Zimbabwe defeated Ireland by nine wickets, chasing down 240 runs with 246 for 1, marking their first ODI series win since March 2023. Ben Curran secured his maiden international century with an unbeaten 118, becoming the first among his brothers to achieve this feat. Craig Ervine contributed 69 as they chased the target comfortably with 63 balls to spare. Ireland’s innings featured fifties from Andy Balbirnie, Lorcan Tucker, and Harry Tector, but their run rate struggled against Zimbabwe’s disciplined bowling. Zimbabwe’s strong batting performance, highlighted by aggressive opening partnerships, led to their victory and a notable series triumph after nearly a decade against Ireland.
Zimbabwe 246 for 1 (Curran 118*, Ervine 69*, Bennett 48) triumphed over Ireland 240 for 6 (Balbirnie 64, Tucker 61, Tector 51, Ngarava 2-42, Gwandu 2-44) by nine wickets
Curran approached his innings with aggression right from the first ball—his attempted flick flew off the leading edge for a single, but he followed it up by cutting the next delivery for four. Mark Adair, who opened the bowling, felt the brunt of Curran and Bennett’s attacks in the fifth over as they sent three fours racing to the boundary.
With an array of well-timed pulls, edged shots, and ground-strokes, the openers capitalized on any loose deliveries from the Irish bowlers. A standout moment came in the eighth over when Curran deftly scooped a four off Graham Hume. From the fifth to the tenth overs, Zimbabwe accumulated 12 fours, amassing 60 runs off just 36 balls. By the end of the first powerplay, they were sitting comfortably at 77 without loss, with Curran having scored 54.
The introduction of spin along with a 30-minute rain delay did nothing to disrupt the rhythm of the batters or alter playing conditions; in fact, the pitch appeared to improve for batting.
Bennett fell to Hume in the 20th over, somewhat against the flow of play. Missing his flick, he was struck on the pad and given out lbw, although a replay suggested height could have been an issue. With DRS unavailable for this series, Bennett had no choice but to depart.
Ervine made an immediate impact, striking a four and a six in his first ten deliveries. The four came from a length ball which he deftly directed through the slips, while the six was an effortless flick off Andy McBrine. Maintaining a steady run flow, Zimbabwe reached 151 for 1 after 25 overs.
McBrine attempted to take wickets by slowing down his pace and delivering fuller balls, but it yielded no reward as Zimbabwe continued to take control. Ervine targeted McBrine with consecutive boundaries in the 28th over, and his superb on-drive for six off Harry Tector in the 33rd over was arguably the shot of the day. He soon registered his fifty, followed by Zimbabwe’s progression to 200 with a single to long-on.
Meanwhile, Curran was smoothly approaching his century. His tenth boundary came off his 40th ball, the eleventh off his 65th (when he was at 66), and the twelfth off his 127th ball, bringing his score to 108*. He navigated his way from 80 to 100 with a sequence of 18 singles and a two, even managing to play a maiden over while on 99, before celebrating his maiden century off his 120th ball, much to the joy of his teammates and the crowds.
Ultimately, the hosts raced to victory in the 39th over, marking their first series win of the summer at home.
Upon being sent in to bat, Ireland adopted a cautious approach to survive the new ball in overcast conditions. Blessing Muzarabani and Richard Ngarava bowled with Test-match lengths, frequently challenging the outside edge. Despite being beaten by Muzarabani twice in the sixth over, Paul Stirling attempted to capitalize on width from Ngarava in the seventh, only to catch it straight to cover. Balbirnie, his partner, managed to finish the first powerplay with a mere 12 runs off 40 balls, as Ireland struggled at 26 for 1.
Gwandu’s introduction in the 12th over began shakily with an overstep, conceding seven runs off two attempts at his first legal delivery. However, he quickly rebounded, beating Curtis Campher on the outside edge two balls later. In the next over, he continued impressively, again beating Campher with a bouncy delivery before forcing a catch to midwicket.
With Ireland at 42 for 2 in the 14th over, Tector entered to join Balbirnie. The duo forged an 86-run partnership for the third wicket, hitting four fours and two sixes along the way, but took a tremendous 115 balls to accumulate their runs. Balbirnie was dropped at 42 in the 29th over and reached his fifty off 87 in the 31st. A successful slog-sweep off Wellington Masakadza brought him his first six, but he fell on the very next delivery, miscuing the same shot to deep midwicket. His dismissal left Ireland at 128 for 3 in the 33rd over, with their run rate still under four.
Sikandar Raza bowled effectively, varying his lines and lengths throughout a continuous ten-over spell. Following Balbirnie’s departure, he kept Tector in check as the batter sought boundary opportunities. Ngarava capitalized on Tector’s miscue to midwicket, which came just after he reached an 83-ball fifty.
After Gwandu secured a wicket with an impressive delivery that induced George Dockrell’s edge, Mark Adair joined Tucker in a 57-run partnership for the sixth wicket, achieved in 52 balls. Tucker’s fifty came off just 44 balls, marking the swiftest of the innings. However, none of the last ten overs yielded more than ten runs or a single boundary.
Ekanth is a sub-editor with ESPNcricinfo