ZIMBABWE left-arm seamer Richard Ngarava held his nerve in the final over to bowl his team to a three-run victory in a nail-biting low-scorer to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match T20I series against Ireland on Friday.
Chasing a modest total of 117 for victory and at the halfway stage, smart money was on Ireland to win the match in their home conditions. Still, the Zimbabwe bowlers who defended 119 against Pakistan a few months ago had other ideas.
Put in to bat by Ireland, and Zimbabwe had a horrible start losing their T2OI form player, Wessly Madhevere, who feathered a thin edge off Craig Young to wicketkeeper Neil Rock on his debut.
Tadiwanashe Marumani, who loves facing fast bowlers, found the going tough and was put out of his misery by Young after Paul Stirling caught him for one run from 10 balls.
Regis Chakabva teed off from where he left against Bangladesh, making a mockery of the two-paced nature of the wicket.
He hit four boundaries and a huge six in a knock of 47 runs from 28 balls but was unfortunately beaten by a Simi Singh googly, which took his off-stump.
Just like against Bangladesh, Chakabva fell when he looked good to score his maiden T20I half-century.
Wickets continued to fall, and at one time, Zimbabwe were on 89-6 after 15.2 overs. A 24-run partnership between Ryan Burl and Wellington Masakadza helped Zimbabwe past 100 runs.
The spotlight was on Milton Shumba, who scored seven from 18 balls, striking at 38 per cent, which is now not even suitable for modern Test cricket strike rate.
The visitors laboured to 117/7 in their allotted overs.
Ireland in reply to Zimbabwe’s total, got to a better start scoring 27 runs for the first wicket in almost six overs before Luke Jongwe castled Stirling for 24 runs from 19 balls.
Captain Andy Balbirnie fell to the leg-spin of Burl, adjudged leg before wicket for six runs and suddenly Zimbabwe started believing.
Burl turned the match on the head in the 11th over when he struck in consecutive deliveries, George Dockrell tried to take him on but could only find Masakadza in the deep. Kevin O’Brien was bowled the next ball, and Burl was on a hattrick.
The set batsmen were back in the hut with the home side on 65/4.
With six wickets in hand, 52 runs to win from 55 balls, Ireland were still the favourites to win the match.
Two overs later, Masakadza, who had been probing all afternoon, was finally rewarded with the wicket of the big-hitting Curtis Campher, who was caught by Dion Myers for three runs.
Masakadza was not finished yet. In his last over, he got another wicket to put some doubts in the Irish camp at 76-6 after 13.3 overs.
The Irish batsmen took a liking at Tendai Chatara and Dion Myers, who both got some tapping.
The match went down to the wire, and Ngarava was tasked to do the unthinkable, defending six runs in the final over of a T20I.
His first ball to the set, Simi Singh, was a dot ball, a well-executed wide yorker angled away from the batsman.
The second ball was a quicker ball, bowled around the off stump, Singh tried to cut but it was going away from him. Two dots from two balls.
Ngarava conceded just one run on his third delivery and it was still game on, Ireland needed five runs from three balls.
Barry McCarthy tried a ramp shot but was bowled by Ngarava.
The penultimate delivery of the match saw Craig Young being run out by Chakabva/Ngarava while trying to give the strike to Singh and Ireland were nine wickets down.
A boundary off the final ball would have tied the match and sent it to a Super Over, asix Ireland would be victors but Ngarava bowled a low full toss that only produced a single.
The Zimbabwe bowlers for the second time this year have been bailing out the team by defending a low score.
The team can put behind their off-the-field issues and celebrate one of their best T20I victories overseas.
