The commentary is not available for this match. Please check the scorecard for latest updates.
WHAT.A.GAME. is what we'll think for the rest of this week and the next. That's it from our side folks! This is the pair of Karthik and Rudransh signing off for Sportskeeda. Hope you enjoyed our coverage. Good night!
Craig Erwine (Zimbabwe captain): Unfortunately I have picked up a calf strain so didn't want to aggravate it by being on the field. [On whether he was giving instructions] Not really, Williams is a pretty experienced campaigner and he had it under control. Losing the toss and batting first, the first few overs were difficult to navigate. We did well to not lose early wickets, which gave us a bit of breathing space. Raza and Burl batted really well. We did feel that we were 20-30 short of a winning score. [About not being compalcent] It's always going to be a tough one, we said before we are going to take each game seriously whether it's Nepal or West Indies because every team can beat you on their day. It's an emotional game and there's not much time before we have to bounce back again. [On the crowd] It's been a long time since I heard them close the gates at 11! Thank you so much to the crowd and it just shows the quality of cricket we are playing!
Sikandar Raza (Player of the Match): All I asked from the boys was to fight and courage out there. As long as we fought, skills will look after itself. We are not far away from the best in the world. Burly has been amazing. He has hungry, hasn't had much of a chance to bat so far. Unlucky for him to get out that way but we won, so it is okay. Thought we were 20-30 short but I believed we could save those in the field. We wanted to get to India. We always believed in them. Blessing, Ngarava and Chatara. They are the ones who won us this game. I don't think we could have won with skills alone. The thing we were lacking, the friends brought it!
Unbelievable scenes here! Hosein is sitting down on the pitch! The crowd is roaring like they have never before. Hurdles and celebrations for Zimbabwe as they have beaten a giant in front of their home crowd. Agony and disappointment all around for West Indies, they only have themselves to blame! And who better than Raza and Chatara to win it for them!
Zimbabwe were definitely under-par with their first innings score but they showed big heart with the ball and the field to make it feel like they had 500 to defend! They started with spin from one end and Chatara from the other in search of swing but couldn't build enough pressure and Brandon King and Kyle Mayers got off to a flier! King especially looked in stunning touch until Muzarabani got him out with a jaffa.
That first change was key, Muzarabani and Ngarava from two ends showed real pace and bounce and the latter soon took out Charles. Hope and Mayers then put up a fight, absorbing more pressure from the tall pacers and their probing lengths. Mayers blinked first and hit three consecutive boundaries off Muzarabani to change the game once again.
Change-up spinners Williams and Madhevere didn't get much off the wicket and the batters settled. But here came the first masterclass move: Zimbabwe brought back Masakadza who got the big wicket of Mayers with a beauty. Raza got Hope but new batter Pooran responded by hitting a few against spin. West Indies sent chase to partner him and he consumed too many deliveries without much strike rotation but they still built a mini partnership until Pooran had to go after a dubious decision.
Chatara was brought back but didn't inspire more than a few half-chances and it looked like a false move to not go back to Muzarabani and Ngarava at that time. However, both of them stuck as soon as they came on and Zimbabwe were all over West Indies!
Chase and Holder again built a mini partnership but it was mostly based on hitting their way out of pressure after consuming too many dot balls. The run-rate slowly creeped up and interim captain Williams choked them further with his bowling changes. His trust on Chatara was exceptional and he reposed it by getting both Holder and Chase out. Paul played a poor shot to throw his wicket away to Raza.
The last wicket partnership had a run-a-ball target but they were never getting away with it with a booming crowd and a hungry Zimbabwe side who looked like they had everything going on for him! Chatara, who didn't have a single wicket against West Indies before this match, picked his third here to finish things off and seal a famous win which perhaps awaken this cricket mad country once again!
44.4 Tendai Chatara to Alzarri Joseph, ALZARRI IS GONE AND ZIMBABWE PULL OFF A HEIST! WHAT A MOMENT FOR THE CHEVRONS! Full and angling in, Alzarri clips it uppishly towards short mid-wicket where Raza takes a sharp catch. It had to be that man, Raza. The man for every season in Zimbabwe. Jubilation for Zimbabwe, heart-break for the West Indies. Akeal is on his haunches. Oh! Mother Cricket! Alzarri Joseph c Sikandar Raza b Tendai Chatara 3 (8b, 0x4, 0x6)
Ambitious appeal from Zimbabwe, perhaps a bit cheeky considering there's no DRS. The umpire was having nothing of that!
44.3 Sikandar Raza to Alzarri Joseph, BEATEN! Length delivery outside-off, Alzarri looks to steer it through third but he misses it. Huge caught-behind appeal but the umpire is unmoved!
Too many discussions going on after every delivery
44.2 Tendai Chatara to Akeal Hosein, slower delivery on a length, Akeal works it through mid-wicket for a single
44.1 Tendai Chatara to Akeal Hosein, short delivery, Akeal hops and defends it near his feet. No run
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Harare Sports Club
