RYAN Rickelton starred with the bat as South Africa A took a two-nil lead after beating Zimbabwe A by 184 runs in the second game of the four-match unofficial One Day International series played at Harare Sports Club yesterday.
After being asked to bat first on a good batting wicket, South Africa A scored 365 for the loss of six wickets.
Zimbabwe were in trouble in their reply to the visitors’ mammoth total when opener Chamu Chibhabha nicked the first ball of their run chase and was caught at first slip by Theunis de Bruyn off Glenton Stuurman for a duck.
The in-form players Tadiwanashe Marumani and Dion Myers underlined their growing reputation with a third-wicket partnership of 75 runs.
Marumani played some crispy drives and cut shots in a confident knock that reminded many of Sri Lanka legend Sanath Jayasuriya.
Marumani hit seven fours and a big six in run-a-ball 48. He perished trying to hit Andile Phehlukwayo for a four, having hit him for another boundary on the previous ball. Still, this time he only managed to find the waiting hands of Zubayr Hamza to end a promising knock.
It was left again to Myers, who top-scored in the first match with 96, to try and bring respectability to the Zimbabwe total as he scored a second successive 50 of the series.
Myers was severe on anything short from the seamers, and he also took a liking towards Senuran Muthusamy, the off-spinner whom he hit one straight six down the ground and the biggest of them all over cow corner.
The 19-year-old right-hander batsman began to feel the pressure as wickets continued tumbling around him. He knew that for Zimbabwe A to have a chance, he had to go after the South Africa A bowlers and perished for 70 from 63 balls as he tried to him Muthusamy for another maximum but could only find de Bruyn.
With the dismissal of Myers, any respectability to Zimbabwe A total was gone as the hosts eventually folded for 181 in 35.3 overs.
Zimbabwe A lost the last five wickets for 41 runs on a sound batting track.
Muthusamy was the pick of the South Africa A bowlers with figures of four for 35 runs in 8.3 overs.
Earlier, South Africa A, who made first use of the wicket after being sent in to bat by Zimbabwe A captain Tendai Chatara, got off to a flyer with Janneman Malan and Ryan Rickelton sharing an opening stand of 120 runs in 20 overs.
Rickelton, the wicketkeeper-batsman, was the chief aggressor of the two getting to his half-century first.
Malan got to his half-century in 51 balls but perished as he tried to take on the medium pace of Myers but could only manage a thin edge to Richmond Mutumbami behind the stumps.
None could have predicted the carnage that followed as Rickelton continued on his merry way as he scored runs all over the park, seemingly for fun, with no bowler being spared. He enjoyed the pace of Chavanga more on the batting-friendly track.
The gloveman brought his century from 90 balls as South Africa A batters continued their dominance as he shared a 137-run partnership with Reeza Hendricks, who also scored a fifty.
After 38 overs, South Africa A were 257 for two, with Zimbabwe A being their worst enemies, dropping five catches.
Rickelton, who top-scored for South Africa A, was eventually dismissed for 169 from 150 balls.
Hamza took the game further away from the host scoring 37 runs from 17 balls as the visitors finished their innings with a flourish. -By Brian Goredema at Harare Sports Club.
