in fast succession, each batting catches to mid-off, for 27 and 38 respectively – 69 for 2 within the seventeenth over.

There adopted one other good partnership of 60 between Musa Ahmed and Colin Ackerman, and the rating at one stage was 129 for 2 wickets.

Madhevere broke the stand by bowling out Ahmed for 29, whereas Williams took a great low diving return catch to take away Wesley Barresi for 2 – 132 for 4 within the thirty first over.

Williams additionally struck a significant blow by bowling Ackermann for 37 off 55 balls, which proved to be the longest and highest innings by the vacationers, to scale back them to 147 for 5 within the thirty fifth over.

After that the Netherlands struggled to extend their scoring price as they wished to in opposition to tight bowling, with the century-maker of the primary match, Teja Nidamanuru, being restricted to 18 off 30 balls earlier than Sikandar Raza produced a effective ball to bowl him as he tried a annoyed massive hit.

When Williams bowled out the captain, Scott Edwards, for 34 off 41 balls within the following over – 192 for seven – the Netherlands had been left with their tail-enders to do what they might within the final 5 overs.

They did fairly nicely so as to add 39 runs and take the rating to 231 for 9 wickets, however it was a complete wanting their hopes, with no batter in a position to play a significant innings of over 40.

Six of the seven bowlers used shared the wickets, with Williams taking three for 41 and Raza two for 55.

The 4 spin bowlers delivered 35 overs amongst them on a pitch that suited them greater than the pacemen, and solely Brandon Mavuta was sadly with out reward.

Zimbabwe’s opening batters, Madhevere and Craig Ervine, batted fluently from the beginning and placed on 96 for the primary wicket in 18 overs.

Nonetheless, additionally they left virtually collectively, each falling to the leg-spinner Shariz Ahmed.

First, Ervine miscued a sweep to be fantastically caught at midwicket by the diving Nidamanuru after scoring 44 off 55 balls.

Seven runs later, Madhevere, after finishing a effective fifty, performed an informal drive to be caught on the off aspect having confronted 61 balls.

Now the 2 left-handers, Ballance and Williams, needed to rebuild they usually quickly had the rating shifting alongside fairly freely, elevating the 50 partnership in 9 overs.

The stand was price 96 earlier than Williams suffered an unfortunate dismissal, being bowled by a ball from Fred Klaassen for 43 off 53 balls by a ball that shot by means of abnormally quick and low off the pitch to knock again his off stump.

Sikandar Raza got here in subsequent, and Ballance reached a well-crafted fifty, which took him 64 balls.

Raza was eager to complete the match as rapidly as potential now, and roused the group with an enormous drive for six.

Ballance joined the social gathering, and within the subsequent over from Ahmad, Zimbabwe accomplished the victory in a blaze of glory: Ballance hit two fours and a single, after which Raza completed the sequence with a robust back-foot drive for 4 to take the rating to 235 for 3.

Ballance scored 64 off 72 balls with eight fours, and Raza 18 off solely 9 balls.

Zimbabwe’s first 4 batters all exceeded 40 in reaching what in the long run was an enormous victory by seven wickets.

Shariz Ahmad took two wickets for the Netherlands, however the batters appeared to single him out for some punishment, as his 9.4 overs conceded 71 runs.

Zimbabwe have claimed the sequence by two victories to at least one.