| 0.0 : Good evening folks as we welcome you to the 2nd T20 International between Zimbabwe and the hosts Ireland. It is a windy day today in Bready, Northern Ireland with the chances of rain seemingly less. Zimbabwe will be looking to forget the ODI series and hit the ground running in the shorter format which might suit them more. Ireland, on the other hand, will try to enforce another defeat on the Zimbabwe team. Stay tuned for the toss! |
| WEATHER - It was raining before the start of the match and it is heavily overcast but the forecast seems to be pretty good for the rest of the evening. |
| TOSS - Time for the spin of the coin. Gary Wilson flips it, Hamilton Masakadza calls Heads but it is a Tail. IRELAND ELECT TO CHASE. |
| Zimbabwe (Playing XI) - Hamilton Masakadza(c), Ryan Burl, Craig Ervine, Brendan Taylor(wk), Sikandar Raza, Sean Williams, Peter Moor, Tendai Chatara, Kyle Jarvis, Chris Mpofu and Richmond Mutumbami. |
| Ireland (Playing XI) - Paul Stirling, Andy Balbirnie, Gary Wilson(c), Kevin O'Brien, Lorcan Tucker(wk), Gareth Delany, Shane Getkate, Mark Adair, Greg Thompson, Tyrone Kane and Craig Young. |
| It is nice to see that at least we are guaranteed of a start. Just a reminder that the first T20I on Wednesday was washed out and the winner tonight will take an unassailable lead in the 3-match series. |
| The players walk out for the national anthems. It is Zimbabwe's first. |
| The anthems are done and dusted and we are all ready for the game! Out come the Zimbabwe opening batsmen, Brendan Taylor and Hamilton Masakadza. Craig Young to start off proceedings for the game. Taylor to face. Here we go... |
| 0.1 : C Young to B Taylor, Full and around off, Taylor looks to tuck it to the leg side but misses and gets hit on the pads. |
| 0.2 : C Young to B Taylor, Full and down the leg side, flicked straight to mid-wicket. |
| 0.3 : C Young to B Taylor, FOUR! Full and outside off, Taylor comes down the track and biffs it wide of mid off for a boundary! |
| 0.4 : C Young to B Taylor, Landed outside off, played straight to point. |
| 0.5 : C Young to B Taylor, Excellent stop by Mark Adair! Full and around off, Brendan works it through mid-wicket where Mark dives to his right and makes a good stop. A run taken. |
| 0.6 : C Young to H Masakadza, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| Tyrone Kane to bowl from the other end. |
| 1.1 : T Kane to B Taylor, Length ball just outside off, played down to third man. |
| 1.2 : T Kane to B Taylor, Fullish and on middle, pushed to mid-wicket for a single. |
| 1.3 : T Kane to H Masakadza, Wide! Length ball on leg side, Masakadza lets it go. |
| T Kane to H Masakadza, The batter plays it off the back foot to the off side. |
| It has started to RAIN now. Seems to be a passing shower. The players and umpires do not seem too fussed. Meanwhile, Gary Wilson calls for a helmet as he stands up to the stumps. |
| 1.4 : T Kane to H Masakadza, Good length ball on middle and leg, Masakadza plays it to mid-wicket for a single. |
| 1.5 : T Kane to B Taylor, FOUR! Kane gets the punishment. Short ball bowled outside off, Taylor goes onto the back foot and cuts it over the cover-point fielder for a boundary. |
| Oh dear. The intensity of the drizzle has increased and the covers are coming on. In fact, it has almost stopped. In the background, we can see that the hills are reasonably bright, so this should be a passing shower. Just a single cover on, so that is positive news. |
| The rain seems to have eased off and the umpires are proactive in asking for the covers to get removed off the square. All the covers are OFF and we might be starting sooner rather than later. |
| Good news! The players are back on the field and play is about to resume! |
| 1.6 : T Kane to B Taylor, Full ball on middle, edged to third man by Taylor. |
| 2.1 : C Young to H Masakadza, OUT! Caught! What has Masakadza done here? The ball was short and on the leg side, it was sitting there to be hit. However, Masakadza hooks and top edges it in the air. Kevin O'Brien runs to his right and takes a dolly. Masakadza's horror run of form continues in international cricket. |
| 0.0 : Craig Ervine comes in at number 3, replacing Masakadza. |
| 2.2 : C Young to C Ervine, Around middle and leg, Ervine looks to tuck it to the leg side but misses. |
| 2.3 : C Young to C Ervine, A short ball, Ervine looks to pull but misses. |
| 2.4 : C Young to C Ervine, The batsman was beaten and missed the line of the delivery. |
| 2.5 : C Young to C Ervine, FOUR! Fine shot. A short ball, outside off, Ervine pulls it over mid-wicket! |
| 2.6 : C Young to C Ervine, The batsman gets a bottom edge on that one. |
| Mark Adair into the attack. |
| 3.1 : M Adair to B Taylor, FOUR! Nicely done. On a length outside off, Taylor opens the face of his bat and guides it to the third man fence! |
| 3.2 : M Adair to B Taylor, OUT! Caught! This time it is Taylor who departs. The ball is on a good length just outside off, Taylor charges down the ground and tries to lift it over mid off. He skies it over Tucker at mid off but he runs back and takes a difficult catch. Zimbabwe are 2 down for just 20 runs. |
| Sean Williams walks in at number 4, replacing Taylor. |
| 3.3 : M Adair to C Ervine, FOUR! BELLIGERENT! A short ball outside off, Ervine slaps it over cover for a boundary! |
| 3.4 : M Adair to C Ervine, A caught behind appeal now! Everything is happening in this over. On a length outside off, Craig looks to push it towards third man but hangs his bat limply in the end. Wilson takes it and celebrates, appealing for the catch but the umpire is unmoved. Williams meanwhile, looks for the run as Wilson has thrown the ball in the air, away from him, in excitement. But the ball is not far and he goes back. |
| 3.5 : M Adair to C Ervine, Outside off, dabbed to third man for a single. |
| 3.6 : M Adair to S Williams, FOUR! Fine shot. A bizarre over from Adair. Got a wicket but also went for three boundaries. |
| Change of ends for Kane. |
| 4.1 : T Kane to C Ervine, FOUR! Full length ball wide outside off by Kane, it is pushed sweetly through the covers and in the gap by Ervine. Four runs given. |
| 4.2 : T Kane to C Ervine, Great comeback! The ball is bowled on a length on middle by Kane. It swings in sharply and hits Ervine. |
| 4.3 : T Kane to C Ervine, Flicks this through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 4.4 : T Kane to S Williams, FOUR! Beautiful shot through the covers again. The ball is very full again and Kane hasn't learnt from his mistakes. He is punished by Williams and has conceded a boundary. |
| 4.5 : T Kane to S Williams, Full and outside off, Williams drives this down the ground. Mid off gets across quickly to his left and dives, parrying the ball towards mid on. A quick run taken. |
| 4.6 : T Kane to C Ervine, Short ball on middle by Kane. Ervine glances it to fine leg for a single. |
| Another delay. The showers have come back again and are a bit heavier this time around. The covers are coming on. Unfortunate for all the fans and players. Hopefully, we resume quickly. |
| Update - 5 pm local (1600 GMT) - The rain seems to have stopped. The clouds are slowly seen being blown away and there is some blue background. No activity on the earth though. The covers and the ground staff, both stay stationary. |
| Update - 5.15 pm local (1615 GMT) - Plenty of activity now. The covers are slowly coming off while the ground is being cleared of water with a rope moved around. |
| Update - 5.30 pm local (1630 GMT) - All the covers are off now. Gary Wilson has already got his pads on (Or did he not remove them at all?) The third umpire is having a look at the conditions of the ground. We may not be too far away from a resumption. |
| Good news! We are hearing that the umpires are going to have an inspection at 5.45 pm local (1645 GMT). Fingers crossed! |
| Update - 5.50 pm local (1650 GMT) - The umpires had come and the umpires have gone. Don't know what they saw but whatever they saw, they are happy with it. They have signalled to the Irish team to do their warm-up. That means we should be resuming anytime soon. |
| Update - 6 pm local (1700 GMT) - Terrific news! The players are back on the field and the GAME HAS BEEN REDUCED TO 13 OVERS PER SIDE. Shane Getkate has the ball in his hand. Ervine to face. |
| 5.1 : S Getkate to C Ervine, 1st ball after the delay. Dot ball. A good yorker to start right on the off stump by Getkate. |
| 5.2 : S Getkate to C Ervine, Down the leg side, Ervine tickles it through fine leg where Tyrone Kane dives to his right and makes a half-stop. A couple taken. |
| 5.3 : S Getkate to C Ervine, SIX! Gigantic! What a shot! The ball was pitched fullish on off stump by Getkate, Ervine goes down on one knee and just lifts it over the fine leg region nonchalantly. He has timed that sweetly. |
| A box of balls comes out. |
| 5.4 : S Getkate to C Ervine, Around off, punched towards wide long on for a single. |
| 5.5 : S Getkate to S Williams, Yorker again just outside off. Williams plays it down the ground towards Getkate but he puts his left foot out and stops at least one run. |
| 5.6 : S Getkate to S Williams, FOUR! BLAST! That is a poor ball. Short and wide outside off, Williams cuts it through point for a boundary! |
| We are seeing spin for the first time. Gareth Delany to bowl his leggies. |
| 6.1 : G Delany to C Ervine, Full and outside off, driven down to long off for a single. |
| 6.2 : G Delany to S Williams, Landed outside off, Williams reverse sweeps this through third man. Lorcan Tucker dives full length to his right and makes a terrific stop. Just a run. |
| 6.3 : G Delany to C Ervine, SIX! Ervine hits a huge one! The ball is tossed up outside off and it is fullish. Ervine takes a foot ahead and he smashes it over the long on fence for a biggie. Maybe the ball is lost too. |
| 6.4 : G Delany to C Ervine, A full toss outside off, Ervine hammers it through long off. The fielder gets across to his right and stops the racing ball with a dive. Returns as poor throw to the bowler but does not concede any overthrow. |
| 6.5 : G Delany to S Williams, SIX! Williams this time. Again tossed up outside off by Delany, Williams just maybe mistimes it but his power forces it over the head of the fielder at long on. Looks like an action replay to the last six. |
| 6.6 : G Delany to S Williams, Full and outside off, sliced over point for a run. 16 from the over, 29 from the last 2! |
| Mark Adair to bowl now. |
| 7.1 : M Adair to S Williams, SIX! It is raining sixes here! Full and outside off, Williams clears his right leg and sends it sailing over long off! |
| 7.2 : M Adair to S Williams, SIX! Ho ho! Where has this gone? A fuller length, around middle, Williams whips this over mid-wicket! |
| 7.3 : M Adair to S Williams, Outside off, pushed through the covers for a single. |
| 7.4 : M Adair to C Ervine, FOUR! BLUDGEONED! A short ball, around off, pulled through mid-wicket for a boundary! |
| 7.5 : M Adair to C Ervine, Full ball this time by Adair on the pads of Ervine. He just chips it to the long on fielder but it drops short. They take a single. |
| 7.6 : M Adair to S Williams, OUT! Caught! A soft dismissal. Low full toss outside off, Williams looks to go inside out but the ball hits the toe end of his bat and lobs towards cover. It is dipping but Paul Stirling does well to get across to his left and take a good catch. End of the 67-run stand. Zimbabwe have been given a much-needed uplift. |
| Sikandar Raza walks in to bat while Shane Getkate switches ends. |
| 8.1 : S Getkate to C Ervine, Full ball outside off by Getkate, Ervine plays it down to mid on for a single. |
| 8.2 : S Getkate to S Raza, Full and around middle, flicked straight to short mid-wicket. |
| 8.3 : S Getkate to S Raza, Raza gets off the mark. The ball is shortish on chest height outside off, Raza makes some room and helps it to third man for a single. |
| 8.4 : S Getkate to C Ervine, SIX! BOOM! Ervine continues his onslaught. Full and outside off, Ervine gets down on a knee, fetches it and sweeps it prolifically over square leg! |
| 8.5 : S Getkate to C Ervine, Yorker wide outside off, Ervine tries to whip it to the leg side but he misses it altogether. The plan here looks like to bowl wide and full outside off. |
| 8.6 : S Getkate to C Ervine, A full toss outside off, Ervine reaches out and drives it through the covers for a run. |
| Gareth Delany is back on. 1-0-16-0 so far. |
| 9.1 : G Delany to C Ervine, FOUR! A real drag down, around off, Ervine pulls it through mid-wicket for a boundary! |
| 9.2 : G Delany to C Ervine, Played back to the bowler by Ervine, the bowler dives to his right and saves at least a run. |
| 9.3 : G Delany to C Ervine, Held that back a little bit, Craig whipped it towards long on for a single to bring up a top-class half century. A batsman in form and he is showing it. |
| 9.4 : G Delany to S Raza, Full ball on the off stump, Raza tries to flick the ball towards the leg side but misses. |
| 9.5 : G Delany to S Raza, Comes down the track to flick but misses and the ball goes off his pads towards short third man. A leg bye taken. |
| 9.6 : G Delany to C Ervine, FOUR! The ball is on the leg stump line and is flatter, Ervine whips the ball towards the deep mid-wicket region off the front foot and into the gap for a four. |
| How will the allotted quota of bowlers pan out? 3 bowlers can bowl 3 while 2 can bowl 2 overs each. |
| 10.1 : S Getkate to S Raza, Full and around off, Raza gets across and paddles it over short fine leg for a couple. |
| 10.2 : S Getkate to S Raza, OUT! Caught! Getkate bowls the ball on a good length outside off, Raza tries to cut the ball over the cover-point fielder but he skies it instead. Adair positions himself well exactly below the ball and takes a good catch inside the circle at cover. Zimbabwe are 4 down now. |
| Ryan Burl comes in at number 6, replacing Raza. |
| 10.3 : S Getkate to C Ervine, WIDE. Full and well outside off, left alone. |
| S Getkate to C Ervine, Full this time, carved over point, well fielded by Thompson in the deep, restricting the batsmen to just one. |
| 10.4 : S Getkate to R Burl, Good bowling by Getkate, wide on a length just outside off, the batter under edges it onto the ground. |
| Deep square leg comes in while mid-wicket drops back. Third man goes very wide. |
| 10.5 : S Getkate to R Burl, Around middle, whipped through mid-wicket for a well-run couple. |
| 10.6 : S Getkate to R Burl, Another close miss! The ball is bowled full and just outside off, Burl tries to heave the ball towards long on but he almost chops it onto the stump. It hits nothing and the ball rolls down to the fine leg fielder. |
| Mark Adair to bowl out. 2-0-31-2 so far. |
| 11.1 : M Adair to C Ervine, Full and outside off, Ervine slashes but misses. |
| 11.2 : M Adair to C Ervine, OUT! Caught! Nice catch under pressure. A length ball, around off, Ervine swats it over mid-wicket. Two fielders get underneath it but there is perfect calling and in the end, Tyrone Kane from mid-wicket, takes it to his right. Fine knock from Ervine. |
| Peter Moor in at number 7, replacing Ervine. |
| 11.3 : M Adair to R Burl, The ball is full and on middle, Burl flicks it down to deep fine leg and takes a single. |
| 11.4 : M Adair to P Moor, FOUR! Bad Ball! Adair bowls the slower ball but it angles down too much down the leg side. Moor just helps the ball behind the keeper, and it goes to the fine leg fence. |
| 11.5 : M Adair to P Moor, OUT! Caught! The wickets are falling like ninepins now. A full toss, around off, Moor whips it over mid-wicket but does not get as much distance as much the elevation. Andy Balbirnie comes running in and takes a simple catch. |
| Richmond Mutumbami walks in at number 8, replacing Moor. |
| 11.6 : M Adair to R Burl, FOUR! Almost a yorker but whipped away! Burl moves to the leg side trying to make a little bit of room. Adair follows him but Burl was ready for him and he whips the ball behind square leg for a boundary. Adair finishes with figures of 3-0-40-4. Expensive but mighty effective. |
| Craig Young to bowl the final over. |
| 12.1 : C Young to R Mutumbami, FOUR! BOSH! Poor delivery. Short and wide outside off, Mutumbami crashes it over point and finds the fence! |
| 12.2 : C Young to R Mutumbami, A low full toss, outside off, drilled down to long off for a single. |
| 12.3 : C Young to R Burl, Full and around middle, whipped straight to mid-wicket for a run. |
| 12.4 : C Young to R Mutumbami, OUT! What a catch by Tucker! Young bowls the ball short and on middle, Mutumbami pulls the ball towards the deep square leg region uppishly but he does not get good enough contact to get it over the fence. Tucker runs to his left and takes a superb diving catch. Zimbabwe are 7 down now! |
| Kyle Jarvis is the new man in. |
| 12.5 : C Young to R Burl, FOUR! A low full toss, Burl hammers this down the ground. The fielder gets across from long on and dives but in vain. |
| 12.6 : C Young to R Burl, OUT! A run out to end the innings. A length ball outside off, Burl heaves it towards deep mid-wicket. Shane Getkate comes running in and fires a rocket throw to the keeper as the batsmen return for the second. Wilson collects and disturbs the stumps, beating the dive of Burl. ZIMBABWE FINISH ON 132/8! |
| That is a handy score posted by Zimbabwe. Given that this was a rain-interrupted game, the target would be adjusted by Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method. So it is advantage Rhodesia. |
| The innings started as if there was no tomorrow, with the Zimbabwe batsmen going hard, living by the sword and even dying by it. They lost two wickets quickly and then the rain came. The second interruption proved to be fruitful for the visitors because after that, they came out firing. Williams and Ervine played with fire and added 67 in just 28 balls, which just changed the complexion of the innings. Ervine went on to score 55 while Williams' cameo of 34 from 12 balls might just prove to be th |
| Not the best of bowling performances by Ireland. They were superb at the start, but then struggled after the rain breaks. However, once Williams was dismissed, they came back strongly. Mark Adair was expensive, but picked up 4 wickets. Craig Young was the best bowler on display, with 2/20 in his 3 overs. |
| We are hearing that the DLS adjusted target for Ireland is 134 in 13 overs. If Stirling gets going, this should be fun. Stay tuned. |
| 0.0 : We are back for the chase. Kyle Jarvis to open the bowling for Zimbabwe. Paul Stirling and Kevin O'Brien to open the innings for Ireland. |
| 0.1 : K Jarvis to P Stirling, A length ball around off, Stirling comes down the track and works it through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 0.2 : K Jarvis to K O'Brien, LEADING EDGE, SAFE! A length ball, down the leg side, O'Brien looks to flick but gets a leading edge which does not carry to point. |
| 0.3 : K Jarvis to K O'Brien, FOUR! A short ball, on middle, Kevin swivels and pulls it behind square leg for a boundary! |
| 0.4 : K Jarvis to K O'Brien, WIDE! Short ball outside leg from Jarvis. O'Brien tries to hook it but misses. The Zimbabwe players appeal but the umpire thinks there is no contact. |
| K Jarvis to K O'Brien, FOUR! Bad ball! The ball was on length and on the hips of the batter. O'Brien just tickles it and helps it on its way to the fine leg fence. |
| 0.5 : K Jarvis to K O'Brien, Outside off, a play and a miss. |
| 0.6 : K Jarvis to K O'Brien, On a length outside off, O'Brien hops and pushes it towards point. Good start for Ireland. |
| Sean Williams to bowl from the other end. |
| 1.1 : S Williams to P Stirling, FOUR! Fractionally short, around off, Stirling backs away to the leg side and punches it through the covers! |
| 1.2 : S Williams to P Stirling, Outside off, a play and a miss. |
| 1.3 : S Williams to P Stirling, Full and around middle, flicked through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 1.4 : S Williams to K O'Brien, FOUR! Full and outside off, O'Brien gets down and slog sweeps it over mid-wicket for a boundary! |
| 1.5 : S Williams to K O'Brien, Outside off, punched through the off side for a single. |
| 1.6 : S Williams to P Stirling, WIDE. Down the leg side, left alone. |
| S Williams to P Stirling, Outside off, punched straight to point for a single. |
| Tendai Chatara into the attack now. Fine leg up in the circle. |
| 2.1 : T Chatara to P Stirling, FOUR! BRUTAL! Full and outside off, Stirling backs away to the leg side and bashes it wide of mid off for a boundary! |
| 2.2 : T Chatara to P Stirling, In the air... but safe! Full toss on off, but Stirling hits it straight towards mid on. It looked like it was going straight down Williams throat but he slipped while going for the catch. No run |
| 2.3 : T Chatara to P Stirling, FOUR! Up and over point this time! A length ball outside off, Stirling backs away and slaps it over point for a boundary! |
| 2.4 : T Chatara to P Stirling, SIX! What a start this is for Ireland! A length ball, down the leg side, Stirling whips it over mid-wicket for half a dozen! |
| 2.5 : T Chatara to P Stirling, Works this through square leg for a run. |
| 2.6 : T Chatara to K O'Brien, A length ball outside off, Kevin looks to go up and over but misses. |
| Chris Mpofu to bowl now. |
| 3.1 : C Mpofu to P Stirling, A length ball outside off, Stirling walks across and punches it through the covers for a single. |
| 0.0 : Third man comes up now. |
| 3.2 : C Mpofu to K O'Brien, FOUR! Behind square leg! FOUR! Good length ball outside leg, Kevin O Brien makes room to the leg side and glances it towards deep square leg. The fine leg fielder runs behind it but the ball wins the race. |
| 3.3 : C Mpofu to K O'Brien, Outside off, carved to sweeper cover for a run. |
| 3.4 : C Mpofu to P Stirling, SIX! Terrific shot! The Ireland onslaught continues. Full and wide outside off, Stirling gets down on a knee and lofts it over mid off for half a dozen! |
| 3.5 : C Mpofu to P Stirling, Outside off, dabbed to third man for a single. |
| 3.6 : C Mpofu to K O'Brien, On a length outside off, watchfully pushed towards point. |
| 4.1 : T Chatara to P Stirling, A length ball outside off, Stirling looks to play inside out but misses. |
| 4.2 : T Chatara to P Stirling, Outside off, played through point for a single. |
| 4.3 : T Chatara to K O'Brien, Short ball, outside leg stump, Kevin O'Brien makes room to the leg stump but gets cramped as Chatara follows him. O'Brien pushes it to the leg side for a single. |
| 4.4 : T Chatara to P Stirling, FOUR! Another cracking shot. A low full toss outside off, Stirling comes down the track and bashes it through the covers! |
| 4.5 : T Chatara to P Stirling, Full and outside off, driven through the covers for a single. |
| 4.6 : T Chatara to K O'Brien, WIDE. Down the leg side, flick shot missed. |
| T Chatara to K O'Brien, OUT! What a stunning catch by Kyle Jarvis! Full length delivery, Kevin O'Brien makes room and tries to hit it over deep extra cover but Kyle Jarvis runs behind to his left from mid off and takes an excellent diving catch. Zimbabwe right back in the game. Ireland require 76 runs from 48 balls. |
| Andy Balbirnie comes in at number 3, replacing O'Brien. Ryan Burl to bowl his leggies. |
| 5.1 : R Burl to A Balbirnie, Full and around leg, swept behind square leg for a single. |
| 5.2 : R Burl to P Stirling, SIX! CLOBBERED! Full and around off, Stirling gets down and sweeps it mightily over mid-wicket! |
| 5.3 : R Burl to P Stirling, SIX! And another! Stirling is taking Ireland home single-handedly. This is on the pads, Paul gets forward and whips it massively over mid-wicket once more! |
| 5.4 : R Burl to P Stirling, Outside off, Stirling rocks back and cuts it to deep cover for a single. |
| 5.5 : R Burl to A Balbirnie, FOUR! Full and outside off, Balbirnie gets down and lofts it over cover for a boundary! |
| 5.6 : R Burl to A Balbirnie, Full length delivery, on middle stump, Stirling defends it to the off side for a quick single. |
| Kyle Jarvis is back on. 1-0-10-0 so far. |
| 6.1 : K Jarvis to A Balbirnie, A short ball outside off, Balbirnie looks to cut but gets a bottom edge which goes on the bounce to the keeper. |
| 6.2 : K Jarvis to A Balbirnie, Short ball, on off stump, Balbirnie pulls it to long on for another single. |
| 6.3 : K Jarvis to P Stirling, HALF CENTURY! 7th 50-plus score in his last 8 international innings. Full and down the leg side, flicked through square leg to bring up that milestone. What a player. |
| 6.4 : K Jarvis to A Balbirnie, FOUR! Up and over mid-wicket! Good length delivery, on leg stump, Balbirnie slogs it towards deep mid-wicket for a much-needed boundary for Ireland. |
| 6.5 : K Jarvis to A Balbirnie, DROPPED! Costly miss. A length ball outside off, Balbirnie gets down and paddles it towards fine leg. Chris Mpofu runs back from short fine leg, puts in a jump but lands awkwardly and puts it down! Two runs taken. |
| 6.6 : K Jarvis to A Balbirnie, NO BALL! Jarvis oversteps, resulting in a no ball. Coming to the ball, it was short, outside off, Balbirnie tries to cut it but misses the ball. |
| FREE HIT TIME! |
| K Jarvis to A Balbirnie, FOUR! Punishment on the Free Hit. A length ball, on middle, Balbirnie whips it through mid-wicket and explores the boundary! |
| 7.1 : S Williams to P Stirling, Full and around off, pushed towards mid on for a quick single. |
| 7.2 : S Williams to A Balbirnie, The batsman has played it towards mid-wicket. They pick up a single. |
| 7.3 : S Williams to P Stirling, FOUR! Short and outside off, Stirling cuts it through point and finds the fence! |
| 7.4 : S Williams to P Stirling, Around off, worked through mid-wicket for a run. |
| 7.5 : S Williams to A Balbirnie, FOUR! Lapped away! Full and around off, Balbirnie gets down and paddles it to the fine leg fence. |
| 7.6 : S Williams to A Balbirnie, Outside off, Andy looks to cut but gets a bottom edge. Taylor leaps to collect. |
| Sikandar Raza introduced now. |
| 8.1 : S Raza to P Stirling, SIX! CLUBBED! Over square leg. |
| 8.2 : S Raza to P Stirling, SIX! This one has gone out of the ground. Full and outside off, Stirling gets down on a knee and slogs it over long on. |
| 8.3 : S Raza to P Stirling, The batsman fails to put bat on ball. |
| 8.4 : S Raza to P Stirling, Short ball, on middle stump, Stirling glances it towards deep mid-wicket for a single. |
| 8.5 : S Raza to A Balbirnie, Around middle and leg, worked through square leg for a run. |
| 8.6 : S Raza to P Stirling, Full length delivery, on middle stump. Balbirnie drives it to cover but there is no run available there. |
| Chris Mpofu returns. 1-0-14-0 so far. |
| 9.1 : C Mpofu to A Balbirnie, Full and outside off, Balbirnie hits it back to the bowler who sticks out his right hand and deflects it towards mid-wicket. A run taken. |
| 9.2 : C Mpofu to P Stirling, Around middle, chipped towards long on for a single. |
| 9.3 : C Mpofu to A Balbirnie, Outside off, slapped through the covers for one. |
| 9.4 : C Mpofu to P Stirling, Good length delivery, on off stump, Stirling steers it to point but no run taken. |
| 9.5 : C Mpofu to P Stirling, FOUR! Whoa! Off the top edge. Full and around off, Stirling gets down to paddle but the ball takes the top edge and rockets behind. Lobs high in the air and lands just inside the third man fence! |
| 9.6 : C Mpofu to P Stirling, Full length delivery, on middle stump, a rare defense from Stirling. Plays it back to the bowler. |
| Kyle Jarvis is back on. 2-0-23-0 so far. |
| 10.1 : K Jarvis to A Balbirnie, Around middle, worked through square leg for a couple. |
| 10.2 : K Jarvis to A Balbirnie, DROPPED! No one can believe it. Short delivery from Jarvis, on middle stump, Balbirnie pulls but does not time it well. The ball goes straight to Mpofu at deep square leg who makes a mess of it and lets Balbirnie off the hook. A single taken. |
| 10.3 : K Jarvis to P Stirling, SIX! CLUNK! This is connected well. A short ball, around off, Stirling waits and pulls it over mid-wicket for a biggie! |
| 10.4 : K Jarvis to P Stirling, Outside off, Paul looks to hit this through the off side but the ball takes the inside edge and snakes through past the leg stump towards fine leg. A couple taken. |
| 10.5 : K Jarvis to P Stirling, IRELAND WIN! What a victory. Stirling the man for them, pushes it towards long on with his arms aloft and completes the requisite run. |
| A helter-skelter of a win. That is what T20 is all about, isn't it? Or a T13, in this case. If Zimbabwe thought they had enough on the board, well, perhaps the board itself was short for Ireland. |
| A hapless bowling performance from Zimbabwe. No one, at any stage, looked in any sort of control as Stirling ate his lunch, breakfast and dinner in form of the Zimbabwe bowlers. Not a single bowler conceded below 10 runs an over and Ireland, through Stirling, just teed away. If you need to chase 134 in 13 overs, you need a special knock and Stirling's unbeaten 83 from 36 provided more than that. Courtesy that man, the home side chased down the target with 13 balls to spare! |
| Earlier in the day, Zimbabwe started slowly but then rocketed to 132 in 13 overs, thanks to two rain delays. The 67-run stand between Ervine and Williams gave the Zimbabwe supporters something to cheer about but Paul Stirling quickly snatched it in the matter of an hour. |
| That is it from us then! Ireland extend their dominance over Zimbabwe, staying unbeaten. This was probably the visitors' best chance to win a game on this tour but perhaps as they say, everyday is not Sunday and the final match is on a Sunday, so who knows... can Zimbabwe end the tour with a win? Join us on 14th July, 2019 at 4 pm local (1500 GMT) for the third and final T20I. ADIOS! TAKE CARE! |
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