Khan blitz downs Zimbabwe

West Indies A 129 for 6 (Khan 60*) beat beat Zimbabwe 124 for 8 (Chibhabha 33, Shillingford 4-16) by four wickets
Scorecard

Zimbabwe's preparations for next week's ICC World Twenty20 took another hit as they were again beaten by West Indies A in a practice Twenty20 match at Progress Park. Having been put in to bat, Zimbabwe could only make 124 for 8, with the lower middle order flopping, and after having West Indies in some strife the visitors were undone by a whirlwind innings from Imran Khan.

The spinning pair of captain Prosper Utseya and Ray Price began will in Zimbabwe's defence of a small total, and left West Indies at 23 for 3 in the fifth over. Graeme Cremer then got the in-form Kirk Edwards to nick one before Chamu Chibhabha snapped up Shane Dowrich for 1, and that brought the allrounder Khan to the crease. Along with Assad Fudadin he began a sensible recovery before exploding to smash an unbeaten 60 from 33 balls, inclusive of seven fours and three sixes. He and Fudadin (29) shared a match-winning 84-run stand off just 53 balls and that put Zimbabwe on the back foot. Fudadin fell with West Indies needing just five to win and the match was sealed when Jason Holder deposited a delivery from Chibhabha onto the roof of the pavilion.

Zimbabwe were thus left to rue how they let the home side off the hook, as well as a poor batting card. They had begun well through a half-century stand between Chibhabha (33) and Hamilton Masakadza (27) but a collapse of 4 for 32 turned out to be decisive. Shane Shillingford was the wrecker-in-chief with four wickets and the fast bowler Nelon Pascal claimed 2 for 35.