Zimbabwe Secures Victory Over Ireland in 3rd T20I 2023/24 – Match Report

Ireland 141 for 4 (Tector 54*, Dockrell 49*) beat Zimbabwe 140 for 6 (Burl 36, Bennett 27, Delany 2-8, Little 2-21, Young 2-27) by six wickets

With 141 to chase, it looked like even this game could go into the last over like the last two when Ireland stumbled to 37 for 4 in seven overs.

But Dockrell and Tector countered Zimbabwe’s spin threat and soon put Ireland in the driving seat. They coasted to victory in the end, with eight balls to spare.

The momentum shifted after the 12th over. Ireland were going at a run a ball until then, and the asking rate was rising. Tector, who had played a key role in Ireland’s chase in the second T20I, was batting on 13 off 21 balls. Zimbabwe needed 69 from 48 balls.

Then Dockrell hit Zimbabwe’s stand-in captain Ryan Burl for two sixes in a 16-run 13th over, and Ireland took 12 more off the next, bowled by Wellington Masakadza, to bring the equation down to 41 off the last six.

Tector then shifted gears himself and ended up racing to a 41-ball half-century as he finished the series as its top scorer. He was, however, the first to admit in his post-game chat that it was Dockrell who engineered the win by taking the pressure off him when he was struggling early on, on a pitch where the ball often kept low.

Zimbabwe, already without the suspended Sikandar Raza, had to name a third captain in as many games in this series with Sean Williams out with the side injury he suffered during the second T20I.

It led to a major reshuffle, with opener Tadiwanashe Marumani and fast bowler Trevor Gwandu also making way as legspinner Brandon Mavuta, left-arm spinner Masakadza and batter Tony Munyonga coming into the side.

After being put in, Zimbabwe continued to endure top-order struggles. Tinashe Kamunhukamwe, sent out to open after an impressive knock at No. 3 on Saturday, was trapped lbw off Josh Little’s first ball.

But then Brian Bennett, who made 1 and 0 in his first two international games, made the most of his promotion to No. 3. Ireland’s bowlers targeted him with short balls, but he didn’t shy away from pulling and hooking his way out of the barrage. Zimbabwe only scored 26 in their first five overs, but ended the powerplay on a high when Bennett pulled Barry McCarthy for consecutive sixes.

But Gareth Delany turned the game around in the next over, first trapping Wessly Madhevere lbw after he missed a pull to one that stayed low and then getting Bennett to chop on for a 19-ball 27.

Burl was nearly out first ball, but Tucker couldn’t hold on to a catch off the inside edge. Burl then hung around with Munyonga before Craig Young castled the latter.

Like in the second T20I, Burl and Madande put on a defiant stand, adding 55 off 47. But Young gave Ireland a crucial breakthrough by bouncing Madande out before Burl drove Little straight to Delany at cover.

Mavuta and Luke Jongwe added an unbroken 24 runs for the seventh wicket, taking Zimbabwe’s total to 140.

Zimbabwe started well again with the ball, with Richard Ngarava trapping Paul Stirling in front in the first over. Blessing Muzarabani, introduced into the attack in the fourth over after Masakadza opened the bowling with Ngarava, also struck in his first over when Andy Balbirnie miscued a pull to Burl, who took a good catch backpedaling from mid-off.

Lorcan Tucker swept Masakadza for a boundary, but lost his stumps trying the same shot next ball.

Curtis Campher joined Tector at the crease but was struggling to get the spinners away, especially Mavuta, and the legspinner eventually got a leading edge off him that was gobbled up at cover.

That brought Tector and Dockrell together, and the two proceeded to complete the chase almost faultlessly, with Dockrell hitting the winning runs for a second game in a row.