Third ODI at Harare Sports Club: BLACKCAPS 273-6 in 50 overs (Guptill 42, Williamson 90, Elliott 36, Neesham 37*; Cremer 3-44) beat Zimbabwe 235 all out in 47.4 overs (Masakadza 57, Chibhabha 32, Ervine 32, Williams 63, McClenaghan 3-36) by 38 runs. BLACKCAPS win the Series 2-1
The BLACKCAPS have shown all of their fighting quality to win the final One-Day International against Zimbabwe to secure the Series 2-1 in Harare.
After being sent into bat, Man of the Match and Man of the Series Kane Williamson played a superb captain’s knock of 90 from 109 balls as the BLACKCAPS posted a par score of 273-6 in the flat, slow conditions.
Williamson was the unanimous Man of the Series
In reply, Zimbabwe got off to a nervous start, a cramped, scoreless Chamu Chibhabha fortunate to survive when he narrowly wafted a ball past the solitary slip, while Hamilton Masakadza top-edged Wheeler on 18 into empty space.
But the openers settled, Masakadza (57) leading the way as they built a platform of 97 without loss. However, three quick wickets within four overs saw them lose crucial momentum.
Williamson had kept Zimbabwe on their toes by shuffling the attack from the outset and utilising seven bowlers, including himself, inside the first 25 overs.
Zimbabwe had their best opportunity to wrest control of the match through the middle, Craig Ervine and Sean Williams, in particular, relishing the spinners. As they increased the tempo, Zimbabwe looked to be on track for a famous Series victory, the hosts well on target at 146-3 at the 30-over mark.
But Ervine was run out in the 33rd over by a superb piece of athleticism from Ben Wheeler, who spun and threw down the non-striker’s stumps off his own bowling to change the course of the match.
From that point on, Zimbabwe battled hard, but lost wickets at regular intervals — among them an outstanding caught and bowled by Nathan McCullum, who dove at full extension to his right to snaffle Regis Chakavba cheaply — as the well-performed hosts lost touch with the required run rate.
When Sean Williams (63 from 62 balls) was comfortably caught at deep mid-wicket by Martin Guptill from the bowling of Jimmy Neesham in the 46th over, the game stretched beyond the grasp of the Zimbabwean tail.
Earlier, Williamson had again been the heartbeat of the BLACKCAPS’ resurgence as they looked to counter an accurate bowling effort.
Grant Elliott (36 from 38), Neesham (37* from 31) and Nathan McCullum (25* from 16) all contributed fine cameos after the BLACKCAPS had been contained by the Zimbabwe spin attack.
Legspinner Graeme Cremer was the pick of the attack, bowling Colin Munro (9), getting the edge of Martin Guptill (42) and dismissing Elliott to finish with figures of 3-44 from his 10 overs.
The BLACKCAPS began the decider without experienced batsman Ross Taylor, who had been ruled out of the match, and the remainder of the tour of Africa, after suffering a blow to his groin in training, requiring minor surgery. Williamson named two changes, Neesham coming in for the injured Taylor and Wheeler, who opened the attack alongside Nathan McCullum, replacing Matt Henry in the bowling line-up.
After their record partnership in game two, Tom Latham (16) and Guptill got off to a solid start of 44-0 before falling in the 10th and 21st overs respectively.
Williamson survived an attempted stumping by Chakabva on 57 off the bowling of Sikandar Raza, then made the hosts pay. He had combined with Guptill for a 46-run partnership, then with Elliott for 70-run stand from 78 balls which set the BLACKCAPS up for a big total.
But Elliott went in the 40th over looking to up the run-rate, and Williamson was dismissed the following over, given out caught to a spectacular leap by Ervine right on the long-on boundary. Remarkably it was the fifth time this year he had been sent back in the 90s.
Those two dismissals stalled the momentum of the BLACKCAPS’ innings until a fast finish from McCullum and Neesham produced a 50-partnership from only 27 balls.
The BLACKCAPS now prepare to take on Zimbabwe in one T20 International at the same venue, Harare Sports Club, Sunday 11pm NZT, before travelling to South Africa for the second leg of the white ball tour.
