Zimbabwe, Ireland share points after rain washes out second ODI

Ireland – 282-8 in 50 overs (William Porterfield 67, Harry Tector 55, Andy Barlbirnie 40; Richard Ngarava 3/52, Sean Williams 1/29, Blessing Muzarabani 1/55)

Zimbabwe – did not bat

No result

ZIMBABWE and Ireland had to settle for a share of the spoils after the second of their three one-day international matches at Stormont was abandoned due to a heavy downpour on Friday.

The hosts compiled a total of 282 for eight wickets in their 50 overs, but during the interval the skies opened up and the match could not be continued. The series is part of the ICC Men’s World Cup Super League and, following the abandonment, both teams will be awarded five points each.

10 September 2021; Blessing Muzarabani of Zimbabwe bowls to William Porterfield of Ireland during match two of the Dafanews International Cup ODI series between Ireland and Zimbabwe at Stormont in Belfast. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

Zimbabwe won the first match by 38 runs on Wednesday, with the final ODI scheduled for Monday.

Despite their success in the series opener when they batted first, the tourists won the toss and opted to field in Friday’s game, with Milton Shumba coming in for Dion Myers to make his debut in this format.

The Ireland innings opened with Paul Stirling and William Porterfield against the bowling of Blessing Muzarabani and Richard Ngarava – the usual pairings.

The bowling was so good that only 17 runs came off the first five overs. Porterfield decided he had to do something about this and drove Ngarava for two fours in the sixth over, and another two in the eighth.

Stirling took rather longer to get settled, but the pair brought up the team fifty in the 11th over.

After the powerplay was over, the pair settled down to a steady game of working the ball around the field for ones and twos, with the occasional boundary off loose balls.

They put on 87 until, in the 23rd over, Stirling (33) clipped a ball from Sean Williams to midwicket where Sikandar Raza dived to his left and held a fine catch.

Andy Balbirnie, in next, was soon scoring fluently and the team hundred came up in the 28th over. The two batsmen put on 69 for the second wicket in 12 overs, before Balbirnie pulled a short ball from Ngarava, to be well caught low down by Brendan Taylor at fine leg – he scored 40 off 43 balls and the score was 151 for two.

One wicket brought another, as in his next over Ngarava moved a ball away off the pitch to Porterfield (67), who edged a catch to the keeper, reducing Ireland to 153 for three in the 37th over.

Harry Tector and George Dockrell were now in together and they put on 48 in six overs before Dockrell miscued a pull off Muzarabani, to be caught on the square-leg boundary for 28 off 19 balls; 201 for four in the 43rd over.

With Lorcan Tucker in the run-scoring became even faster, Tector reaching his fifty off only 39 balls. He was finally out for 55, when he top-edged a pull off Ngarava, who took the return catch; 267 for five in the 49th over.

Jongwe, bowling the final over, had Tucker caught on the midwicket boundary for 32. Simi Singh was run out by Wessly Madhevere for one, and Andy McBrine was run out after hitting his first ball for six.

So three wickets fell and 14 runs were scored, giving Ireland the handsome total of 282 for eight wickets. Ngarava was the pick of the bowlers, ending with three wickets for 52 runs.

Just when Zimbabwe were about to come out to bat, there was a heavy downfall of rain. When it stopped the outfield was very damp, and despite all efforts to mop up and continue the match perhaps under Duckworth-Lewis regulations, the match eventually had to be abandoned with no result. – ZC