Zimbabwe has been knocked out of the ICC World Cup 2023 race following a 31-run defeat against Scotland on Tuesday (July 4). They played exceedingly well throughout the competition but, unfortunately, faltered in their last two games of the competition.
After losing to Sri Lanka, earlier, Scotland beat them by 31 runs on Tuesday in Bulawayo. Batting first, Scotland posted a decent-looking total of 234 runs in the first innings. The likes of Christopher McBride (28 off 45) and Mathew Cross (38 off 75) gave a decent start, though, neither of them could convert the start into a big score.
However, handy contributions kept coming from the likes of McMullen (34), Munsey (31), and Michael Leask (48), which meant the runs kept coming at a decent pace.
For Zimbabwe, Sean Williams was the pick of the bowlers as he claimed three wickets for 41 runs in 10 overs. Chatara picked up two wickets for 46 runs in 7 overs. Ngarava also claimed one wicket.
In pursuit of the target, Zimbabwe made the worst possible start as the likes of Gumbie (0) and Craig Ervine (2) got out on single-digit scores. Innocent Kaia (12), Sean Williams (12) also departed cheaply as Zimbabwe had lost four wickets for just 37 runs on the board.
Zimbabwe Could Never Recover from Top-Order Batting Failure
Sikandar Raza and Burl steadied the ship by forging a 54-run partnership for the 5th wicket. However, Raza, once again, threw away the start he got as departed after scoring 34 off 40 balls.
Burl and Madhevere then put up another stellar partnership of 73 runs for the 6th wicket before the latter departed for 40. Burl played an outstanding knock of 83 off 84, however, he couldn’t stay till the end.
The tailenders departed pretty quickly and Zimbabwe, in the end, fell 31 runs short of the target. Chris Sole was the pick of the bowlers for them, claiming 3 wickets for 33 runs in 7 overs, while the likes of McMullen and Leask picked up two wickets each.
ICC World Cup Qualifiers 2023, ZIM vs SCO Highlights:
Brief scores: Scotland 234/8 in 50 overs (Michael Leask 48, Matthew Cross 38; Sean Williams 3-41) beat Zimbabwe 203 in 41.1 overs (Ryan Burl 83, Wessly Madhevere 40; Chris Sole 3-33) by 31 runs
