Zimbabwe vs New Zealand, Only T20I at Harare, , Aug 09 2015 - Ball by Ball Commentary

RESULT
Only T20I, Harare, August 09, 2015, New Zealand tour of Zimbabwe and South Africa
(20 ov, T:199) 118/8

New Zealand won by 80 runs

Player Of The Match
62 (38)
george-worker
Player Of The Series
42 runs
craig-ervine
New
ZIM
Full commentary
end of over 2011 runs • 1 wicket
ZIM: 118/8CRR: 5.90 
Chris Mpofu6 (3b 1x6)
Prosper Utseya2 (2b)
Grant Elliott 1-0-7-1
Mitchell McClenaghan 4-0-33-2

4.30pm That's it from all of us. Hope you've enjoyed our coverage of this tour. Keep coming back for all the matches we bring you, and keep sending in your comments. Until next time, ta ta!

Bharath Seervi: "All six bowlers who bowled for NZ took at least a wicket. In the Khulna T20I in 2006, all seven Zimbabwean bowlers took at least took one wicket vs Bangladesh."

Craig Ervine is the Man of the Series (they've included the ODIs too). "The first [hundred] is very special. Nice to put my head to the board, hoping to get another soon. We were outplayed today. Chasing 200 was always going to be difficult, and losing wickets early didn't help our cause. We need to improve in all areas."

George Worker is Man of the Match on his debut. "Nice and pleasing, good to put a good performance together. Started off a bit shaky, kept my head for a little bit, nice to contribute. All the boys made it really easy for me to fit in, I was relaxed out there. It's a pleasure to be here, and it's been a great tour of Zimbabwe, thoroughly enjoyed our time here."

Kane Williamson: "The way the boys batted today was outstanding, special mention to George Worker on his debut. Overall the bowling performance was our best of the series. Early wickets, Adam Milne back, that's good to see. We've progressed nicely, Zimbabwe have played good cricket, and it's been a competitive series. Always nice to contribute, we always preach to the guys to commit to a role in the team, and that's what I try to do."

Elton Chigumbura: "It wasn't a good day, especially with the bat. The way we lost wickets, that's where we lost it. It was a good wicket to bat on, but we didn't back it up with the bat. We need to polish up what went wrong in the next five weeks, and hopefully we'll do better against Pakistan."

4.15pm Massive win, this. The pitch looked flat when New Zealand were batting, but all their bowlers found something from it. The medium-pacers varied their pace well, the spinners - particularly Sodhi - actually spun the ball hard, and Milne and McClenaghan bowled fast and hit the pitch hard. Zimbabwe never, at any point, looked like mounting a challenge.

19.6
6
Elliott to Mpofu, SIX runs

short ball to finish, gets up to waist height, and Mpofu opens up at the hips and pulls it over the backward square leg boundary

19.5
Elliott to Mpofu, no run

slower ball wide of off stump, Mpofu swings and misses

19.4
4b
Elliott to Mpofu, 4 byes

slower ball, full outside off, and Mpofu pokes at it, playing down the wrong line entirely. Ball beats his outside edge, beats the keeper, and runs away for four byes

19.3
W
Elliott to Ervine, OUT

another slower ball, straighter this time, and it takes out off stump as Ervine slogs all around it

Craig Ervine b Elliott 42 (46b 4x4 0x6 78m) SR: 91.3
19.2
Elliott to Ervine, no run

looks to make swinging room and launch one down the ground, can't connect with the slower ball outside off

around the wicket to Ervine

19.1
1
Elliott to Utseya, 1 run

slower ball on off stump, pulled towards long-on

Zimbabwe need 92 from the last over. Grant Ellott comes on to bowl it.

end of over 196 runs • 1 wicket
ZIM: 107/7CRR: 5.63 RRR: 92.00
Craig Ervine42 (44b 4x4)
Prosper Utseya1 (1b)
Mitchell McClenaghan 4-0-33-2
James Neesham 3-0-21-1
18.6
4
McClenaghan to Ervine, FOUR runs

short, follows the batsman as he moves away from leg stump, and Ervine swivels to smack a pull over the backward square leg boundary

18.5
McClenaghan to Ervine, no run

slower bouncer outside off, Ervine can't put bat to ball as he swivels into a pull

18.4
1
McClenaghan to Utseya, 1 run

back of a length outside off, jabbed away towards backward point

Prosper Utseya is the man at No. 9.

18.3
1
McClenaghan to Ervine, 1 run

short on off stump, pulled away to deep square leg

18.2
McClenaghan to Ervine, no run

tests Ervine with the bouncer, and he ducks low under it

18.1
W
McClenaghan to Cremer, OUT

banged in short, goes for the pull from over his right shoulder, and spooned it in the air to the right of midwicket, and that;s a super catch from Neesham, diving to his right and catching it low with one hand

Graeme Cremer c Munro b McClenaghan 5 (7b 0x4 0x6 7m) SR: 71.42
end of over 1812 runs
ZIM: 101/6CRR: 5.61 RRR: 49.00
Craig Ervine37 (40b 3x4)
Graeme Cremer5 (6b)
James Neesham 3-0-21-1
Adam Milne 4-0-10-2
17.6
2
Neesham to Ervine, 2 runs

in the blockhole on middle and off, makes a bit of room and slices it in the air, wide of the diving cover fielder

17.5
1
Neesham to Cremer, 1 run

slower ball on the pads, tucked away to deep square leg

17.4
2
Neesham to Cremer, 2 runs

another yorker, on middle stump, clipped down the ground to long-on

17.3
2
Neesham to Cremer, 2 runs

yorker on off and middle, clipped away into the vacant midwicket region

17.2
1
Neesham to Ervine, 1 run

full on middle and leg, jabbed firmly in the air, one bounce to long-on

17.1
4
Neesham to Ervine, FOUR runs

full and wide and Ervine lofts it in the air, over the covers, and McCullum sprints to his right from long-off, gets a hand to it on the dive, but can only deflect it into the rope

The required rate is 36.66. A six a ball won't do it.

end of over 173 runs • 1 wicket
ZIM: 89/6CRR: 5.23 RRR: 36.66
Graeme Cremer0 (3b)
Craig Ervine30 (37b 2x4)
Adam Milne 4-0-10-2
Ish Sodhi 4-0-15-1
16.6
Milne to Cremer, no run

short again, angling sharply into the batsman and beating his inside edge as he jabs at the ball, feet well inside the line

16.5
Milne to Cremer, no run

short, doesn't climb as much as Cremer expected, scooted under his attempted pull