1. Home
  2. Australia suffer historic three-wicket loss to Zimbabwe in tri-series shock

Australia suffer historic three-wicket loss to Zimbabwe in tri-series shock

September 1, 2014

Zimbabwe historic

Sep 1: Australia have suffered a shambolic defeat at the hands of cricket minnows Zimbabwe in front of a rocking crowd at Harare Sports Club.

The No.10-ranked African nation exposed Australia for their poor batting, lack of spin options and mistakes in the field in a fairy tale three-wicket triumph.

It's just Zimbabwe's second ever win against Australia in ODI cricket - the last time it happened was at the 1983 World Cup.

When No.9 batsman Prosper Utseya brought up the winning runs with a towering six with 12 balls remaining, teammates flooded the pitch in celebration.

The embarrassing result for the world No.1 Australians means they aren't yet assured of qualifying for Saturday's tri-series final against South Africa.

Only three Australian batsmen made it past 20, with skipper Michael Clarke's courageous 68 not out despite aggravating a hamstring injury about all that held the total of 9-209 together - a record low score against battlers Zimbabwe.

After bucking the trend so far this tri-series and electing to bat first, Australia couldn't cope with Zimbabwe's spin battalion who combined to take 6-117 from 36 overs on a raging turner.

In response, Australia were under-equipped for the conditions, with not enough support for Nathan Lyon (4-44 from 10) in the spin department.

Zimbabwean captain Elton Chigumbura's unbeaten 52 led his team to one of their greatest wins.

Needing 44 off 60 with three wickets in hand, Zimbabwe were given the life they needed two overs later when Chigumbura survived a running mix-up thanks to an off throw from Mitchell Starc at mid-on.

Starc (2-41) and James Faulkner cracked under pressure with wides and no balls at the death and Chigumbura and Prosper Utseya (30no) combined for the final 55 runs.

Clarke re-aggravated his hamstring when on 62 and, after getting to the point where he could barely hobble between wickets, retired hurt.

The captain will now fly back to Australia for treatment and is a serious doubt for the upcoming Test series against Pakistan.

But in another display of grit under pressure - he returned to the non-striker's end for the final two balls of the innings and then remarkably came onto field midway through the Zimbabwe innings when Australia were floundering.

He even bowled the 47th over with Zimbabwe needing 11 to win.

A fired-up and focused Clarke was dissatisfied with his team's intensity in the field after 18 overs and came from the dressing rooms barking instructions and pointing figures.

Clarke's presence had an almost immediate impact, with Zimbabwe slipping from a stronghold at 2-100 to the wobbles at 5-106.

But Australia's decision not to pick a second recognised spinner for the tour has been shown up to be a mistake - with nothing in the Harare deck for the bevy of seam bowlers.

Selectors also erred in leaving Test batsman and capable part-timer Steve Smith out of the XI on Sunday, with Glenn Maxwell and Aaron Finch going for plenty.

Mitchell Johnson's vicious pace could also have been handy, but he was rested.

Finch's left-arm offspin was blasted for 16 runs in the 17th over with Brendan Taylor (32) leading the way in the chase.

Australia must beat South Africa in their final pool match on Tuesday, or rely on Zimbabwe not sneaking a bonus point win over the Proteas on Thursday to ensure their place in the final.

Aaron Finch (11), Phil Hughes (10), George Bailey (1), Glenn Maxwell (13) and Mitchell Marsh (15) all departed cheaply to make it 5-97 after 29 overs.

Australia

A. Finch b Nyumbu 11

P. Hughes c Nyumbu b Utseya 10

M. Clarke not out 68

G. Bailey b Williams 1

G. Maxwell b Waller 13

M. Marsh c Utseya b Tiripano 15

B. Haddin c Waller b Tiripano 49

J. Faulkner c Nyumbu b Utseya 0

M. Starc b Williams 3

B. Cutting run out 26

N. Lyon not out 8

Sundries (2lb, 3w) 5

Total (9 wkts, 50 overs) 209

Fall of wickets: 1-11 (Finch), 2-38 (Hughes), 3-39 (Bailey), 4-57 (Maxwell), 5-97 (Marsh), 5-147 (Clarke, retired not out), 6-147 (Faulkner), 7-150 (Starc), 8-201 (Cutting), 9-202 (Haddin).

Bowling: Chatara 8-0-56-0, Nyumbu 10-1-30-1, Utseya 10-0-45-2, Tiripano 6-1-34-2, Williams 10-2-21-2, Waller 6-0-21-1.

Zimbabwe

T. Mawoyo b Lyon 15

Sikandar Raza c sub (Smith) b Lyon 22

H. Masakadza b Starc 18

B. Taylor b Lyon 32

M. Waller c & b Maxwell 11

S. Williams c Clarke b Lyon 4

E. Chigumbura not out 52

D. Tiripano b Starc 3

P. Utseya not out 30

Sundries (2b, 3lb, 18w, 1nb) 24

Total (7 wkts, 48 overs) 211

Fall of wickets: 1-42 (Sikandar Raza), 2-44 (Mawoyo), 3-100 (Masakadza), 4-102 (Taylor), 5-106 (Williams), 6-142 (Waller), 7-156 (Tiripano).

Bowling: Starc 10-3-41-2, Marsh 4-2-13-0, Cutting 6-0-18-0, Faulkner 7-0-28-0, Lyon 10-1-44-4, Finch 2-0-19-0, Maxwell 8-0-41-1, Clarke 1-0-2-0.

Result: Zimbabwe won by 3 wickets.

Comments

Add new comment

About text formats
  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
July 21,2020

Jul 21: The tickets sold for the now-postponed ICC T20 World Cup will remain valid if Australia hosts the edition in 2021 instead of India.

In case the event is shifted to 2022, all ticket-holders will be entitled to a full refund, the ICC stated on its website on Monday night after postponing the mega-event this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The tournament was to be held in October-November but will now be conducted later because of the pandemic.

The ICC has not yet announced which country will host which edition as there are operational issues that both the Indian and Australian cricket Boards need to sort out.

The world body had opened ticket booking through its ticketing partners and a significant number was already sold.

"Ticket holders are welcome to retain their tickets, noting, if Australia hosts in 2021, tickets will remain valid for fans who have already bought and will be automatically updated to reflect the new dates.

"If Australia hosts in 2022, for tickets already bought a full refund will be processed automatically," ICC stated in a series of FAQs.

Fans can retain their tickets until a date is confirmed for the event.

Refund requests can be made until December 15 and they will be processed within 30 days after an online submission.

The hospitality package will also remain valid for the 2021 fixtures.

Comments

Add new comment

About text formats
  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
Agencies
March 1,2020

New Delhi, Mar 1: Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif on Sunday heaped praise on Ravindra Jadeja after the all-rounder took a spectacular catch on the second day of the Christchurch Test against New Zealand.

Jadeja grabbed a one-handed stunner at deep square leg in the 72nd over to dismiss Neil Wagner, who had to depart after scoring 21 runs.

"Sir Jadeja for a reason! Jadeja Airlines, flying high! Terrific stuff," Kaif tweeted.

In the match, Jadeja also impressed with the ball. The left-handed bowler took two wickets while giving away 22 runs.

On day two, India bundled out New Zealand on 235 runs in the second Test. However, in their second innings, Indian batsmen again struggled to tackle the New Zealand pacers and lost six wickets with a lead of just 97 runs.

India went to stumps at 90/6, with Trent Boult doing the majority of the damage with three wickets.

Comments

Add new comment

About text formats
  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
March 5,2020

Mar 5: India reached a maiden women's Twenty20 World Cup final Thursday after their last four clash against England was washed out, sparking calls for the International Cricket Council to include reserve days in future events.

Harmanpreet Kaur's unbeaten side were due to face the 2009 champions at the Sydney Cricket Ground, but the rain began pouring early in the day with barely any let-up.

With a minimum 10 overs per side needed for a result and no break in the weather, the umpires called it off without a ball being bowled.

Normally, five overs per side are needed to constitute a Twenty20 match, but the rules are different for ICC tournaments.

Four-time champions Australia are scheduled to take on South Africa later in the second semi-final, with that match also under threat.

With no reserve day, the highest-ranked teams from the two groups move into the final if play is not possible

That would pit India against South Africa at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday, where organisers are hoping to attract 90,000 plus fans, denying Australia a chance to defend their crown.

A reserve day is allowed for the final and the lack of one for the semis has been criticised by some players, with England captain Heather Knight among those calling for change.

"If both semi-finals are lost it would be a sad time for the tournament," she told reporters ahead of the match. "It's obviously going to be a shame if it does happen and I'm sure there will be a lot of pressure on the ICC to change that."

Cricket Australia chief Kevin Roberts said he sought clarification from the ICC about adding a reserve day with the Sydney weather looking ominous, but the request was denied.

"We've asked the question and it's not part of the playing conditions and we respect that," he told Melbourne's SEN radio.

"It gives you cause to reflect and think about how you might improve things in the future, but going into a tournament with a given set of playing conditions and rules, I don't think it's time to tinker with the rules."

It is not the way India would have wanted to make the final, but they are deserving of being there having gone through the group phase as the only unbeaten team.

After opening their campaign by upsetting Australia, they beat Bangladesh, New Zealand and then Sri Lanka.

While the entire team played well, teenage batting prodigy Shafali Verma excelled, which saw her elevated to the top of the ICC T20 batting rankings this week aged just 16.

She is only the second Indian after Mithali Raj to reach number one, pushing New Zealand veteran Suzie Bates down to second.

Ranked four in the world, India had made three semi-finals before this year and lost every time, including against England at the last World Cup.

Comments

Add new comment

About text formats
  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.