Campher, Balbirnie and Hume guarantee Ireland win 2-0

Dec 17, 2023 at 7:07 PM
Campher, Balbirnie and Hume guarantee Ireland win 2-0

Ireland 204 for 3 (Balbirnie 82*, Campher 40, Mavuta 1-19) beat Zimbabwe 197 (Gumbie 72*, Hume 4-34, Campher 4-37) by 7 wickets (DLS)

Career-best bowling performances from Campher and Graham Hume helped limit Zimbabwe to 197 in 40 overs earlier than Balbirnie, Campher and Harry Tector knocked off the goal with 13 balls to spare in Harare.

Set a DLS-adjusted goal of 201 from 40 overs, Ireland misplaced Paul Stirling early, however a 70-run stand between Balbirnie and Campher meant that the guests had been set to complete their tour of Zimbabwe on a excessive barring a spectacular collapse.

While Balbirnie struggled to get the ball away within the first ten overs, choosing a extra watchful method on a difficult floor, Campher adopted up his half-century from the second ODI with a fluent 40 with six boundaries earlier than a shocking catch from Wellington Masakadza at midwicket denied him consecutive fifties.

Balbirnie continued to carry one finish down as Tector then went about being the aggressor as they added one other 63 runs to consolidate Ireland’s place.

Tector obtained a forefront to Sikandar Raza off Luke Jongwe on 33 after Balbirnie reached his half-century off 76 balls, however Balbirnie then shifted gears, hitting 32 runs off his subsequent 26 balls, to finish the chase with ease. A six off a Jongwe slower ball and sweep over quick tremendous leg off Raza had been the highlights of an innings which noticed Balbirnie develop in confidence. In the method, he grew to become simply the fourth Irishman to hit 3000 ODI runs.

Lorcan Tucker hit back-to-back boundaries to crown Ireland winners of each the ODI and T20I sequence.

Ireland had began nicely after inserting Zimbabwe as Mark Adair kicked issues off with a maiden. Hume gave Ireland the early breakthrough when Tinashe Kamunhukamwe edged him to second slip within the second over and Adair adopted it up with one other maiden.

But Gumbie and Kaitano dug in to make sure Zimbabwe didn’t lose any extra wickets within the first powerplay, regardless of a few edges evading the slips cordon.

The two steadily added 43 runs earlier than some sharp fielding from Tector at backward level noticed him throw the stumps right down to ship Kaitano packing within the 14th over. Innocent Kaia, again within the facet after being dropped within the second ODI as a consequence of Ryan Burl’s concussion, was out lbw to Campher subsequent over. Raza then joined Gumbie on the crease, however simply as they began to exploit the spinners Theo van Woerkom and Andy McBrine for some fast runs, rain stopped play.

When the sport resumed after a two-hour delay, Zimbabwe had been instantly on the entrance foot. Raza pulled a Theo van Woerkom drag-down for six whereas Gumbie obtained a streaky boundary off Craig Young whereas making an attempt to steer him to deep third.

Gumbie quickly obtained to his second ODI fifty, off 80 deliveries, earlier than Raza swept van Woerkom for 4 extra, to deliver up the fifty-run stand for the fourth wicket off 52 balls. The two continued to money in on something that was too quick or too full, whereas additionally rotating strike with regularity.

But Campher broke the innings open by having Raza caught at deep midwicket off a pull earlier than bowling Clive Madande by the gate over for a two-ball duck in the identical over. Luke Jongwe and Brandon Mavuta tried to play their pictures earlier than they each flicked Hume to George Dockrell at deep sq. leg in near-identical dismissals.

Gumbie, who performed plenty of revolutionary scoops and ramps in his 106-ball 72, was quickly run-out as Masakadza tried to run two after pulling Craig Young to long-on. Masakadza hit 24 off 19 to take Zimbabwe near the 200-run mark, earlier than he holed out making an attempt to clear long-on.

It was a greater batting effort after disappointing shows within the first two ODIs, however not sufficient for Zimbabwe, who now have loads of ponder as a disappointing streak of outcomes continued.

Abhimanyu Bose is a sub-editor with ESPNcricinfo