Curtis Campher produced another brilliant all-round display to lay the platform for Ireland’s series-levelling win in Harare. His three-wicket burst sucked the momentum out of Zimbabwe’s innings and restricted them to a total well below par and his 144-run stand with Paul Stirling, who scored an excellent 89, ensured Ireland were always comfortable in the chase.
Ireland had fallen short in their chase in the first ODI, but Stirling was happy to bowl first once again on a greener pitch. Despite half-centuries from Wesley Madhevere and Sikander Raza. Ireland never let Zimbabwe get away from them.
Mark Adair finished with a four-wicket haul, but it was Campher’s spell that broke a 74-run stand between Madhevere and Raza and pegged the hosts back significantly just as they were getting into a position of strength.
And despite an early wicket, Stirling and Campher ensured Ireland stayed above the asking rate, and by the time the two departed, it was too late for Zimbabwe to mount a comeback.
With Ireland chasing 246, Andy Balbirnie got them underway with an elegant drive through cover point in the first over. The second over saw Stirling thrash Blessing Muzarabani through the covers for a boundary first ball. Muzarabani lost his radar as he ended up bowling a ten-ball over, which cost Zimbabwe 14 runs.
However, Muzarabani came back strongly and had Balbirnie caught at slip with a well-directed short ball in the sixth over. He even beat Campher’s outside edge a couple of times.
But Campher and Stirling saw out the new ball and kept Ireland on track, with the skipper still cashing in on the fielding restrictions with a few more boundaries, including the first six of the match in the ninth over off Trevor Gwandu.
The fifty-run stand came up in just 51 balls, with the batters happy to rotate strike amid the occasional boundary. Ireland were also helped by Zimbabwe being generous with extras – 23 in all.
Stirling brought up his half-century in the 24th over, and the century stand with Campher came up soon after.
Campher’s fifty came up in the 30th over and he celebrated by pulling Gwandu into the stands in front of square leg. The stand was finally broken when a length ball from Gwandu stayed deceptively low to beat Campher’s attempted pull and pin him in front.
Harry Tector, who made a sluggish 39 off 78 in the first ODI, was more enterprising, pulling away the third ball he faced for a boundary. In the last game, it took him 77 deliveries to hit one.
But his stay was short-lived as he looked to cut a short and wide delivery only to edge it behind, with Tadiwanashe Marumani taking a good catch. Stirling, though, ensured Ireland didn’t get bogged down, launching Ngarava over long-on.
Ngarava finally got a breakthrough when Stirling went after a short ball and ended up miscuing it to cover, 11 short of a century. Lorcan Tucker then took charge and hit Gwandu for three consecutive boundaries. Ireland wiped out the rest of the target without fuss, with Tucker hitting the winning runs in the penultimate over.
Earlier, Zimbabwe’s openers got off to a watchful start before Brian Bennett got going with a flurry of boundaries off Adair and Graham Hume. Five of his six boundaries came on the off side, and he hit two of them in succession off Adair, only for the quick to snag him with a wide delivery that he edged to slip.
Ireland were able to slow things down after Bennett’s dismissal. Curran and Craig Ervine could add only nine runs off 25 balls before Josh Little got a full delivery to seam past Ervine’s inside edge and uproot his middle stump. Curran’s frustrating knock came to an end when he chopped on in Andy McBrine’s first over for 18 off 36.
Raza played out McBrine for four dots to start off with, handing the spinner a wicket maiden, before getting off the mark with a boundary off him in his next over. Madhevere, who looked positive from the get-go, and Raza ensured Zimbabwe kept ticking along with regular boundaries, with Madhevere bringing up a run-a-ball half-century in the 27th over.
However, an inspired bowling change got the momentum right back with Ireland. Campher was introduced in the 30th over and in his second over, he set Madhevere up beautifully. Bowling a series of outswingers, he had Madhevere moving across his stumps before firing in a straight one to trap him lbw.
In his next over, he bowled a length ball across Johnathan Campbell and there was a noise, prompting the umpire to give it caught behind. Replays, however, suggested that the ball had brushed the pad. There was little doubt about Campher’s next wicket when he pinged Marumani plumb in front two balls later.
Raza and Masakadza then arrested the collapse, with Raza scoring 27 off 24 in a 50-run stand, bringing up his half-century in the process. Raza holed out at deep midwicket trying to up the tempo as he miscued a pull off Adair. Tector took a good catch running in from the ropes and diving in front.
Masakadza and Ngarava tried to drag Zimbabwe past 250, but Ireland made short work of the tail, with Adair picking two of the last three wickets.
Brief scores:
Ireland 249 for 4 in 48.4 overs (Paul Stirling 89, Curtis Campher 63, Lorcan tucker 36*, George Dockrell 20*; Richard Ngarava 1-53, Blessing Muzarabani 1-51, Trevor Gwandu 2-50) beat Zimbabwe 245 in 49 overs (Brian Benett 30, Wessly Madhevere 61, Sikandar Raza 58,Wellington Masakadza 35; Mark Adair 4-54, Curtis Campher 3-13, Graham Hume 1-47, Josh Little 1-56, Andy McBrine 1-36) by six wickets
[Cricinfo]
