Revenge of the underdogs

in Potchefstroom on Sunday.
In a final warm-up match for the 2007 International Cricket Council’s Twenty20 World Cup, Zimbabwe – virtual novices in the tournament – used their 50-over experience to register a morale-boosting victory ahead of the tournament, which officially got underway on Monday.
Hamilton Masakadza, batting at number seven, hit the winning run and featured in a match-winning 38-run partnership for the sixth wicket with Stuart Matsikenyeri.
Masakadza made an unbeaten 11 off eight balls while Matsikenyeri was 25 not out off 18 balls as Zimbabwe eased home before the final over.
Batting at number three, Chamunorwa Chibhabha led Zimbabwe’s scoring with 43 runs off just 31 balls of which he hit six fours and a huge six over the mid-wicket boundary.
He became Zimbabwe’s highest scorer in Twenty20 cricket as he bettered a previous record by Masakadza, set the previous day, by two runs.
Two balls after Chibhabha’s fall, it became 104/3 as Tatenda Taibu fell for a duck edging to the keeper what looked a wildish delivery and it sparked fears of a dramatic collapse with 52 more runs off 43 balls.
Sibanda, who like Chibhabha had looked set for a half-century, fell for 42 off 41 balls and when Elton Chigumbura fell for 11, Zimbabwe had moved from 103/2 to 118/5 as four big wickets went for just 15 runs in a space of 12 balls.
Earlier in the day, Zimbabwe won the toss, elected to field and the Scots made 155 for the loss of six wickets off their allotted 20 overs.
Scotland’s total was built around an 83-run partnership in 51 balls for the second wicket between captain Ryan Watson, who opened and top scored with 64 and number three Navdeep Poonia who made 36.
They both had a strike rate of over 100 percent with 30-year-old Watson’s knock coming off just 50 balls – he hit five fours and two sixes – while 21-year-old Poonia needed 27 balls.
Zimbabwe used eight different bowlers – Christopher Mpofu, Gary Brent, Prosper Utseya, Chibhabha, Vusi Sibanda, Chigumbura, Keith Dabengwa and Timycen Maruma – to try and stifle the Scots, and six of them got a wicket each.
On Saturday, Zimbabwe lost to Pakistan by 54 in their opening warm-up match at the Centurion, chasing 181.
Masakadza was the leading scorer for Zimbabwe with 41 runs from 37 balls while wicketkeeper Tatenda Taibu added 34 from 27 balls.
All-rounder Chigumbura was the pick of the Zimbabwe bowlers with three wickets for 24 as Pakistan made 181 for the loss six off their allotted 20 overs. – CAJ News