Ireland v/s Zimbabwe - Game 5

Ireland v/s Zimbabwe (Group D) at Kingston, Jamaica

Ireland 221/9 in 50 overs (JP Bray 115*) vs Zimbabwe 221/10 in 50 overs (Matsikenyeri 73*) match tied!!
Match home

The minnows produced their version of the classic Australia vs South Africa 1999 world cup semi-final encounter. At a time when the minnows are getting thrashed by superior opponents and their inclusion in a premier tournament such as this is being questioned, Ireland and Zimbabwe produced an absolute cracker. Ireland batted first and scored 221/9 in their 50 overs, thanks largely to the australian JP Bray. I didn't watch the match but apparently his batting was as bullish as Matty Hayden's. In reply Zimbabwe seemed to be cruising and needed 15 runs of 39 balls with 6 wkts in hand. Unbelievably, ended up needing 1 run of 1 ball with 1 wkt in hand.

A tied result will feel like a victory for the irish, and with st. patrick's day around the corner, the irish party had just begun. As for Zimbabwe, I seriously don't know what to make of this. They seemed to be a very competent side during the days of flower brothers and used to regularly beat test-playing teams. On the evidence of this performance, they probably should be stripped of their test status. I guess things with Zimb cricket won't change until tyrant Robert Mugabe is dethroned.

For those who missed the match, you can watch the last 2 overs here
49th over and 50th over

P.S: Irish women are pretty ;-)