By 
The Chevrons, Zimbabwe’s Senior Men’s Cricket National team recently thumped Ireland, a team better ranked for a longtime than the Southern African country in a 3-Match T20 crushing the visitors 2-1 to clinch the series. The sides will nevertheless begin a three-match one-day series in the Capital tomorrow.
In the Zimbabwe v Ireland T20 encounter, Ryan Burl’s late knock helped the hosts clinch the Harare series.
The Zimbabwean hero Ryan Burl also took two crucial wickets in the Ireland innings and the maverick Ryan Burl also fired two sixes and a four off successive George Dockrell deliveries in the 18th over to help the Southern African hosts win by four wickets in the
Third T20 of three, held at Harare Cricket Grounds.
Ireland hit 141-9 after (20 overs): Tector hit 47 runs, Campher 27; Madhevere took 2-8 wickets only conceding 8 runs from a powerful 2 wicket haul, with Burl 2-28 taking two wickets at the expense of 28runs maybe not so economical, and Chatara 2-26, two wickets out of 26 runs.
The hosts Zimbabwe closed off the encounter hitting 146-4 (19 overs) with six balls to spare unlike the visitors who exhausted all their balls: Ervine made 54, with Burl 30* unbeaten at 30 not out; White clinching 2-26 wickets, and McCarthy 2-34 taking 2 wickets though not so Economic wasting 34 runs in his two wicket rout.
In the end when it really mattered, Zimbabwe won by four wickets. The Scorecard was in the hosts favour from the word go as Ryan Burl’s late knock of 30 helped hosts Zimbabwe clinch a 2-1 win over Ireland in the T20 series in Harare.
Not to be outdone Harry Tector’s 47 contributed to Ireland posting 141-9, in vain though with Curtis Campher hitting 27 before becoming one of all-rounder Burl’s two victims.
In spite of skipper Craig Ervine’s 54, Ireland kept Zimbabwe’s batting in check until Burl’s 18th over heroics.
Two sixes fired by Burl and a four off successive George Dockrell deliveries were enough help the hosts get out of the woods and win by four wickets.
Also Luke Jongwe, took two wickets in the Ireland innings, hitting the winning four in the final ball of the 19th over but it was Burl’s knock which proved key as he finished unbeaten on 30.
Curtis Campher and Harry Tector rebuilt the Ireland innings after the hosts had slumped to 19-3 in the fourth over as Ross Adair, following his match-winning 65 on Saturday could only manage a single run, with Stephen Doheny and skipper Andrew Balbirnie also departing cheaply.
Tector and Campher put on 70 in 57 balls before the latter was caught behind for 27.
Caught at 47, Tector fell becoming one of the impressive Wesley Madhevere’s two victims, before George Dockrell (23) and Mark Adair (14) steered Ireland towards respectability.
Zimbabwe again was without former England batter Gary Ballance, who had suffered concussion symptoms after being hit on the head during Thursday’s first meeting, Innocent Kaia (23) and Ervine 54 laid the foundations for Zimbabwe’s victory with a second-wicket partnership of 42.
Skipper Craig Ervine hit six fours in his 43-ball knock, with Barry McCarthy and Ben White’s two wickets apiece for Ireland, not proving enough amid Burl’s late big hitting for the hosts.
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