Half-centuries from <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/4617/gary-ballance/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Gary Ballance</a> and <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/65847/wesley-madhevere/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Wesley Madhevere</a> helped Zimbabwe defeat the Netherlands by seven wickets and win a World Cup Super League one-day international series 2-1 on Saturday (March 25). After two midweek thrillers that were won in the final over, the home side were always ahead on run rate after restricting the tourists to 231 for 9.Sikandar Raza hit the match-winning four, taking Zimbabwe to 235 for three with 50 balls remaining at Harare Sports Club. Zimbabwe have often battled in all three formats due to poor top-order batting, but openers Madhevere and captain Craig Ervine excelled this time by putting on 96 for the first wicket.After their departures, former England batter Ballance and <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/3682/sean-williams/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sean Williams</a> maintained the dominance of the Dutch attack to deliver a 96-run third-wicket partnership. While Ballance top scored with an unbeaten 64, including eight fours, Madhevere (50), Ervine (44) and Williams (43) played significant roles.Teenage Dutch leg-spinner Shariz Ahmad, who took five wickets on Thursday in a one-run second match loss, captured another two, but they came at a high price as he conceded 71 runs. Opener Max O&#39;Dowd top scored with 38 for the Netherlands after captain Scott Edwards won the toss for the first time in the series.Colin Ackerman (37) and Edwards (34) also made valuable knocks. However, none of the trio could manage a six, with O&#39;Dowd hitting six fours, Ackermann two and Edwards four.The tourists&#39; lone six came from Aryan Dutt, who batted at number nine and scored 15 off 14 deliveries. Williams was the most impressive Zimbabwe bowler, capturing three wickets for 41 runs, including those of Ackermann and Edwards.With both countries out of contention for direct entry to the 2023 World Cup in India, they used the series to prepare for a qualifying tournament Zimbabwe will host in June and July.Brief scores:Netherlands 231 for 9 in 50 overs (Max O&#39;Dowd 38, Colin Ackermann 37; Sean Williams 3 for 41) lost to Zimbabwe 235 for 3 in 41.4 overs (Gary Ballance 64*, Wesley Madhevere 50; Shariz Ahmed 2 for 71) by 7 wicketsPlayer of the match: Sean WilliamsPlayer of the series: Sean WilliamsPowered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

With both countries out of contention for direct entry to the 2023 World Cup in India, they used the series to prepare for a qualifying tournament Zimbabwe will host in June and July

Sean Williams

Gary Ballance

Wesley Madhevere

Netherlands tour of Zimbabwe, 2023

Zimbabwe

Netherlands

All-round Sean Williams guides Zimbabwe to series win over Netherlands

Another riveting week of cricket comes to an end: There were thrillers, superb tons, match-winning spells, hat-trick and much, much more. Let&rsquo;s dive right into it:What&#39;s making the headlines?Franchise CricketWPL 2023A devine innings from Royal Challengers Bangalore&#39;s (RCB) Sophie gave them a temporary relief as they went on to notch up their second win of the season. Her innings had eight maximums and eight fours to help her side chase down 189 with nearly five overs to spare. Devine lived up to every word of her name at the Yoga capital of the world.Meg Lanning cannot do any wrong, can she? She can win the World Cup, she can win gold in CWG, take a sabbatical and return to action like she&rsquo;s never missed a day. Delhi Capitals (DC) become the first-ever finalist in the WPL and their skipper Lanning, has played a pivotal role in taking her side to the final. Wait, should Lanning be a back-up captain for the DC Men&rsquo;s side as well? Too much?&nbsp;DC will take on Mumbai Indians (MI) in the WPL 2023 final at the Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai on Sunday (March 26). MI thrashed UP Warriorz by 72 runs in the eliminator on Friday (March 23) to book their place in the final. Moreover, they did it at the back of a brutal unbeaten 72 off 38 by Nat Sciver-Brunt and an Issy Wong hat-trick, the first-ever in WPL.&nbsp;Check out the beautiful <a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/clutch-sciver-brunt-does-it-again-3242023-1679687060426" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">piece written by Shweta Haranhalli</a> on the brilliance that is Nat-Sciver Brunt.The Hundred draftThe Welsh Fire who finished bottom of the table had the first pick and they went for the big guns &ndash;The Pakistan Super League (PSL) title-winning duo of Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf. Trent Rockets snapped up India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, while Southern Brave had already retained vice-captain Smriti Mandhana.&nbsp;Sophie Devine (Birmingham Phoenix), Danni Wyatt (Southern Brave) and Alice Davidson-Richards (Northern Superchargers) were retained by their franchises by using the Right To Match (RTM) card.Are you an associate buff like me? If so, I have some good news for you. Netherland&rsquo;s Roelof Van der Merwe (Welsh Fire), Bas de Leede (Northern Superchargers) and Scotland pacer Brad Wheal (Trent Rockets) too have been snapped up in the draft.What&rsquo;s player impact rule change everyone&rsquo;s talking about?Just like the IPL or T20s for that matter, this is not something earth-shattering the BCCI has come up with. It has been previously tested in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. According to the Player Impact rule in the IPL, the teams can name the XI after the toss. The captain will be allowed to carry two sheets of paper to toss and depending on the outcome of the toss decide on the final playing XI.&nbsp;The teams can now review a wide or no-ball call. What this essentially means is that the captain no longer has to call his team back to the pavilion in case there is a discrepancy with the umpire&rsquo;s call, or walk onto the pitch.DC head coach Ricky Ponting has said that the<a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/impact-player-rule-negates-role-of-all-rounders-ricky-ponting-3242023-1679668535300" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">&nbsp;impact player rule essentially will make all-rounders redundant</a> given that the franchise can now have replace a bowler with a batter or vice-versa at any point in the game.Injury Premier League<a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/jasprit-bumrahs-back-in-fragile-state-vvs-laxman-to-monitor-progress-report-3242023-1679657475047" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jasprit Bumrah</a>, Jhye Richardson, Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, <a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/ipl-2023-franchises-fret-over-fitness-of-mohsin-khan-mukesh-choudhary-3242023-1679676842192" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mohsin Khan, Mukesh Choudhary</a>, Kyle Jamieson &ndash; these are just some of the players at the top of my head who will miss IPL 2023 due to injuries. If I really dig deeper, I can think of the likes of Prasidh Krishna and Will Jacks as well.&nbsp;Punjab Kings would have hoped Jonny Bairstow would be available following his recovery from his freak golf accident that kept him out of the T20 World Cup. But the ECB are unwilling to release him keeping the Ashes in mind, making this list quite extensive already. Talk about fielding a XI.What&#39;s happening in international cricket?High Klass knockRiding on Shai Hope&rsquo;s ton, West Indies won the second ODI against South Africa in East London by 48 runs. West Indies looked on course to win the third ODI as well as they had reduced the Proteas to 87 for 4, but that is when Heinrich Klaasen went berserk. He made a mockery of the 261-run target, smashing a century off just 54 deliveries &ndash; the fourth fastest by a South African &ndash; as the Proteas chased it down in just 29.3 overs!&nbsp;&nbsp;They cannot afford to ponder over it too much as they have a T20I series against South Africa starting later today.Just like the ODIs marked a new era under new skipper for West Indies with Shai Hope at the helm, it will be similar in the T20Is as well with Rovman Powell taking charge.Not to flex, maybe a little, but here&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/rovman-powell-not-a-boyhood-dream-but-would-be-proud-to-lead-west-indies-1675418296987" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">an interview I did with Powell</a> just a few days before he was named captain. You&rsquo;re welcome, Rovman!Shoonyakumar Yadav?How many times have you seen a batter register three back-to-back golden ducks in international cricket? It would have been zero (shoonya) if I had asked you this question 10 days ago, but that number has gone up to ONE! The ONE and ONLY Suryakumar Yadav.&nbsp;After getting out first-ball against Mitchell Starc in the first two games, SKY was sent out to bat at No. 7 to take India home. It made sense as he could play the sort of innings he generally plays in T20s, where he has been at his dominant best since his debut two years ago. However, Surya decided to mix things up. Instead of Starc, he was dismissed by Ashton Agar in the third ODI in Chennai. And instead of getting out leg-before, he was out bowled.Agar the unsung heroAgar went on get rid of Surya and Virat Kohli off back-to-back deliveries to tilt the game in Australia&rsquo;s favour in a chase of 270. Australia went on to win the game by 21 runs and with that the series 2-1, handing India their first ODI series defeat at home since 2019. Who did India lose to then? Yep, it was the Aussies once again!&nbsp;Agar was sent back home mid-way through the Test series but he was not disheartened. He went back home, starred in the Marsh Cup final and turned the screws in the series-decider. Here&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/ashton-agars-bouncebackability-makes-him-a-special-cricketer-3222023-1679504679643" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bastab Parida talking about the comeback man</a>.A promising finale ends in disappointmentIt went down to the wire in Christchurch as New Zealand won the first Test off the last delivery. However, they walked all over Sri Lanka in the second game, winning it by an innings and 58 runs. Kane Williamson and Henry Nicholls led the way with double centuries and Sri Lanka never really recovered from that.&nbsp;Not the first time Nicholls has played a career-saving knock. <a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/henry-nicholls-has-mastered-the-art-of-playing-career-saving-knocks-3202023-1679298029692" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Here&rsquo;s Anirudh Suresh trying to explain further</a>.Dimuth Karunaratne<a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/have-informed-selectors-about-my-intention-to-resign-as-test-captain-from-next-series-karunaratne-3202023-1679313206380" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">&nbsp;has announced that he will step down as captain</a> after the two Tests against Ireland at home next month, allowing a new captain to take charge from the next World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.Going back to New Zealand cricket, <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/57444/daryl-mitchell/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Daryl Mitchell and Amelia Kerr walked away with the highest NZC cricket honours</a>. Mitchell won his first-ever Sir Richard Hadlee medal while Kerr took home the inaugural Debbie Hockley medal for her outstanding all-round show over the last 12 months.Another humdinger on the cards?Amid all the high-profile series, the Zimbabwe-Netherlands series is proving to be a humdinger. The Dutch surprised everyone when they beat Zimbabwe by two wickets in the first game, riding on a brilliant unbeaten ton from Teja Nidamanaru, who came into bat at No. 7 when his side were 64 for 5 in a chase of 250. If that drama was not enough, Netherlands pushed Zimbabwe once again in the second game, falling short by just one run, chasing 272.&nbsp;Everything seemed to be going according to plan for the Dutch before Wesley Madhevere ripped through the line-up with a timely hat-trick. It promises to be a nail-biting decider!History in SharjahEighth time&rsquo;s the charm for Afghanistan as they finally manage to beat Pakistan in an international fixture. They had come so close in the Asia Cup last year, but finally crossed the finish line on Friday (March 24) when they won a low-scoring affair by six wickets, with an ice-cool Mohammad Nabi casually smashing a six down the ground to finish the game.Pakistan managed just 92 or 9 from their 20 overs and it looked like they could pull off an improbable win having reduced their opposition to 45 for 4 inside 10 overs. Ihsanullah even kick-started his international career with two wickets in his first over. However, Najibullah Zadran (17*) and Nabi (38*) ensured there were no more hiccups.A legend retiresFormer Scotland captain <a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/scotlands-kyle-coetzer-retires-from-all-forms-of-cricket-3222023-1679501897831" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kyle Coetzer called it a day</a> bringing an end to two decades of representing his country at the international stage. The batter finished as the leading run-getter for Scotland across formats with 4,687 runs that included five hundreds and 27 fifties.Coetzer also won the ICC associate player of the decade in 2020. He led Scotland in the 2021 T20 World Cup, where his side beat Bangladesh first, before beating Oman and PNG to make the Super 12s unbeaten and assure themselves of a direct qualification to the 2022 T20 World Cup.Articles in focusIs Mitchell Starc an ODI GOAT? <a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/starcs-vizag-return-underlines-his-odi-genius-3192023-1679261326311" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Shubh Aggarwal maps the pacer&rsquo;s journey</a> that goes on to prove that he indeed could be one. Or is he one, already? Read to find out.&nbsp;You don&rsquo;t win back-to-back Pakistan Super League (PSL) titles by sheer fluke. There were a lot of talks if a fast bowler can indeed by a successful captain when Afridi was handed the reins last season. He has gone on to prove that it was indeed a masterstroke. <a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/shaheen-shah-afridi-on-the-path-to-cricketing-royalty-3212023-1679394559962" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bastab Parida goes on to write more about the pacer</a>, who is on his way to cricketing royalty.Bastab is at it again as he goes on to write on former Australia captain Tim Paine who retired from first-class cricket recently. Paine went on to take over as captain in controversial circumstances and it ended in similar fashion. <a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/tim-paine-a-career-built-on-contrasts-ends-quietly-3192023-1679200638434" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Here&rsquo;s more on the Tasmanian</a>.How will DC cope without Rishabh Pant? <a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/can-delhi-capitals-tackle-rishabh-pants-absence-or-is-it-an-irreparable-loss-3252023-1679728472972" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Here&#39;s Shubh Aggarwal&#39;s take on it</a>.UAE&rsquo;s Aayan Khan has made tremendous strides in international cricket already. <a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/aayan-khan-yet-another-teenage-prodigy-from-uae-who-is-set-to-make-it-big-3232023-1679585116625" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">In a chat with yours truly</a>, the all-rounder goes on to share his experience at the T20 World Cup, his idol Ravindra Jadeja and more.Aakash Sivasubramaniam is at it again with a witty piece. <a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/it-is-2040-and-rcb-are-still-chasing-a-title-3232023-1679560786673" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">This time he takes a dig at RCB</a>. What else could you possibly expect from a CSK fan?IPL 2023 team previews:<a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/ipl-2023-preview-rahuls-strike-rate-could-make-or-break-lsgs-campaign-3252023-1679716946168" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Lucknow Super Giants</a><a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/ipl-2023-bumrahs-uncertainty-throws-mis-season-in-jeopardy-3242023-1679667163640" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mumbai Indians</a><a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/ipl-2023-preview-ee-sala-3242023-1679639988169" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Royal Challengers Bangalore</a><a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/ipl-2023-preview-the-last-dance-for-thalas-army-3232023-1679573908016" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Chennai Super Kings</a>Video in focus<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WVwRR2OYRwU" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

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Ricky Ponting

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Women's Premier League, 2023

Indian Premier League, 2023

Australia tour of India, 2023

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Afghanistan and Pakistan tour of UAE, 3 T20I Series, 2023

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Lucknow Super Giants

The Cricket.com Weekly - Edition 23

<a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/65847/wesley-madhevere/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Wesley Madhevere</a> took a hat-trick and set up a dramatic finish as Zimbabwe beat the Netherlands by one run in the second of three World Cup Super League One-Day Internationals (ODI) in Harare on Thursday (March 23).It went down to the last ball when last man Ryan Klein was run out attempting a near-impossible third run which would have tied the match. The Netherlands were seemingly cruising in pursuit of Zimbabwe&#39;s 271 all out at 213 for 4 before off-spinner Madhevere dismissed Colin Ackermann, Teja Nidamanuru and Paul van Meekeren off the first three balls of the 44th over.Netherlands captain <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/67919/scott-edwards/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Scott Edwards</a> hit 36 but his team&#39;s hopes seemed over when he fell to off-spinner Sikandar Raza with 20 runs still needed off nine balls. It came down to 10 needed off the last two balls.Fred Klaassen hit a six off <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/10201/tendai-chatara/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Tendai Chatara</a> and then drove the last ball into the covers. The batsmen ran two but Brad Evans&#39; throw to Chatara left Klein well short of his ground. <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/65585/max-o'dowd/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Max O&#39;Dowd</a> (81) and <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/11920/tom-cooper/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Tom Cooper</a> (74) laid the foundation for what seemed a likely Netherlands win with a second-wicket partnership of 125 off 152 balls.<a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/3682/sean-williams/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sean Williams</a>, returning after a finger injury, top-scored for Zimbabwe with 77 while 19-year-old leg-spinner <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/81284/shariz-ahmad/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Shariz Ahmad</a> took five wickets for 43 runs for the Netherlands. The series decider will be played at the same venue on Saturday (March 26).Brief scores:Zimbabwe 271 in 49.2 overs (Sean Williams 77, Clive Madande 52; Shariz Ahmad 5 for 43) beat Netherlands 270 in 50 overs (Max O&#39;Dowd 81, Tom Cooper 74; Wesley Madhevere 3 for 36) by 1 runPlayer of the match: Wesley MadheverePowered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

The off-spinner tilted the game in his side's favour after Netherlands looked confortable in a chase of 272

Wesley Madhevere's hat-trick helps Zimbabwe win thriller over Netherlands

<a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/68002/teja-nidamanuru/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Teja Nidamanuru</a> scored a stunning maiden one-day international century to give the Netherlands a dramatic last-over three-wicket victory over Zimbabwe on Tuesday in the first of three ODIs.&nbsp;Zimbabwe recovered from a poor start to post 249 in Harare and the Dutch, who were struggling at 64 for five and then 110 for six, secured their first away win since 2014 when <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/63893/paul-van-meekeren/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Paul van Meekeran</a> smashed the penultimate ball for six.Nidamanuru, who was born in India, was unbeaten on 110 off 96 balls in his ninth ODI appearance, clubbing three sixes and nine fours. He did, however, benefit from two dropped chances before he reached his hundred as Zimbabwe struggled in the field.Van Meekeran was also put down in the last over by former England batsman <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/4617/gary-ballance/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Gary Ballance</a>, now playing for his native Zimbabwe.<a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/10133/colin-ackermann/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Colin Ackermann</a>, a former South Africa Under-19 international, made an excellent 50 while <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/81284/shariz-ahmad/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Shariz Ahmad</a> (30) and Van Meekeren (21 not out) were the other Dutch batters to help turn likely defeat into a surprise victory.The tourists were in trouble at 64 for five, then Nidamanuru shared partnerships of 46 with Ackermann and 110 with Ahmad to turn the tide.Nidamanuru batted at number seven, and so did Zimbabwean <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/82673/clive-madande/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Clive Madande</a>, whose 72 in only his fourth ODI transformed an inning that was reeling at 98 for seven.Madande struck six fours off 98 balls before being caught at first slip by captain and rival wicketkeeper <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/67919/scott-edwards/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Scott Edwards </a>off the bowling of Fred Klaassen.The three-match series continues on Thursday. The Dutch then play two further ODIs against South Africa, on March 31 and April 2.Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

Coming in at No 7, the right-handed batter slammed an unbeaten 110 to power Netherlands to a three-wicket win

NETHERLANDS TOUR OF ZIMBABWE 2023 - Highlights | NED vs ZIM News

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All-round Sean Williams guides Zimbabwe to series win over Netherlands

The Cricket.com Weekly - Edition 23

Wesley Madhevere's hat-trick helps Zimbabwe win thriller over Netherlands

Maiden Nidamanuru ton steers Dutch to dramatic win over Zimbabwe