CRICKET:IRELAND GOT just the shot in the arm they needed yesterday as a strong showing from the middle-order batsmen saw them secure a four-wicket victory over Zimbabawe in Nagpur, India in their final warm-up game ahead of the World Cup.
Phil Simmons’s side had lost their three previous warm-up games, including one against Zimbabwe in Dubai. The batsmen had showed much better form in the 32-run loss to New Zealand last Saturday and carried it through to account for the African side yesterday.
A further plus for Simmons is that two of his heavy hitters, Ed Joyce and skipper William Porterfield, sat the game out to give the middle order batsmen more time at the crease.
Two of those stood out on the day, with the 99-run partnership between Andre Botha and Kevin O’Brien proving the key as Ireland chased down a target of 245 with three balls to spare.
Botha fell with the victory line in sight after he made 79 off 101 balls, with O’Brien there at the finish, his 62 not out coming from 61 deliveries that included six fours and two sixes.
Alex Cusack was the other main contributor with the bat, hitting 47.
Zimbabwe had earlier recovered from 12 for three to post a decent target, thanks in the main to an undefeated century from skipper Elton Chigumbura.
Trent Johnston and Andre Botha took two wickets apiece, with Johnston’s five overs going for just nine runs. One worry for Simmons, though, came in Ireland giving up 77 runs in the last five overs, with with Chigumbura scoring 60 of those.
Ireland now move on to Bangladesh, where their Group B campaign opener against the host side gets underway in Dhaka on Friday February 25th.
World Cup warm-up match (at Nagpur, India): 12-per-side non-capped match. Zimbabwe won the toss and batted.
Scoreboard
ZIMBABWE
B Taylor c Wilson b Johnston 1
C Coventry c Wilson b Rankin 5
T Taibu c White b Van der Merwe 45
S Williams c Wilson b Johnston 3
C Ervine run out 27
E Chigumbura not out 103
P Utseya c White b Botha 26
S Masakadza c Van der Merwe b Botha 1
G Cremer b Cusack 6
G Lamb not out 7
Extras (lb7 nb1 w12) 20. Total for 8 wkst, 50 ovs) 244. Did not bat: R Price
Fall of wickets:1-1, 2-7, 3-12, 4-74, 5-100, 6-152, 7-161, 8-209.
Bowling:B Rankin 9-1-49-1; T Johnston 5-2-9-2; J Mooney 5-0-13-0; K O'Brien 3-0-17-0; G Dockrell 6-0-27-0; A van der Merwe 7-0-28-1; A Botha 10-0-58-2; A Cusack 5-1-32-0.
IRELAND:P Stirling c Ervine b Masakadza N O'Brien c Masakadza b Price 15
A Cusack c Chigumbura b Cremer 47
A Botha c Cremer b Masakadza 79
A White b Williams 19
K O’Brien not out 62
G Wilson c Williams b Price 7
J Mooney not out 5
Extras (b1 lb6 w4) 11 Total (for 6 wkts, 49.3 ovs) 245. Did not bat: T Johnston, G Dockrell, B Rankin. Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-40, 3-87, 4-127, 5-226, 6-239.
Bowling: E Rainsford 0.1-0-0-0; S Masakadza 6.2-0-39-2; P Utseya 10-0-34-0; R Price 10-0-37-2; G Lamb 10-1-5-0; G Cremer 9-0-58-1; B Taylor 2-0-9-0; S Williams 2-0- 9-1. Ireland won by 4 wkts.
