and he's gone. Ireland have won this. Goes for the big hit over the bowler's head, this was another slower ball, I think, and he didn't get hold of it at all. Got more elevation than distance, and Porterfield, running in from long-on, took it calmly, a captain's catch. Ireland are still in with a definite chance of making the quarterfinals.
Ireland vs Zimbabwe, 30th Match, Pool B at Hobart, Mar 07 2015 - Ball by Ball Commentary
New
ZIM
Full commentary
10.45pm That's it from all of us. Thrilling game with a bit of controversy. That's what we want, right? We hope the World Cup will keep throwing up this sort of match, and that you'll keep joining us for our coverage. Until next time, goodbye!
Okay then. Here are the captains. First, it's Brendan Taylor: "It's pretty frustrating to be in a winning situation again, and throw it away a little bit. Ireland were a little bit more hungry, they deserved to win. It hasn't been clever cricket from us, at crucial periods. It's a tough one to follow. The bowling was poor, really. We weren't hungry in the field, our energy levels were poor. We need to pull our socks up for the next game. I hit it nicely, but I got out at the wrong time, new batter coming in in the Powerplay, those things add up. You've got to take [Mooney's] word for [the catch], but they zoomed in, and I thought it was pretty clear. But you've got to take the fielder's word."
William Porterfield: "Thought it was a very good score, knew it was a very good wicket, but we knew it was going to be difficult, especially with the short square boundaries. For Cusack to come in and perform like that it was great. It's very hard to tell on the line. It was great skill anyway. I haven't seen it so I don't know. Still in our hands, we'll just go game by game, two points up for grabs, that's it."
Mr.G: "Time for Zing ropes to be introduced?"
Arihant Karnawa: "And the not given SIX (given OUT) is the difference between victory for Zimbabwe today." -- And the thing about it is, I still can't say if his foot touched his rope or not. Could have gone either way, and, as you say, Ireland won by five runs. A six would have won it for Zimbabwe.
Ed Joyce is the man of the match "Thought it was a good toss to win for them," he says. "It was really hard to defend, but the boys pulled it off in the end. Alex Cusack has a cold heart, no, a cool head, and I'm glad he was the one bowling that last over, and I'm glad William Porterfield was under the catch. I had a lot of luck early on before I got to 30 or 40, and I needed that. They bowled well initially, back of a length, it was difficult to get away. Andrew Balbirnie was brilliant too."
10.30pm I've said it before, I'll say it again. What a match. Zimbabwe were four down and sinking, and Taylor and Williams dragged them back with an absolutely magical partnership. Williams kept them going, but when he was out, in controversial circumstances, Zimbabwe looked out of it again. Mupariwa hit 4, 4, 6 off successive balls to bring it down to seven from the final over, but Alex Cusack, fittingly, won it in the last over. He was Ireland's best bowler, and his slower ball kept dragging Ireland back into the game whenever they looked like slipping away.
49.3
W
Cusack to Mupariwa, OUT
Tawanda Mupariwa c Porterfield b Cusack 18 (7b 2x4 1x6 11m) SR: 257.14
49.2
1
Cusack to Chatara, 1 run
full outside off, comes in a bit. Looks to poke it into the off side for a single, inside-edges it towards backward square leg
Tendai Chatara. No. 11. Zimbabwe need seven to win. Five balls to go.
49.1
W
Cusack to Chakabva, OUT
and he strikes! Chakabva gets on one knee and looks to swipe across the line from outside off. It's the offcutter, and he inside-edges that into his off stump
Regis Chakabva b Cusack 17 (16b 1x4 0x6 36m) SR: 106.25
Seven to win, six balls. Two wickets in hand. The 4048 in the stadium are making the noise of 40,480. Cusack to bowl.
Sudhakar: "What a match and what a resemblance...one batsman scored ton and another out for 90+ in both the teams..but yet the result is moving to final over...what a match.."
end of over 4919 runs
ZIM: 325/8CRR: 6.63 • RRR: 7.00
Tawanda Mupariwa18 (6b 2x4 1x6)
Regis Chakabva17 (15b 1x4)
Kevin O'Brien 10-0-90-2
John Mooney 10-0-58-2
48.6
2
K O'Brien to Mupariwa, 2 runs
full on middle stump, swiped down the ground to long-on
48.5
6
K O'Brien to Mupariwa, SIX runs
and now he's swung him away for six! It's short, angling into the body, there's a man at deep square leg, but Mupariwa simply clubs him away over that fielder
Slightly redundant, but what a game!
48.4
4
K O'Brien to Mupariwa, FOUR runs
and another. Full and wide again, even more width this time, and this time he slices it up over point, but the result is the same
48.3
4
K O'Brien to Mupariwa, FOUR runs
full and wide and Mupariwa just flays that away, to the right of cover and that races away to the boundar
48.2
2
K O'Brien to Mupariwa, 2 runs
shot! That's a low full-toss outside off and he steps across his stumps to lap it over short fine leg
48.1
1
K O'Brien to Chakabva, 1 run
now KOB bowls the yorker on middle and leg, and Chakabva clips it towards deep square leg
end of over 485 runs • 1 wicket
ZIM: 306/8CRR: 6.37 • RRR: 13.00
Tawanda Mupariwa0 (1b)
Regis Chakabva16 (14b 1x4)
John Mooney 10-0-58-2
Kevin O'Brien 9-0-71-2
47.6
•
Mooney to Mupariwa, no run
yorker on middle stump, pushed back to the bowler
Mupariwa is the new batsman.
47.5
1
Mooney to Chakabva, 1 run
short slower ball outside off, sat up, pulled away to the right of long-on
47.4
W
Mooney to Panyangara, OUT
fullish on leg stump, and Panyangara holes out, clears his front leg and goes over the top, doesn't connect nearly as well as he would have liked and long-on comes in from the boundary to take a good low catch
Tinashe Panyangara c Porterfield b Mooney 5 (5b 0x4 0x6 4m) SR: 100
47.3
2
Mooney to Panyangara, 2 runs
full on middle stump, miscued, but he picked out the gap right behind the bowler, and it drops down well short of long-off rushing in from the boundary
47.2
2
Mooney to Panyangara, 2 runs
full on leg stump, whipped in the air towards deep square leg. Took its while getting to the fielder and they run two
47.1
•
Mooney to Panyangara, no run
slower ball outside off. Comes out of his crease to hit over mid-off, can't connect
end of over 478 runs • 1 wicket
ZIM: 301/7CRR: 6.40 • RRR: 10.33
Tinashe Panyangara1 (1b)
Regis Chakabva15 (13b 1x4)
Kevin O'Brien 9-0-71-2
Alex Cusack 9-2-31-2
46.6
1
K O'Brien to Panyangara, 1 run
full on middle and leg, clipped towards square leg
Panyangara is the new batsman.
46.5
W
K O'Brien to Williams, OUT
taken! Or is it? That is brilliantly judged by Mooney on the rope. Or is it? It's full on off stump, and Williams clears his front leg to swing it away over the leg side, hits it well, but picks out Mooney at deep midwicket, he catches it over his head, he's leaning back very close to the rope, aaaaaaand, they're checking if he's touched the boundary cushion. Has he? Hasn't he? Is there a bit of movement? Or is it just the shadow of his foot? They're zooming in, and still it looks indecisive. They've given it out, and is it because Williams had already left the ground?
Sean Williams c Mooney b O'Brien 96 (83b 7x4 2x6 131m) SR: 115.66
46.4
2
K O'Brien to Williams, 2 runs
full on the pads, flicked away to deep square leg
46.3
•
K O'Brien to Williams, no run
looks for the yorker, and Williams misses the flick. Pops off the pad into the off side, and Williams had set off for a single. O'Brien quickly chased the ball and flicked it to the keeper's end, with Williams still quite a long way from recovering his crease, and missed the stumps
around the wicket to Williams
46.2
1
K O'Brien to Chakabva, 1 run
full on middle stump, clipped to deep midwicket, who's just been pushed back to the rope
46.1
4
K O'Brien to Chakabva, FOUR runs
full on middle stump and that is brilliantly done by Chakabva. Gets his front leg out of the way, went down on one knee, and swung it away over midwicket, and into the wide space to the right of long-on, who put in a desperate dive but couldn't stop the boundary
Right. 39 to win from 24 balls. Kevin O'Brien to bowl.
Match Coverage
Instant answers to T20 questions
Zimbabwe Innings
<1 / 3>