BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe: West Indies spinners Devendra Bishoo and Ashley Nurse took three wickets apiece before Sikandar Raza’s unbeaten fifty gave Zimbabwe a fighting chance in Friday’s one-day international at Queens Sports Club.
Bishoo and Nurse took a combined 6 for 57 in 20 overs as they reduced Zimbabwe to 89 for seven, but Raza fought back with an unbeaten 76 and marshaled the tail well to guide Zimbabwe to 218 for eight in a match reduced to 49 overs per side by rain.
Zimbabwe won the toss and elected to bat first in a game that they needed to win to qualify for Sunday’s triangular series final, and made a sturdy enough start to their innings as they reached 48 for one in 11 overs.
But after a rain delay held up play for almost an hour, the home side’s momentum was stalled and they lost Hamilton Masakadza to Bishoo straight after the resumption.
Bishoo went on to bowl Brian Chari, before Nurse dismissed left-handers Craig Ervine and Sean Williams in the same over to leave Zimbabwe 63 for five.
With Peter Moor and Graeme Cremer also succumbing to the spinners, Zimbabwe had lost six wickets for 41 runs in 15 overs after the rain delay and looked destined for a low total.
Yet Raza found support in Donald Tiripano, with whom he added 38 for the eighth wicket, and then Tendai Chisoro, who made 42 not out.
Raza and Chisoro scored 50 runs from the final five overs of the innings, putting on an unbroken 91 to set a new record for ninth-wicket stands by Zimbabwe in ODIs.
