Follow UsZimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza starred with bat and ball as Zimbabwe beat Ireland by one wicket on Thursday in a thrilling opening T20 International (T20I) of a three-match series.
Ireland posted 147 for 8 off 20 overs and Blessing Muzarabani hit two runs off the final ball of the match, which was the first delivery he faced, to take Zimbabwe to 148 for 9 at Harare Sports Club. The spin bowling of Raza claimed three wickets, including top Irish scorer Andy Balbirnie, the recently deposed captain whose 32 included a six and six fours.
Batting at number four, Pakistan-born Raza struck 65, and his 42-ball stand was laced with two sixes and five fours. When the skipper was caught by Ireland captain Paul Stirling off the bowling of Mark Adair, Zimbabwe needed 11 runs from nine balls to win with two wickets remaining.
The home team reached 146 when Richard Ngarava became the ninth Zimbabwe batter to fall, but Muzarabani rose to the occasion with an inside edge that eluded wicketkeeper Lorcan Tucker. The victory completed a memorable night for Zimbabwe cricket as the match was the first staged in Harare under recently installed floodlights.
It was also a welcome change of fortune for the home team, who surprisingly finished only third at a recent T20 World Cup qualifying tournament in Namibia and were eliminated.
Zimbabwe and Ireland meet again in T20Is on Saturday (December 9) and Sunday (December 10) before a three-match One-Day International (ODI) series begins on December 13, with all the matches in Harare.
Brief scores:
Ireland 147 for 8 in 20 overs (Andy Balbirnie 32, Gareth Delany 26; Sikandar Raza 3 for 28) lost to Zimbabwe 148 for 9 in 20 overs (Sikandar Raza 65, Wesley Madhevere 25; Joshua Little 2 for 17) by 1 wicket
Player of the match: Sikandar Raza