ZIMBABWE Women’s cricket team lost to South Africa Emerging side by 32 runs in the first unofficial One Day International (ODI) played Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo.
Stand-in captain Josephine Nkomo called correctly and asked the visitors to bat first, and they scored 232 for 7 in their allotted overs.
Zimbabwe’s reply got to the worst possible start as the aggressive wicketkeeper batter Chiedza Dhururu perished in the second over to become Michaela Andrews first wicket of the match.
The host who are missing the services of key players due to injury and some on maternity leave were banking on the experience of Modester Mupachikwa and Nkomo.
Mupachikwa looked in good touch, assured in defence, and put away the bad balls after seeing the SA Emerging side opening bowlers.
Zimbabwe lost their second wicket of Pelagia Mujaji, who had come in at first drop and was Andrews second wicket of the day caught by Anneke Bosch for 7 runs from 22 balls.
Mupachikwa, who looked assured at the crease for her 29 from 45 balls, started feeling the pressure of wanting to keep up with the run rate and perished to the bowling of Jane Winster.
The ordinarily aggressive Christabel Chatonzwa was bogged down by some disciplined bowling of the SA Emerging side’s bowlers.
She shared a fourth-wicket stand of 50 runs with the captain, Nkomo, but their challenge was that both batters were going at a pedestrian strike rate, leaving them with too much to do at the end.
Chatonzwa, who was playing cautiously, was put out of her misery by Andrews again for 26 from 62 balls.
Nkomo took the responsibility to try and take the game as deep as possible, getting to her half-century in 92 balls in a knock that contained six boundaries.
Zimbabwe slow batting up front meant that big hitters like Precious Marange had too much to do.
Marange took the attack to the SA bowlers in her run a ball 41 until Masabata Klaas bowled her in the 47th over, but by then, the game had slipped away from the home team.
Nkomo remained unbeaten on 70 from 113 balls, with Zimbabwe falling short by 32 runs.
Zimbabwe women will want to pace their innings better in the second match and define the role of each batter.
Earlier on, the SA Emerging captain, Andrie Steyn and Tazmin Brits, opened the batting. They did a steady job sharing an opening stand of 37 runs in seven overs before the spin of Tasmeen Granger bowled Brits, who was very circumspect in her approach.
SA women scored 47 runs in the power play as Zimbabwe kept things quiet for a bit. Just as they tried to up the ante after the power play, Robyn Searle was beaten in flight by Granger and wicketkeeper Dhururu with some neat glove work, dislodged the bails to give the Bulawayo born spinner her second wicket of the match.
The fall of wickets did not deter Steyn as she continued being positive scoring her 50 in 66 balls which included four boundaries.
SA Emerging side was taking the game away from the Lady Chevrons with a third-wicket stand of 85 between the skipper and Nondumiso Shangase before the veteran Marange took the wicket of Shangase for 43 caught by Nomvelo Sibanda.
Steyn, who assessed the conditions better than all the batters, showed her class as she scored the first hundred of the series, cheered by her teammates.
However, she was run out in the 46th over as she tried to get to the strikers in a bid to up the scoring rate but was run out by Mujaji.
Zimbabwe managed to return towards the end of the SA Emerging side’s innings by taking three wickets for 25 runs.
