ZIMBABWE T20I TRI-SERIES
Devon Conway top-scored for New Zealand with an unbeaten 59 © Getty
A clinical all-round performance helped New Zealand notch up their second straight win in the T20I tri-series, easing past Zimbabwe by eight wickets in Harare on Friday (July 18). Matt Henry’s 3 for 26, backed by a tight spell from the spinners, saw Zimbabwe restricted to 120/7 after New Zealand opted to bowl. Devon Conway then led the chase with a composed 59 not out off 40 and was involved in half-century stands with Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell as New Zealand got over the finish line inside 14 overs.
New Zealand had a lucky break early in the chase as Blessing Muzarabani put down a simple catch offered by Devon Conway off Richard Ngarava in the opening over. But he made up for it in the next over as he dismissed the dangerous Tim Seifert. Zimbabwe kept it disciplined, with Ravindra’s four off Ngarava in the fourth over being the first of the innings. New Zealand finally picked up pace as Ravindra struck a hat-trick of fours in the fifth over off Trevor Gwandu, followed by a four and a boundary for Conway and a maximum for Ravindra off Muzarabani as New Zealand got to 43/1 after six overs.
The second wicket pair continued steadily as they raised a fifty-run stand but it came to an end as a short ball from Tinotenda Maposa and a diving catch from Muzarabani resulted in Ravindra getting out for a 19-ball 30. Conway, who was on 29 off 27 at that stage, stepped on the accelerator as he struck sixes off Ngarava and Sikandar Raza en route to a 34-ball fifty. New Zealand crossed the 100-run mark in the 13th over, and a six from Mitchell off Gwandu brought the equation down to single digits. The partnership also crossed fifty before Conway sealed the chase with a boundary in the 14th over.
Earlier, Wessly Madhevere’s two fours off Henry in the opening over and Brian Bennett’s six off Adam Milne in the third were promising signs for Zimbabwe. But they slowed down in the second half of the powerplay and also lost Bennett to a short ball from Henry as they finished with 39/1 in the first six overs. New Zealand’s spinners then came on and kept the boundaries to a minimum, although Clive Madande got a reprieve as Mitchell Santner put down a tough return catch. But his stay was cut short as Ravindra had him stumped in the next over, with Zimbabwe only managing 61/2 in the first 10 overs.
Madhevere tried to accelerate but he was bowled for a 32-ball 36 by Milne, with Ryan Burl following soon after, falling to Michael Bracewell off a reverse-sweep. The regular wickets meant Zimbabwe’s innings was sapped of momentum, with more setbacks following for the hosts. Raza got a leading edge off Santner while Henry got Tashinga Musekiwa with a short ball, reducing Zimbabwe to 98/6 in the 17th over. Tony Munyonga chipped in with a handy 13, adding 22 with Maposa to help Zimbabwe post a fighting total – one that ultimately proved insufficient.
Brief scores: Zimbabwe 120/7 in 20 overs (Wessly Madhevere 36, Brian Bennett 21; Matt Henry 3-26, Rachin Ravindra 1-10) lost to New Zealand 122/2 in 13.5 overs (Devon Conway 59*, Rachin Ravindra 30; Blessing Muzarabani 1-27) by 8 wickets.
© Cricbuzz
