THE Zimbabwe Women’s cricket team, despite a commendable display with the ball, stumbled in the decisive One Day International (ODI) against Ireland Women at Harare Sports Club yesterday, succumbing by a margin of 81 runs.
The match’s turning point was the outstanding leg break skills of 23-year-old Irish spinner Cara Murray. She took six wickets and shattered the home team’s hopes of levelling the series.
Mary-Anne Musonda, the captain of the Zimbabwe cricket team, won the toss and chose to field first. It was a wise decision, as Zimbabwe’s bowlers restricted Ireland to 180 runs in 48.1 overs.
The Lady Chevrons team had a few exceptional players, and Loreen Tshuma was one of them. She performed exceptionally well by taking two crucial wickets for 27 runs in nine overs, replicating her outstanding performance from the second ODI. The spinners Precious Marange, Lindokuhle Mabhera, and the trio Nomvelo Sibanda, Michelle Mavunga, and Kelis Ndhlovu each took a wicket.
During Ireland’s innings, Orla Prendergast, the number four batter, showed great solidity by scoring 41 runs off 67 deliveries. However, she was eventually dismissed by Mabhera’s delivery. Leah Paul and Georgina Dembsey also made valuable contributions, scoring 27 and 16 runs, respectively, which helped to steer their team to a respectable total.
The hosts crumbled under the pressure and were bowled out for 99 runs in 30.5 overs. Despite Ashley Ndiraya being the top scorer with 25 runs from 35 balls and captain Musonda’s resilient knock of 23 runs from 52 balls, the rest of the team struggled to make an impact against Murray’s onslaught, resulting in a six-wicket haul for the bowler.
Apart from Murray’s dominant performance, Laura Delany, Arlene Kelly, and Ava Canning managed to chip in with a wicket each. The loss in the deciding ODI has set the stage for a compelling five-match T20I series at Harare Sports Club, where Zimbabwe will look to bounce back and regain momentum against Ireland.
