Craig Ervine's top 3 knocks for Zimbabwe
Craig Ervine, Zimbabwe's reliable middle-order batter, turns 38 today. Ervine has represented his country in 195 games across the three formats since making his debut in 2010.
From that time itself, he has been a crucial member of the side, especially in ODIs. Ervine has a tally of 5,858 runs in the international arena and has scored 7 centuries and 31 half-centuries.
Over the years, he has played plenty of match-winning knocks for his nation. Here, we look at his top 3 knocks for Zimbabwe.
#1 160 vs Sri Lanka (Colombo, 2017)
In a Test match against Sri Lanka in 2017, Craig Ervine notched up a sensational 160 to help Zimbabwe post a respectable total of 356 on the board in the first innings. Some of the other batters got starts, but Ervine's knock was the backbone of the visitors' innings.
The left-hander's knock included 13 boundaries and one maximum as he played some elegant shots along the way. Zimbabwe managed to bag a small lead in the first innings but eventually lost the game as the Lankans held their nerve to chase down a total of 391.
Nonetheless, Ervine's brilliant innings set the tone for an extremely competitive Test match.
#2 146 vs New Zealand (Bulawayo, 2016)
Craig Ervine's maiden Test hundred came in a game against New Zealand in Bulawayo back in 2016. It was a special innings because if not for his effort, the hosts would have been given a thrashing even bigger than what they received.
The Kiwis, batting first, scored a total of 582 in the first innings as most of their batters scored big. Zimbabwe were up against it but in Ervine, they found a savior.
There were contributions from Chamu Chibhabha and Peter Moor but it was Ervine's 146 that helped Zimbabwe reach a score of 362. His innings was laced with 18 boundaries and 1 six. He played some extraordinary shots against the likes of Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Neil Wagner, Mitchell Santner, and Ish Sodhi.
Despite his knock, the deficit was massive and Zimbabwe eventually lost the game by 254 runs. However, Ervine's knock helped his team put up a fight against a strong Kiwi outfit.
#3 130 vs New Zealand (Harare, 2015)
Another knock of Ervine's against the Kiwis finds a mention in this list, this time one which came in an ODI.
In a game between Zimbabwe and New Zealand in 2015, the Kiwis scored a total of 303 in their designated 50 overs. Not many gave the hosts a chance to chase down the total against a world-class attack.
However, the Zimbabweans took the visitors by surprise as they knocked the total off with one over to spare. Hamilton Masakadza, Chamu Chibhabha, and Elton Chigumbura played pretty well, but it was Ervine's spectacular 130 which took them home.
He scored the runs off just 108 deliveries, hitting 11 boundaries and 5 sixes. His was a dominating knock as he played some extravagant shots against the likes of Matt Henry, Mitchell McClenaghan, and Ish Sodhi. Quite deservingly, he was adjudged the Player of the Match.