RESULT
8th Match, Pool B, Nelson, February 19, 2015, ICC Cricket World Cup
(48/50 ov, T:286) 286/6

Zimbabwe won by 4 wickets (with 12 balls remaining)

Player Of The Match
76* (65) & 2/43
sean-williams
New
ZIM
Full commentary
end of over 4816 runs
ZIM: 286/6CRR: 5.95 
Sean Williams76 (65b 7x4 1x6)
Elton Chigumbura14 (15b 2x4)
Mohammad Naveed 10-1-60-1
Krishna Chandran 9-0-59-1

6.45pm That's it from us. Enjoyed bringing you a high-scoring game that proved more competitive than a lot of us may have expected at the start, and we hope you enjoyed our coverage too. We'll be back tomorrow for what promises to be a cracker between New Zealand and England. Do tune in, and keep sending in your comments. Until then, ta ta!

Elton Chigumbura: "Disappointed about the fielding, but our guys played well with the bat. I thought when Craig Ervine went into bat he was positive and brought the run-rate down and it made the job of the guy coming in easier. That's where we went wrong against South Africa. It's good to take the momentum from this game into the game against West Indies. Hopefully we can polish our fielding and have a good game in all departments."

Mohammad Tauqir: We played some good cricket but we were expecting a different result. I think this wicket, we saw the last game also, even 300 was not enough. We know our limitations. They batted well, had some good partnerships. Both the left-handers played well, and they won the game. I think overall the bowlers bowled well. One crucial partnership, I think it saw them through the game. If one of them got out it would have been a different result. It was a good learning experience, and I think we would like to put up a positive performance in the upcoming games."

Shwet: "#stragestat: MO Odumbe of Kenya got hit wicket twice in his career and both in the World Cup. Once in 1996 and once in 2003."

Rutul: "This is type of temperament that Zimbabwe lacking previously. Stupendous stuff from Williams and Ervine to build a formidable partnership to not let the chase get out of hand and then good job by Chiggy to ensure the team got the W with ease. "

Lakshman Kumar: "Gotta feel for Naveed..! His first 8 overs went for just 27 runs and the decisive last 2 went for 33..!" I know. That too right after I called him the best bowler in their team.

Williams is the man of the match. "I tried not to feel the pressure," he says. "We lost wickets at the wrong stages, but the wicket was very good just to keep knocking the ball down the ground. The coach and I have been trying to talk about the sweeps [not playing them so much]. I've been trying to punch it down the ground and build innings. Some of their guys bowled really well to us, credit to them for making it difficult for us. Wicket was very good, to play straight. Anything across the line was difficult. Started to lose pace towards the end."

6.35pm For a while it looked like a tricky chase, but the partnership between Sean Williams and Craig Ervine took the game away from UAE. A comfortable win in the end, with 12 balls remaining, but this was still the closest game of the World Cup so far. UAE can be proud of the way they played, especially with the bat. Their bowling looked pretty good in patches, but there wasn't enough threat in it to break down this experienced Zimbabwe team.

47.6
4
Naveed to Williams, FOUR runs

what a glorious way to win it. It's a length ball on off stump and he simply shows the full face to send it skimming smoothly down the ground, past the stumps, and into the straight boundary

47.5
4
Naveed to Williams, FOUR runs

short again, this one sits up, and this is the best pull of the lot, cracked off the middle of the bat, in front of square, and races away to the straight midwicket boundary

47.4
4
Naveed to Williams, FOUR runs

short again, but this one's over leg stump, and he can easily swivel and swat it over the gap to the left of short fine leg

47.3
2
Naveed to Williams, 2 runs

short ball outside off, has to go against the angle to pull it. Doesn't quite time it but it drops safely near the midwicket boundary

47.2
1
Naveed to Chigumbura, 1 run

full on middle stump, driven down to long-on

47.1
1
Naveed to Williams, 1 run

fullish on off stump, pushed to mid-off for a quick single

16 from 18. Naveed is back in the attack.

end of over 477 runs
ZIM: 270/6CRR: 5.74 RRR: 5.33
Elton Chigumbura13 (14b 2x4)
Sean Williams61 (60b 4x4 1x6)
Krishna Chandran 9-0-59-1
Amjad Javed 9-0-49-1
46.6
Chandran to Chigumbura, no run

another slower ball, closer to off stump this time, and he looks to flat-bat it towards long-on, but short midwicket moves quickly to intercept it

46.5
4
Chandran to Chigumbura, FOUR runs

slower ball, but lots of width outside off, and he stands tall and slaps it to the backward point boundary

46.4
Chandran to Chigumbura, no run

length ball on middle stump and he goes on the back foot to punch it to short midwicket

46.3
1
Chandran to Williams, 1 run

full on middle stump and he makes room to drive it down the ground to long-off

46.2
2
Chandran to Williams, 2 runs

slower ball on off stump and he's initially surprised but quickly adjusts to chip it back over the bowler's head

46.1
Chandran to Williams, no run

back of a length on leg stump. Tucks it off his pads but can't beat short fine leg

end of over 468 runs
ZIM: 263/6CRR: 5.71 RRR: 5.75
Elton Chigumbura9 (11b 1x4)
Sean Williams58 (57b 4x4 1x6)
Amjad Javed 9-0-49-1
Krishna Chandran 8-0-52-1
45.6
4
Javed to Chigumbura, FOUR runs

lovely shot. Finally he gets a bit of width and he waves his hands through this drive to place it between backward point and cover point

45.5
Javed to Chigumbura, no run

fullish offcutter on off stump and Tauqir dives to his left at short midwicket to stop that swipe from Chigumbura

45.4
1
Javed to Williams, 1 run

fullish outside off, driven down to long-off

45.3
1
Javed to Chigumbura, 1 run

length ball, comes in off the pitch and he tucks it away off the pads towards square leg

45.2
1
Javed to Williams, 1 run

full outside off, driven down to long-off

45.1
1
Javed to Chigumbura, 1 run

back of a length outside off, and he can't time the punch through cover, ends up squirting it down into the pitch, rolls back towards the keeper

Akshay: "I think i have found the perfect jinx against any player - picking them in my fantasy team. Always works."

end of over 454 runs
ZIM: 255/6CRR: 5.66 RRR: 6.20
Elton Chigumbura3 (7b)
Sean Williams56 (55b 4x4 1x6)
Krishna Chandran 8-0-52-1
Amjad Javed 8-0-41-1
44.6
1
Chandran to Chigumbura, 1 run

fullish legcutter on middle and leg. Chigumbura shows the full face to drive to long-on

44.5
Chandran to Chigumbura, no run

back of a length on off stump, no pace on it, punched back to the bowler

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ICC Cricket World Cup

Pool A
TEAMMWLPTNRR
NZ660122.564
AUS64192.257
SL64280.371
BAN63270.136
ENG6244-0.753
AFG6152-1.853
SCOT6060-2.218
Pool B
TEAMMWLPTNRR
IND660121.827
SA64281.707
PAK6428-0.085
WI6336-0.053
IRE6336-0.933
ZIM6152-0.527
UAE6060-2.032