ZIMBABWE lost Gary Balance to a mild concussion suffered on Thursday and subsequently the second T20I by six wickets as Ireland levelled the series 1-1 at Harare Sports Club on Saturday afternoon.
Balance, who made his debut in the first match against Ireland, was hit on the head while batting.
However, in a statement, Zimbabwe Cricket said it was a precautionary measure. In his place, Innocent Kaia stepped in, making 25 runs from 14 balls.
Zimbabwe Captain Craig Ervine top scored with 42 (40) runs after the hosts were asked to bat first.
At the close of the innings, the Chevrons totalled 144 all out in their allotted overs. Sean Williams (19), Ryan Burl (15) and Brad Evans (11) made it into double-digit figures on a day Chevrons’ batters struggled with the bat.
When Ireland resumed their chase, they appeared to be batting on a completely different track. While Zimbabwe made six runs for their first wicket, Ireland raced to 48.
Irish openers, their Captain Andy Balbirnie (33) and Ross Adair (65) laid a solid foundation for the team’s chase.
Even though Zimbabwe made some inroads between their defence of 144, Ireland had done enough to bag the second T20I to set up a pulsating finale on Sunday.
Ryan Burl, the player of the match in the first T20I, picked two wickets, while seamers Tendai Chatara and Richard Ngarava grabbed one each.
