Zimbabwe 195 for 6 (Burl 57*, Curran 38, Evans 37*, Erasmus 3-46) beat Namibia 190 (Busing-Volschenk 56, Green 54, Evans 3-41, Bennett 2-8) by five runs
Zimbabwe bounced back in the T20I tri-series but were given an almighty scare by Namibia, who came within one shot of completing their second-highest successful chase in the format. The result leaves all three teams, including South Africa, on two points each after the first round of games, with a win and loss each.
It turned into a battle of record seventh-wicket partnerships after Zimbabwe recovered from 101 for 6 after 12 overs to reach 195, thanks to an unbroken 94-run stand between Ryan Burl and Brad Evans. The pair set a new record for their country, and would have thought they had done enough. But they were trumped by Namibia's Zane Green and Alexander Busing-Volschenk, who posted 110 for their seventh-wicket stand, and threatened to pull off a thrilling upset.
After coming together at 76 for 6, Green and Busing-Volschenk found boundaries at will, and they took Namibia to the brink as they needed 16 runs off the last over.
It was up to Evans to stop them. Because Zimbabwe had extra fielders out of the circle, his first ball was no-ball, which further complicated the task. Busing-Volschenk brought up his fifty off the first legitimate ball of that over. By then, Green already had 54 and was eager to finish off, but he was run out by a direct hit from Sikandar Raza while pushing for two.
Busing-Volschenk took it on himself to do the job as he laced Evans down the ground for four. That left Namibia needing six runs off three balls. But in a dramatic twist, Busing-Volshenk was caught behind by a diving Tadiwanashe Marumani, who took the catch one-handed; Bernard Scholtz was run-out at the non-striker's end, unsure if he should take a single; and Jack Brassell was bowled off the final delivery to give Zimbabwe a team hat-trick and a massive sigh of relief.
They now have less than 24 hours to recover before playing South Africa on Tuesday.
Zimbabwe start well, but Namibia take 5 for 15
Brian Bennett and Ben Curran shared an opening stand of 64, but Bennett's dismissal, caught at deep-backward square trying to pull JJ Smith off the last ball of the powerplay, caused a domino effect. In the next over, Scholtz beat Dion Myers' outside edge and bowled him, and in the one after that, Sikandar Raza top-edged as he swatted Gerhard Erasmus towards deep square leg.
Curran was deceived by a slower ball from Max Heingo, and Wessly Madhevere sent Erasmus straight to long-on as Zimbabwe's game awareness evaporated. They went from 64 without loss to 79 for 5.
Burl's burst, Evans' effort propel Zimbabwe
At 101 for 6 after 12 overs, even a total of 160 looked far away for Zimbabwe. But they had batters in hand. Holding Evans back for No. 8 proved useful use when he came to the crease with time and a specialist batting partner, Burl, at the other end. Burl's first boundary came when he pounced on a short and wide ball from Heingo, and cut it for four. Then Evans sent Scholtz for back-to-back sixes, and momentum shifted towards Zimbabwe.
The coup de grace came in the final over, with Zimbabwe already on 175 and both batters on 37. Burl hit Erasmus for six over long-on, four through long-off, four through the covers to bring up his fifty, and four behind square to take 20 runs off the final over. and Zimbabwe to a solid 195.
More to follow...
