ZIMBABWE T20I TRI-SERIES, 2025
Ish Sodhi bagged a career-best 4 for 12 against Zimbabwe © AFP
Ish Sodhi’s career-best 4 for 12, following aggressive half-centuries from Tim Seifert and Rachin Ravindra, helped New Zealand finish atop the points table with a 60-run victory over hosts Zimbabwe in the last round-robin game of the T20I tri-series in Harare.
Opting to bat, New Zealand lost opener Tim Robinson early in a brisk start but Seifert (75 off 45) and Ravindra (63 off 39) combined for 108-run stand for the second wicket to set the base for their match-winning total of 190/6. Despite the wicket being on the slower side, the duo helped New Zealand recover well to post 57/1 from their PowerPlay.
Ravindra was the aggressor, taking the attack to Zimbabwe from the get go and outscoring his partner to a half-century in 32 deliveries en route which he was even reprieved on 46. Seifert caught up soon enough, bringing his 12th T20I fifty in 33 deliveries after the pair raised the 100 of their partnership.
Tinotenda Maposa then struck twice in an over for that much-needed breakthrough, opening a window for the hosts to stage a fightback. Ravindra and Mark Chapmen fell in the space of three deliveries. Seifert then counter-attacked, whacking Sikandar Raza for a six and Richard Ngarava for a hat-trick of boundaries. Ngarava, however, had his revenge soon after to send him packing on 75, before also dismissing Bevon Jacobs one ball later.
The collapse of 4 for 26 could have restricted New Zealand but Michael Bracewell played a handy cameo of 26 not out in 16 deliveries – two boundary hits and a six included – to propel his side to a healthy total for the conditions. Ngarava, meanwhile, was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 4 for 34 from his four overs.
For Zimbabwean batters, it was yet another disappointing day in the field. New Zealand brought Sodhi on in the PowerPlay itself, and the spinner picked up three cheap wickets inside the fifth over of the chase to peg the hosts back. To make matters worse, Matt Henry trapped Raza LBW on nine as Zimbabwe finished their PowerPlay with 38/4.
The recovery was very difficult from that point, and barring the 51-run partnership between Tony Munyonga (40 off 30) and Tashinga Musekiwa (21 off 21), there was no fight. It was Sodhi once again who broke that stand, from where Zimbabwe’s lower-order just collapsed.
Brief scores: New Zealand 190/6 in 20 overs (Tim Seifert 75, Rachin Ravindra 63; Richard Ngarava 4-34) beat Zimbabwe 130 all out in 18.5 overs (Tony Munyonga 40, Dion Myers 22; Ish Sodhi 4-12, Matt Henry 2-34) by 60 runs.
© Cricbuzz
