Chibhabha fifty flattens Canada
ZIMBABWE A, despite a patchy performance, scraped through to beat Canada by two wickets in the first unofficial one-day international match at Harare Sports Club yesterday, thanks to the power of their middle order, a fine innings of 65 by Chamu Chibhabha being the highlight.
Zimbabwe A came into this match fresh from four successive victories on their triumphant tour of Namibia during the past two weeks.
The sun was shining as Canada won the toss and decided to bat.
Their openers, Durand Soraine and Bhavindu Adhihetty, made a confident and impressive start against the bowling of Chris Mpofu and Tendai Chatara.
They never seemed in trouble and selected their strokes well, putting on 57 within 15 overs before Soraine drove a ball from Nathan Waller into the covers and was well caught low down by Sikandar Raza.
The left-handed Adhihetty, now in partnership with Navneet Dhaliwal, continued to bat skilfully and went on to reach his fifty off 71 balls.
The Zimbabwe A bowling could make little impression, as the batsmen, though not often reaching the boundary, kept the score ticking over with well-judged ones and twos, especially off the seamers.
Solomon Mire, available to Zimbabwe for the winter, came on to bowl his seamers, and quickly removed Dhaliwal (18), who tried to scoop a ball to leg but only succeeded in lobbing a simple catch to the keeper; 105 for two in the 29th over.
Dhanuka Pathirana was the next man in, but Adhihetty finally departed for a good innings of 70, as he slashed at a ball outside the off stump from Raza and was caught at the wicket.
He faced 97 balls and hit four fours, the score then being 133 for three after 34 overs.
Raza was the only bowler to take two wickets for the home side, while the left-arm spinner Masakadza was the most economical bowler with one wicket for 30 in his 10 overs.
Overall, Zimbabwe A’s performance with the ball and in the field was inconsistent, much good work being mixed with the mediocre.
Mire and Chibhabha opened the batting for Zimbabwe A against the bowling of Cecil Pervez and Dhindsa.
Mire, after scoring a single from Pervez, pulled Dhindsa’s first ball superbly for four, but unaccountably nudged the next delivery to second slip, and Zimbabwe A were five for one.
Disaster loomed as, after scoring a single, the new batsman Raza went for a big hit but instead could only sky a catch to mid-on, again off Dhindsa; seven for two.
Chibhabha and Sean Williams, who surprisingly did not bowl in the Cana- dian innings, now had to consolidate urgently.
They did a fine job of it, playing with caution for a few overs before gradually opening up and seeing off the Canadian seamers.
The team fifty came up in the 13th over, and by now spinners were operating at both ends.
Chibhabha played the spinners well, which does not always happen, and Williams was looking in fine form until he overreached himself, leapt down the pitch to Dhaliwal, and was easily stumped for 43, scored off 50 balls; 91 for three.
Moor came in next and brought up the team hundred in the 24th over.
A stolen single brought Chibhabha a well-earned fifty off 74 balls.
Moor was soon making hay while the sun shone, and he hit one of Junaid Siddiqui’s leg-breaks on to the top of the roof of the Chairman’s Stand, and then the left-arm spinner Saad Bin Zafar into the stands at wide long-on.
Siddiqui went for another six over long-off, but Moor was burning his candle at both ends, and another big hit off Dhindsa resulted in a top edge and skyed catch to the wicketkeeper.
He made 45 off 45 balls, with two fours and three sixes, and the score was 163 for four in the 36th over.
Chibhabha’s fine innings of 65 came to an end in the following over, as he moved down the pitch to drive Dutta, yorked himself and was stumped.
He hit five fours off 99 balls faced, and the score now of 165 for five in the 37th over left Zimbabwe A in potential trouble again. Scores: Canada – 248-6 in 50 overs (Bhavindu Adhihetty 70, Nikhil Dutta 34*, Durand Soraine 27; Sikandar Raza 2/41, Nathan Waller 1/26, Wellington Masakadza 1/30) Zimbabwe A – 249-8 in 48.1 overs (Chamu Chibhabha 65, PJ Moor 45, Sean Williams 43; Satsimranjit Dhindsa 5/53, Navneet Dhaliwal 1/16) Zimbabwe A won by two wickets. — zimcricket.