SOUTH Africa A left-arm spinner Senuran Muthusamy took four wickets in the fourth unofficial One Day International at Harare Sports Club to help the visitors beat Zimbabwe A by 116 runs and clinch the series 3-1.
Zimbabwe A went into the match trying to win and level the series with captain Chamu Chibhabha winning the toss and decided to bowl with the hope of replicating what they did with the ball in the third match.
Chasing 282 for victory, Zimbabwe A were cautious in their run chase. It seemed like Sisanda Magala had reserved his best for the last match of the series, bowling with finesse and accuracy, giving nothing away.
The usually attacking Tadiwanashe Marumani curbed his instinct which probably led to his downfall.
Brian Chari knew that this was probably his last chance to force his way into the team that will play Bangladesh next month.
Chari tried to take on Magala’s short ball but was beaten for pace and top-edged into the Harare skies, and the wicketkeeper Ryan Rickelton took a running catch to end Chari’s misery with the bat for six from 25 balls.
Marumani did not learn from his senior partner and tried to take on Magala, who had not given anything away except wide balls. Marumani followed Chari two balls later for 10 from 14 balls.
Wesley Madhevere, who was playing his first match of the series, came in at four to try and rebuild a floundering run chase.
Chibhabha and Madhevere shared a 34-run partnership for the third wicket. The partnership looked like it was growing big until Madhevere perished, driving uppishly a Dwayne Pretorious delivery to be caught at short mid-wicket by Reeza Hendricks for 20 runs from 18 balls.
It was left to Chibhabha and Milton Shumba, the two heroes of Zimbabwe’s victory on Wednesday, to try and get their team closer again.
Unfortunately, they could not reach the same heights as Chibhabha fell for a 36-ball 24 while trying to take on a Pretorius short ball but only finding the hands of Zubayr Hamza.
After Chibhabha’s dismissal, the writing was on the wall for the host as Muthusamy cleaned up the lower middle order.
Richmond Mutumbami, who was in for Dion Myers, who got injured during the warm-up, once again failed with the bat as he was stumped for three by Rickelton off Muthusamy.
Zimbabwe A eventually folded for 165 in 39 overs as Victor Nyauchi could not come out to bat due to an injury he suffered whilst bowling.
Earlier in the day, South Africa A had underlined the batting prowess by posting 282 built around Hendricks’s 89 runs from 105 balls on a wicket that provided a fair contest between bat and ball.
Zimbabwe got an early breakthrough after Janneman Malan nicked a Nyauchi delivery to Mutumbami for one.
South Africa A scored 78 runs in the next 15 overs before Luke Jongwe got the big wicket of Rickelton caught at mid-off by Nyauchi for 40 runs from 39 balls.
Hamza, the captain, did not last long as he became Jongwe’s second wicket caught by Wellington Masakadza for eight runs.
Tony de Zorzi, who gave the South African A score some respectability on Wednesday, once again played a gem of an innings after assessing the conditions, scoring 55 from 68 balls, including seven fours and a maximum before he became Masakadza’s first wicket of the match.
Hendricks, who had looked good for a hundred, fell 11 runs short of a second century of the series giving Jongwe his third wicket. He had done enough to give his team a defendable score.
Despite the series loss, the Zimbabwe selectors will be happy with how the young brigade in Marumani and Myers came through against a good bowling attack.
Chibhabha, who looks like he is still in the selectors’ mind, had a good outing and showed glimpses of his old self. Tendai Chatara regaining his fitness is also a plus for the Chevrons bowling attack.
