Zimbabwe
T20 World Cup: West Indies beat Zimbabwe to boost Super 12 hopes
Two-time champions West Indies kept their Super 12 hopes alive from Group B of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup beating Zimbabwe by 31 runs in a must-win match in Australia's Hobart Wednesday.
The Caribbean side suffered a 42-run defeat against Scotland in their first group match but came back strongly against Zimbabwe, who made a flying start by beating Ireland by 31 runs Monday.
In Wednesday's other Group B match, Ireland beat Scotland by six wickets, also in Hobart.
After the day's first phase Group B matches, all four teams – Scotland, Zimbabwe, the West Indies and Ireland – secured two points each from as many matches.
Friday's deciding final round of matches will see Ireland face the West Indies before Scotland take on Zimbabwe.
Read: T20 World Cup: Rain plays spoilsport for Bangladesh
The top two sides from each group will qualify for the Super 12s, which start Saturday. The winner of Group A and the runner-up from Group B will go into a group.
In today's crucial match, the West Indies batted first after winning the toss and scored 153-7 in 20 overs. Opener Johnson Charles was the top scorer for them (45 runs off 36 balls).
In today's match, Sikandar Raza of Zimbabwe claimed three wickets for 19 runs in four overs.
In reply, Zimbabwe were all out for 122 runs in 18.2 overs. Lower-order batter Luke Jongwe (29) and opener Wesly Madhevere (27) were the top scorers for them.
Alzarri Joseph ripped through the Zimbabwe batting order, grabbing four wickets for 16 runs in four overs and was adjudged the player of the match. Jason Holder took three wickets for 12 runs in 3.2 overs.
Australia beat Zimbabwe by 5 wickets in 1st ODI
Cameron Green claimed his maiden five-wicket haul before David Warner and Steve Smith made light work of the run chase to set up a five-wicket victory for Australia over Zimbabwe in the first ond-day match of a three-match series, the African nation's first one-day international series in the country since 2004.
After Zimbabwe were sent in by Australian skipper Aaron Finch on Sunday, Green, took 5-33 as the tourists lost its last six wickets for 15 runs and was bowled out for 200 in the tropical north Queensland city of Townsville.
Australia then made light work of the run chase, as Warner scored 57 off 66 balls and Steve Smith played the anchor role of the innings to make an unbeaten 48 off 80 balls to set up the victory. Glenn Maxwell finished the match with consecutive sixes off Richard Ngarava in the 34th over.
Green, who had only one ODI wicket prior to Sunday's match, removed Sikander Raza and stand-in skipper Regis Chakabva cheaply and then returned to clean up the tail as Zimbabwe's hopes of posting a defendable total fell away in the final overs.
Also read: Asia Cup: Afghanistan make flying start beating Sri Lanka by 8 wickets in opener
”(We) just had a really clear gameplan, got a bit lucky at the end there, was just the right place at the right time trying to bowl back of a length on a wicket that was kind of going up and down," Green said. “I was luckily the one who got the rewards, but I think the rest of the team bowled really well and basically gave me the opportunity to be in that position.”
Wessly Madhevere scored a career-high 72 runs and opener Tadiwanashe Marumani added 45 as Zimbabwe started watchfully against Australia's bowlers.
But, when Adam Zampa got Madhevere caught and bowled and Chakabva was caught by Starc following a Green delivery, Zimbabwe’s tail quickly collapsed chasing quick runs.
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Australia lost Finch for 15 in the eighth over, before Warner and Smith combined for 65-run stand to have Australia's chase looking comfortable.
Alex Carey, Mitch Marsh and Marcus Stoinis all fell cheaply to spinner Ryan Burl (3-60) to stall the hosts' progress but Maxwell blasted 32 off nine deliveries to seal the victory for Australia in their first of 17 ODIs before next year’s World Cup in India..
Zimbabwe is making its first appearance for a one-day international series in the country since 2004 with the teams set to play three ODIs in seven days at the 10,000-seat Riverway Stadium.
The second game of the three-match series is on Wednesday also at Townsville.
The match also held tributes for local hero and former Australia test player Andrew Symonds who died in an auto-accident in May near Townsville.
Fans, players, family and friends stood in silence before the match before further tributes to the charismatic allrounder were held at the innings break.
India beats Zimbabwe by 5 wickets to win ODI series
Using barely half its allotted overs, India beat Zimbabwe by five wickets to win their three-match one-day international cricket series with a game to spare.
India scored 167-5 in 25.4 overs at Harare Sports Club in reply to Zimbabwe's 161 all out in 38.1 overs after winning the toss and bowlng first on Saturday.
Seamer Shardul Thakur took 3-38 and helped reduce the hosts to 31-4 in the 13th over before Sean Williams (42) and Ryan Burl (39 not out) staged a middle order rally for Zimbabwe.
Read:Pakistan’s Afridi to miss T20 Asia Cup and England series
In reply India lost skipper KL Rahul in the seond over for one, before veteran opener Shikhar Dhawan and Shubman Gill both scored 33.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson made a quickfire 43 not out off 39 balls, including three fours and four sixes. He hit the winning six as the visitors reached the target with 146 balls to spare.
India has a 2-0 insurmountable lead in the three-match series after winning the opener by 10 wickets.
The third ODI is on Monday at the same venue.
Zimbabweans hit by 257% inflation: Will gold coins help?
After working as an overnight security guard at a church in Harare’s impoverished Mabvuku township, Jeffrey Carlos rushes home to help his wife fetch water to sell.
Prolonged water shortages mean most residents of the capital city of more than 2.4 million must source their own water. Carlos is lucky because the property he rents has a well and his family can haul up buckets of water to sell to neighbors.
“This is our gold,” he says of the well water.
“If we are lucky, we can sell up to 12 buckets of water (per day) for $2,” said the 50-year-old father of three. That’s about enough money to buy the family’s food for the day, he said.
Rising prices and a fast depreciating currency have pushed many Zimbabweans to the brink, reminding people of when the southern African country faced world-record inflation of 5 billion% in 2008. With inflation jumping from 191% in June to 257% in July, many Zimbabweans fear the country is heading back to such hyperinflation.
To prevent a return of such economic disaster, President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government last month took the unprecedented step of introducing gold coins as legal tender. The country’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, said that because the value of the one-ounce, 22-carat coins would be determined by the international price of gold they will help tame the runaway inflation and stabilize the nation’s currency.
The glitter of the gold coins is hard to see for Zimbabweans struggling each day to eke out a living. The government sees things differently and is pleading for time.
Although expensive at an average price of just below $2,000 per coin, central bank governor John Mangudya said the coin will have a trickle-down effect that will eventually help average folk.
“The ordinary man will benefit more from the stability (provided by) these gold coins. Where there is stability, money will have value and stability in prices,” said Mangudya ahead of the launch. He said the central bank plans to introduce smaller denominated gold coins in November to allow ordinary people to also use them as a saving mechanism. The smaller coins will be half an ounce, a quarter of an ounce and 10% of an ounce, he said.
But many such as Carlos say they can hardly afford a meal, let alone earn enough to save.
“Where will I get the money to buy the gold coins? It is for them, the rich. Poor people like me do not see any difference. Things continue to be hard in this country,” he told The Associated Press between trips to the well to pull up buckets of water.
“Gold coins are a scheme for the elite. The rich get richer, the poor get poorer,” said Gift Mugano, an economics professor during an online roundtable debate titled: “Is there gold in the coins?”
With so many Zimbabweans scrambling to get food to eat each day, there are questions if the gold coins will help them.
“People are struggling. They are living from hand to mouth so most people may not actually have the money to save in the first place. Most people are in survivalist mode because of inflation,” said Prosper Chitambara, a Harare-based economist.
Read: 'It's a nightmare': Zimbabwe struggles with hyperinflation
To get by, many are forced to take up multiple jobs.
Carlos, in Mabvuku, says he gets about $100 dollars a month from his job as an overnight security guard for a church and the bar next door. That’s hardly enough to pay rent, school fees and other basic needs. Sometimes, he exchanges water for food items.
“If we fetch water for someone but they don’t have money, so we get tomatoes, vegetables, beans or maize. That’s how we get food,” he said.
His wife, Christwish, 43, prepares the day’s evening meal — the staple maize (corn) meal and vegetables plucked from a small home garden — over a wood fire. Because of Zimbabwe’s lengthy power cuts, the children do their homework by a candle, although their parents press them to use it sparingly.
“The firewood costs a dollar for a small bundle enough (to cook) for a single meal. The candles are also expensive,” lamented Christwish, who supplements the family income by doing household chores for better-off families in exchange for money or food items.
Items previously regarded as basics are now out of reach, she said.
“We last ate bread with margarine on Christmas Day,” she said. “Now we just see these things in the shops and leave them there.”
Bangladesh end disastrous Zimbabwe tour with win
Bangladesh beat Zimbabwe by 105 runs Wednesday in the third ODI at the Harare Sports Club to end their disastrous Zimbabwe tour with a consolation win.
It was Bangladesh's first series defeat against Zimbabwe after 2013.
The Tigers batted first in today's match and set a target of 257 for the hosts. In reply, Zimbabwe were all out for 151 in 32.2 overs.
Sikandar Raza, who hit two centuries for Zimbabwe in the first two matches, made a golden duck in this match. He fell to Hasan Mahmud.
Richard Ngarava, the No. 10 of Zimbabwe, scored the highest run for the home side.
For Bangladesh, Mustafizu Rahman bagged four wickets for 17 runs in 5.2 overs. Edadot Hossain, who played his first ODI, and Taijul Islam scalped two wickets each.
Earlier, Afif Hossain remained unbeaten on 85, and Anamul Haque Bijoy hit his second fifty in the series to power Bangladesh to 256-9.
Read: Bangladesh bat first in 2nd ODI vs Zimbabwe
Like the first two matches, Bangladesh managed a brisk start as Tamim Iqbal and Anamul added 41 runs in 8.3 overs. Tamim was run-out for 19 off 30 balls.
After that, Bangladesh suffered a mini-collapse. Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mushfiqur Rahim fell quickly within 10th overs of the innings. Both made ducks.
In the fourth-wicket stand, Anamul and Mahmudullah Riyad added 77 runs. But the unusually slow batting of Riyad put immense pressure on Bangladesh. He eventually fell for 39 off 69 balls.
Afif stood firm like a rock at the other end of the wicket. But he did not get enough support from Mehidy Hasan Miraz who scored 24 balls to score 14 runs.
For Zimbabwe, Brad Evans and Luke Jongwe scalped two wickets each.
Ahead of the ODIs, Bangladesh played a three-match T20I series against the hosts and suffered a defeat 2-1.
Bangladesh bat first in 2nd ODI vs Zimbabwe
Bangladesh lost the toss and were sent to bat first in the 2nd ODI of the three-match series against Zimbabwe on Sunday at Harare.
Zimbabwe won the first match of the series chasing 303 runs. If they win today, they will confirm the series as well. Ahead of the ODI series, the hosts won the three-match T20I series.
Bangladesh made three changes to their playing XI— Najmul Hossain Shanto, Hasan Mahmud and Taijul Islam came in to replace Liton Das, Mosaddek Hossain and Mustafizur Rahman.
Zimbabwe made five changes to their playing XI.
Read: Tigers' Zimbabwe tour: Naim, Ebadot added to ODI squad
Bangladesh need to win this match to remain in the race of winning the series.
Bangladesh (Playing XI): Tamim Iqbal (c), Anamul Haque(w), Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, Afif Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Shoriful Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Taijul Islam, Hasan Mahmud
Zimbabwe (Playing XI): Takudzwanashe Kaitano, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Innocent Kaia, Wesley Madhevere, Sikandar Raza, Regis Chakabva (w/c), Tony Munyonga, Luke Jongwe, Brad Evans, Victor Nyauchi, Tanaka Chivanga
Will do what it takes to beat Zimbabwe in ODIs: Tamim
Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal said they will try to play their best cricket against Zimbabwe in the three-match ODI series, starting Friday at the Harare Sports Club.
Ahead of the ODI series, Bangladesh played a T20I series against the hosts and lost it 2-1.
"Zimbabwe are a tough team to beat on their home soil," Tamim said Thursday. "However, we are a bit ahead of them. But the team that plays better cricket on the match day wins it."
"They won the T20I series because they played better cricket. We will have to play our best cricket if we want to beat them in the ODIs."
Bangladesh's last ODI defeat against Zimbabwe came in 2013. The Tigers have won 19 ODIs in a row against Zimbabwe.
Before the Zimbabwe series, Bangladesh played their last ODI series in South Africa and registered their first-ever ODI series win there.
Under the captaincy of Tamim, Bangladesh won six of their last seven ODI series.
Read: Is there any potential suitor to replace Tamim Iqbal in T20I cricket?
"We have to do what we have been doing for a long time," Tamim said. "Also, we need to rectify the mistakes that we made before."
The first match of the series will start Friday at 1:15pm (Bangladesh time). The other two matches will be played on August 7 and 10 at the same time. All the matches of this series will take place at the same venue.
Zimbabwe clinch maiden T20I series win over Bangladesh
Zimbabwe clinched their maiden T20I series win over Bangladesh on Tuesday at Harare Sports Club.
Bangladesh needed to score 157 to win the series, but the visitors tumbled for 146 and lost the match by 10 runs.
Before today's match, Zimbabwe won the first match of the series as well. Bangladesh won the second match that had helped them to level the series.
Atif Hossain scored the highest of 39 for Bangladesh, but that wasn't enough to avoid a thumping defeat.
Anamul Haque Bijoy failed once again in this match which raised a serious question about his ability at the international level. Mahmudullah Riyad, who wasn't part of the squad initially, played this match but failed to Impress.
For Zimbabwe, Victor Nyauchi bagged three wickets while Brad Evans took two wickets.
Read: BAN vs ZIM T20I Series 2022: Bangladesh’s predicted playing XI for 3rd match
Earlier, riding on the 28-ball 54 from Ryan Burl, Zimbabwe posted 156 for eight in 20 overs.
Along the way to hitting the fifty, Burl scored 34 from an over of Nasum Ahmed with five sixes.
Like the first two matches of the series, Zimbabwe won the toss and opted to bat first. They lost six wickets while scoring 67 runs in 13 overs.
But in the next five overs, they scored 79 runs thanks to outstanding batting from Burl.
Zimbabwe had a decent start of 29 runs. But after that, they suffered a collapse to the Bangladeshi bowlers. At one point, it seemed that Bangladesh would wrap them under the 100-run mark.
Along with Burl, Luke Jongwe also did well with the bat scoring 35 off 20 balls with four fours and two sixes.
For Bangladesh, Mahedi Hasan and Hasan Mahmud bagged two wickets each conceding 28 runs each. Nasum Ahmed conceded 40 runs in just two overs.
Bangladesh made three changes in this match. Parvez Hossain Emon is getting his maiden international cap this match replacing Munim Shahriar. Nasum Ahmed and Mahmudullah Riyad are also taking the field replacing Nurul Hasan Sohan and Shoriful Islam.
Before the series decider, Zimbabwe won the first match of the series by 17 runs, and in the second match, Bangladesh won by seven wickets.
Mosaddek Hossain Saikat was leading Bangladesh in today's match. He replaced Nurul Hasan as the captain. Nurul suffered a blow in his finger and was ruled out of the tour.
Both the teams will now lock horns in a three-match ODI series starting from August 5. The Bangladesh ODI team has already reached Harare.
Zimbabwe opt to bat first in series decider
Zimbabwe won the toss and elected to bat first in the third and final T20I against Bangladesh on Tuesday at Harare Sports Club.
Bangladesh made three changes in this match. Parvez Hossain Emon is getting his maiden international cap this match replacing Munim Shahriar. Nasum Ahmed and Mahmudullah Riyad are also taking the field replacing Nurul Hasan Sohan and Shoriful Islam.
Before the series decider, Zimbabwe won the first match of the series by 17 runs, and in the second match, Bangladesh won by seven wickets.
Read:BAN vs ZIM T20I Series 2022: Bangladesh’s predicted playing XI for 3rd match
Mosaddek Hossain Saikat is leading Bangladesh in today's match. He replaced Nurul Hasan as the captain. Nurul suffered a blow in his finger and was ruled out of the tour.
Bangladesh (Playing XI): Litton Das(w), Anamul Haque, Parvez Hossain Emon, Afif Hossain, Mahmudullah, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mosaddek Hossain(c), Mahedi Hasan, Mustafizur Rahman, Nasum Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud
Zimbabwe (Playing XI): Regis Chakabva(w), Craig Ervine(c), Wesley Madhevere, Sikandar Raza, Sean Williams, Brad Evans, Milton Shumba, Ryan Burl, Luke Jongwe, Victor Nyauchi, John Masara
Poor death over performance hands Bangladesh defeat in Harare
While Zimbabwe scored more than 70 runs in the last five overs, Bangladesh managed to score less than 50 runs there, and it made the difference between the two teams in the first match of the three-match T20I series on Saturday at Harare.
Bangladesh lost the match by 17 runs while chasing a big total of 205 runs. Bangladesh has won a T20I chasing 200 or more just once before.
Wesley Madhevere and Sikandar Raza hit a fifty each to guide the hosts to their huge total. In reply, Bangladesh tumbled to 188 for six in 20 overs and endured a defeat— their 20th T20I defeat in 33 matches in the last two years.
Also read: Bangladesh need 206 to win 1st T20 against Zimbabwe
Liton Das, Anamul Haque, Najmul Hossain Shanto and Nurul Hasan Sohan all had secured good starts, but none was able to guide the team to the victory. Except for Anamul, the rest of the others batted at a strike rate of more than 140. But they were bettered by the disciplined bowling by the hosts.
Captain Sohan remained unbeaten on 42 off 26 balls. He hit one four and four sixes.
For Zimbabwe, Luke Jongwe took two wickets. His best over was the 19th over when he conceded only four runs. Bangladesh needed 32 in the last two overs.
Also read: Bangladesh bowl first in T20I series opener
Earlier, Zimbabwe won the toss and opted to bat first. Zimbabwe lost their first wicket in just 15 runs on the board and another wicket when they were batting at 43 runs.
In the third wicket stand, Madhevere and Sean Williams added 56 runs off just 37 balls. After Williams fell for 33 off 19 balls, Raza joined Madhevere and added 91 runs in 43 balls. Bangladeshi bowlers failed to contain the runs against the host batters.
Mustafizur Rahman, the left-arm seamer, bagged two wickets but conceded 50 runs while Taskin Ahmed failed to grab any wickets but conceded 42 runs. The other pacer, Shoriful Islam, conceded 45 runs but couldn't get any wicket.
Sohan, the wicketkeeper-batter, was leading Bangladesh for the first time in this match. He replaced Mahmudullah Riyad after Bangladesh’s defeat to the West Indies in a recent T20I series. .
The second and third matches of the T20I series will take place on July 31 and August 2. All the matches will be played at the same venue— the Harare Sports Club.