IRE vs ZIM 1st ODI: Blessing Muzarabani shines as Zimbabwe beat Ireland by 38 runs – Zimbabwe bowler Blessing Muzarabani took four wickets to help his side claim victory by 38 runs in the first ODI of the three-match ODI series against Ireland here at the Civil Service Cricket Club, Belfast on Wednesday.
Chasing a challenging target of 267, Ireland got off to a solid start with openers putting up 64 runs opening stand. William Porterfield went on to score 75 runs with the help of nine boundaries while Paul Stirling scored 32 runs in 47 balls. Harry Tector scored the 2nd fifty for Ireland. However, Porterfield and Tector could not finish the game for Ireland.
The latest bowling sensation for Muzarabani picked a four-wicket haul. He removed George Dockrell, Simi Singh, Joshua Little and Mark Adair. Wellington Masakadza also picked two wickets while Luke Jongwe and Wesley Madhevere chipped in with one wicket each.
| Batsmen | R | B | 4S | 6S | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Porterfield | 75 | 109 | 9 | 0 | 68.81 | |
| Paul Stirling | 32 | 47 | 3 | 1 | 68.09 | |
| Andrew Balbirnie (C) | 12 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 60.00 | |
| Harry Tector | 50 | 55 | 1 | 2 | 90.91 | |
| George Dockrell | 11 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 73.33 | |
| Simi Singh | 3 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 | |
| Lorcan Tucker (WK) | 14 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 73.68 | |
| Andy McBrine | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 66.67 | |
| Mark Adair | 6 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 66.67 | |
| Craig Young | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 | |
| Joshua Little | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 100.00 | |
| Extra | 17 (b 0, w 9, nb 0, lb 8) | |||||
| Total | 228/10 (48.4) | |||||
| Yet To Bat | ||||||
| BOWLING | O | M | R | W | ECON |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blessing Muzarabani | 9.4 | 2 | 29 | 4 | 3.00 |
| Richard Ngarava | 7 | 1 | 31 | 0 | 4.43 |
| Wellington Masakadza | 9 | 0 | 40 | 2 | 4.44 |
| Luke Jongwe | 7 | 0 | 39 | 1 | 5.57 |
| Wesley Madhevere | 4 | 0 | 20 | 1 | 5.00 |
| Sean Williams | 8 | 0 | 42 | 2 | 5.25 |
| Sikandar Raza | 4 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 4.75 |
| Fall Of Wickets | FOW | Over |
|---|---|---|
| PR Stirling | 1-64 | 15.2 |
| A Balbirnie | 2-92 | 21.3 |
| WTS Porterfield | 3-163 | 34.3 |
| GH Dockrell | 4-187 | 38.3 |
| Simi Singh | 5-195 | 40.6 |
| H Tector | 6-202 | 42.6 |
| AR McBrine | 7-206 | 44.1 |
| MR Adair | 8-218 | 46.5 |
| L Tucker | 9-224 | 47.6 |
| J Little | 10-228 | 48.4 |
First Innings
Riding on superb fifties by captain Craig Ervine and Sikandar Raza Zimbabwe posted 266 runs on the board in 50 overs with seven wickets down in the first ODI of the three-match series against Ireland here at the Civil Service Cricket Club, Belfast on Wednesday. Ireland asked Zimbabwe to bat first after winning the toss. Experienced batters from the visitors’ side put their best foot forward to help their side post a challenging total in front of the host.
For Zimbabwe, Brendan Taylor scored 49 runs in just 45 balls with the help of seven boundaries and one four while skipper Ervine scored 64 runs in 96 balls with seven boundaries in it. Sikandar Raza gave the much-needed finishing touch to the innings by scoring 59 runs in only 44 balls. He hit five boundaries and two fours.
For host, Andrew Balbirnie used six bowlers and all of them took one wicket. The pitch was assisting spinners thus Simi Singh gave away just 22 runs in his full quota of 10 overs. Andy McBrine also bowled brilliantly in his 10 overs where he gave 26 runs.
| Batsmen | R | B | 4S | 6S | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brendan Taylor | 49 | 45 | 7 | 1 | 108.89 | |
| Regis Chakabva (WK) | 2 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 18.18 | |
| Craig Ervine (C) | 64 | 96 | 7 | 0 | 66.67 | |
| Dion Myers | 7 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 31.82 | |
| Sean Williams | 33 | 57 | 4 | 0 | 57.89 | |
| Sikandar Raza | 59 | 43 | 5 | 2 | 137.21 | |
| Wesley Madhevere | 19 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 111.76 | |
| Luke Jongwe | 18 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 200.00 | |
| Extra | 15 (b 0, w 12, nb 0, lb 3) | |||||
| Total | 266/7 (50) | |||||
| Yet To Bat | WP Masakadza, B Muzarabani, R Ngarava | |||||
| BOWLING | O | M | R | W | ECON |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Craig Young | 8 | 0 | 51 | 1 | 6.38 |
| Mark Adair | 10 | 0 | 63 | 1 | 6.30 |
| Joshua Little | 9 | 0 | 78 | 1 | 8.67 |
| Simi Singh | 10 | 2 | 22 | 1 | 2.20 |
| Andy McBrine | 10 | 0 | 26 | 1 | 2.60 |
| George Dockrell | 3 | 0 | 23 | 1 | 7.67 |
| Fall Of Wickets | FOW | Over |
|---|---|---|
| RW Chakabva | 1-14 | 4.2 |
| Brendan Taylor | 2-85 | 14.1 |
| D Myers | 3-101 | 19.6 |
| SC Williams | 4-150 | 36.3 |
| CR Ervine | 5-182 | 41.2 |
| W Madhevere | 6-226 | 46.5 |
| LM Jongwe | 7-266 | 49.6 |
IRE vs ZIM 1st ODI Toss Report
Ireland captain Andrew Balbirnie won the toss and opted to field first against Zimbabwe in the first ODI of the three-match series here at the Civil Service Cricket Club, Belfast on Thursday.
Both team captains at the toss
Craig Ervine: We would have probably favoured to bowl, but we don’t really mind what we do. We need to start on the right foot. Our batting at the top has been a bit disappointing in the T20s, hopefully, we can put that right in the ODI series. The outfield is a bit wet, but it’s a beautiful ground and the guys can’t wait to play. Brendan Taylor has come in, Sikandar Raza has come in and Sean Williams as well. We have got a couple more experienced heads there, so looking forward to it.
Andrew Balbirnie: We are going to bowl first. The wicket might be a bit tacky, hopefully, we can exploit that and take early wickets. All these series are pretty tough. They have brought some pretty good players in for this series. Hopefully, we can start the series well today and have a good week. Our squad is the same as the last South Africa game. William (Porterfield) is opening the batting.
Ireland (Playing XI): Paul Stirling, William Porterfield, Andrew Balbirnie(c), Harry Tector, George Dockrell, Simi Singh, Lorcan Tucker(w), Andy McBrine, Mark Adair, Craig Young, Joshua Little
Zimbabwe (Playing XI): Brendan Taylor, Regis Chakabva(w), Craig Ervine(c), Dion Myers, Sean Williams, Wesley Madhevere, Sikandar Raza, Luke Jongwe, Wellington Masakadza, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava
IRE vs ZIM 1st ODI – Preview
The white ball series between Ireland and Zimbabwe has reached the second half where the two teams will now square off in the three-match ODI series. The two sides will square off in the first ODI at Civil Service Cricket Club, Belfast on Wednesday. All three 50-over matches will be held at the same venue.
@14:55 – Umpires are out fore the inspection, Toss to take place soon
@14:42 – The Toss has been delayed due to the wet outfield. It is not raining at the moment and the groundsmen are working hard to make the outfield playable.
The toss in the first ODI against Zimbabwe has been delayed due to a wet outfield, with an inspection set for 10.20am.#IREvZIM #BackingGreen ☘🏏
— Cricket Ireland (@cricketireland) September 8, 2021
Squads:
Ireland Squad: Paul Stirling, Andrew Balbirnie(c), Harry Tector, George Dockrell, Curtis Campher, Lorcan Tucker(w), Simi Singh, Andy McBrine, Mark Adair, Craig Young, Joshua Little, William Porterfield, Barry McCarthy, Graham Kennedy, Neil Rock
Zimbabwe Squad: Wesley Madhevere, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Craig Ervine(c), Dion Myers, Regis Chakabva(w), Ryan Burl, Luke Jongwe, Wellington Masakadza, Blessing Muzarabani, Tendai Chatara, Richard Ngarava, Sikandar Raza, Tinashe Kamunhukamwe, Sean Williams, Tarisai Musakanda, Donald Tiripano, Milton Shumba, Brendan Taylor
Weather Report
The white ball series between Ireland and Zimbabwe has reached the second half where the two teams will now square off in the three-match ODI series. The two sides will square off in the first ODI at Civil Service Cricket Club, Belfast on Wednesday. All three 50-over matches will be held at the same venue.
Earlier, Andrew Balbirnie led Ireland clinched the T20I series 3-2 and thus would be coming with some extra confidence as they enter into the ODI series.
Till now, the two cricketing nations have locked horns against each other on a total of 13 occasions. Both of them have an equal number of wins while one contest between them concluded in a tie.
Head to head
Matches- 13
Ireland won- 6
Zimbabwe won- 6
Tie- 1
IRE vs ZIM Match Details
Ireland vs Zimbabwe, 1st ODI
Zimbabwe Tour of Ireland, 2021
Date – 08 September 2021
Time: 03:00 PM IST
Venue: Civil Service Cricket Club, Belfast
Pitch report
The turf at the venue is a bowling-friendly wicket that offers assistance to the pacers. The batsmen will have to go an extra mile to make an impact on the surface.
Weather report
As per world weather online, the weather tomorrow in Civil Service Cricket Club Stormont, Belfast, United Kingdom is going to be Patchy rain possible with a maximum temperature of 21°c and a minimum temperature of 12°c. The expected precipitation falling is 1.00 mm.
IRE vs ZIM Probable Playing 11
IRE Playing 11
Paul Stirling, Kevin O Brien, Andrew Balbirnie (c), Harry Tector, William McClintock, Shane Getkate, Neil Rock (wk), Simi Singh, Mark Adair, Joshua Little, Craig Young
ZIM Playing 11
Wesley Madhevere, Tinashe Kamunhukamwe, Regis Chakabva (wk), R Burl, Craig Ervine (c), Milton Shumba, Donald Tiripano, Wellington Masakadza, Luke Jongwe, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava
Ireland vs Zimbabwe ODI, IRE vs ZIM Squads
Ireland
William McClintock, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Shane Getkate, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Kevin O’Brien, Neil Rock, Andrew Balbirnie (Captain), Mark Adair, Josh Little, Barry McCarthy, Simi Singh, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Craig Young
Zimbabwe
Tarisai Musakanda, Tinashe Kamunhukamwe, Wessely Madhevere, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Blessing Muzarabani, Ryan Burl, Regis Chakabva, Dion Myers, Richard Ngarava, Sikandar Raza, Tendai Chatara, Craig Ervine, Luke Jongwe, Milton Shumba, Brendan Taylor, Sean Williams, Donald Tiripano
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