New Zealand crushes Zimbabwe by 60 runs to keep perfect record at T20 tri-series
Tim Seifert (75) smashed his second successive half century and Rachin Ravindra made an entertaining 63 runs off 39 balls as New Zealand posted the tournament's highest total of 190-6 with its fourth straight win of the league stage.
New Zealand and South Africa had already secured their places in Saturday's final.
Leg-spinner Ish Sodhi, one of four changes for New Zealand, grabbed a career-best 4-12 in four overs as Zimbabwe was dismissed for 130 in 18.5 overs.
Zimbabwe lost all four games.
Supreme Seifert
Mitchell Santner became the first captain in the tournament to choose to bat first on a tricky wicket after winning the toss.
Tim Robinson (10) couldn't capitalize on Ryan Burl's dropped catch in the slips before he had scored and was out to Zimbabwe's best bowler, Richard Ngarava (4-34).
Zimbabwe was scrappy in the field when Seifert got a lucky escape on 13 as Tony Munyonga missed a catching opportunity at deep backward square leg.
Together with Ravindra, Seifert raised 108 runs for the second wicket before Zimbabwe hit back.
Fast bowler Tinotenda Maposa had both Ravindra and Mark Chapman caught in the outfield in the space of three balls and Ngarava chipped in with three wickets in his return spell.
Seifert feathered a catch to wicketkeeper Clive Madande after Ngarava outfoxed him with a slower ball while Bevon Jacobs was spectacularly caught by Munyonga at backward point.
Michael Bracewell made a 16-ball 26 and Trevor Gwandu (0-51) went for 21 runs off his final over.
'Different guys stepping up at different times is a good thing, although it can be a selection headache at times,' Santner said. We know we have a massive game in a couple of days' time.'
Sodhi strikes
Zimbabwe opener Dion Myers (22) smashed four boundaries in a brisk start before Sodhi struck three times inside the batting powerplay and the hosts were reduced to 37-4.
Sodhi clean bowled Myers and Madande after Brian Bennett was caught when he failed to clear Jacobs at extra cover as he tried to show early aggression against the leg-spinner.
Off-spinner Bracewell made it 44-5 when he took a well judged caught-and-bowled off Burl's miscued hit before Munyonga (40 in 30) and Tashinga Musekiwa (21) resisted with a 51-run partnership.
Sodhi returned in the 14th over and picked up his 150th T20 wicket when Munyonga holed out at long-off.
New Zealand's pace then finished off the tail in quick succession with Matt Henry taking 2-34.
'We keep digging ourselves a hole and when we try to climb out of it, we don't,' Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza said.
'The catches we dropped hurt us. As much as we wanted to be upbeat, it took us a bit of time to get into the game. One of the things I will speak (to players) is that it is never a dead rubber for Zimbabwe.'
___
AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Welsh Fire hoping for early spark in The Hundred
Welsh Fire know their campaigns cannot be slow burners when they get under way in The Hundred today. A double-header against Northern Superchargers at Headingley sees the women start their bid to go one better than 2024 (15:00 BST) before the men begin their hunt for an elusive play-off spot (18.30 BST). They then both take to the field in Cardiff for the first time this summer when hosting London Spirit on Saturday. Captain Tammy Beaumont and the overseas trio of Hayley Matthews, Jess Jonassen and Shabnim Ismail return as the women stick with a familiar plan. Australian superstar Steve Smith arrives in Cardiff for a first taste of The Hundred as the men try to turn around their fortunes. The Smith factor Smith adds stardust and the hope is that he can give his new teammates, now including Glamorgan's Ben Kellaway, a little bit extra while also piling on the runs. "He's going to bring a huge amount to the team," said captain and Somerset batter Tom Abell. "His record speaks for itself, he's a great guy and a world-class player who has done it in all formats at the very top level. "His influence on the team will be huge. He has been the best player in the world for a good number of years and that will hopefully give everyone an extra little bit of confidence. "Anyone wants Steve Smith in their team, don't they? Luckily he will be playing for us." The Australian has passed 10,000 runs in Tests, 5,000 in ODIs and 1,000 in international T20s. "Even Jonny Bairstow, who has played 100 Test matches, is asking what Steve Smith is like to play with," said coach Mike Hussey. "He will bring a lot to the team, and hopefully a lot of runs, experience and star power." Fire men missed out on the eliminator on net run rate in 2023 and won just two of six fixtures that beat the weather last year. It took until the fifth fixture to get a success and Hussey does not want to be playing catch-up this August. "All the teams are pretty strong so we are going to have to hit the ground running," said the Australian. "Hopefully we can play some really good cricket, get some confidence going early and then see how we go. "I don't know how far we can go, we are hoping to go all the way but obviously you need a lot to go your way." Smith relishing Hundred experience with Welsh Fire Kellaway to grab Welsh Fire chance with both hands Together, stronger Fire women have been on the up since the opening years of the competition when they finished one from bottom in 2021 and then propped up the table in 2022. They were third in 2023 when their eliminator was washed out and then topped the table on run rate last year only to lose the final at Lord's when London Spirit chased down their total off 98 balls. The call is for more of the same in the bid to go one better. "It was an outstanding campaign," said captain Tammy Beaumont. "This year there are some really tough teams - on paper anyone can beat anyone - but I hope that the togetherness that we have had for the last few years really shines through again. "That's been our X-factor that has driven us on and spurred us on to win some tight games." In a tournament that features stellar talent, boss Gareth Breese agrees that it needs to be a squad effort if Fire are to go one better. "Last year was a phenomenal experience to get to the final, missing out by two or three balls in the end," said the former West Indies all-rounder. "Taking each game as it comes and having a real team effort – last year that was the hallmark of our performances. "Somebody always seemed to step up and put in the performances. Can we put that fight and determination out there?" Both Fire teams will attempt to do that in Yorkshire before repeating the trick in Cardiff two days later.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Island teenager scores maiden hundred for Hampshire U18s
Isle of Wight teenager Sam Mills scored his maiden hundred for Hampshire. The Islander, of Ventnor Cricket Club, knocked 108 for the county in the England and Wales Cricket Board's (ECB) under 18 game against Sussex between Tuesday, July 29 and Thursday, July 31. The matched, abandoned due to rain, saw Mills spend over three hours at the crease, facing 126 balls and scoring 15 boundaries. Opening the batting, he put on 165 with Seb Rowland, and then a further 49 with Ollie Webster before being bowled. Hampshire declared on 436 to Sussex's 303, but play was abandoned during Sussex's second innings in the three day game, and the match was drawn.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
For some MLB teams, lack of activity at the trade deadline was a bet on their strengths — and a big risk
If there was one thing that separated this year's trade deadline from those in recent years, it was the distinction between the contenders who were clearly going for it and those who seemed just happy to be there, making small, ancillary moves that didn't really change their outlooks. Of course, not every team is going to swing for the fences in trades (pun intended), but when trying to win a World Series, often there needs to be a move that increases a team's chances of winning. Among the teams that went big, the San Diego Padres stand out. They acquired the most impact at the deadline, trading for first baseman/designated hitter Ryan O'Hearn, outfielder Ramon Laureano, starter J.P. Sears and closer Mason Miller. Like many teams at the deadline, the New York Mets decided to make their bullpen a priority. They also aimed high, trading for left-hander Gregory Soto and right-handers Tyler Rogers and Ryan Helsley. And then there were the Philadelphia Phillies, who didn't need as much at the deadline, given a rock-solid rotation and a lineup hitting its stride. But for years, a lockdown closer for the ninth inning always felt like the area the Phillies lacked in their efforts to win the World Series. Last week, they addressed that need in a big way, adding All-Star closer Jhoan Duran to anchor the back end of their bullpen and strengthen their case as legitimate World Series contenders. [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] While those teams moved aggressively to increase their World Series chances, other teams that went into the deadline as World Series contenders stayed rather quiet, opting to bet on their existing strengths rather than paying steep trade prices. The Chicago Cubs and the Detroit Tigers were arguably the two best teams in the first half of this season. But both have clear weaknesses. For the Cubs, it has always been starting pitching, with no apparent in-house arm ready to start a postseason game behind Shota Imanaga and Mattew Boyd. The Cubs' deadline left a lot to be desired, with their pitching additions limited to reliever Andrew Kittredge, reliever Taylor Rogers and starter Mike Soroka, who is already on the IL after pitching just two innings in his first outing with Chicago, leaving the Cubs exactly where they were before the deadline. Meanwhile, Detroit needed a right-handed bat and more starting pitching. The Tigers added right-hander Chris Paddack from the Minnesota Twins to their rotation, but they did not acquire a bat. And Detroit and Chicago weren't the only teams in postseason position that didn't make significant changes at the deadline. The Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers were also quiet. The only moves those teams made was the Brewers adding fourth outfielder Brandon Lockridge and backup catcher Danny Jansen, while the Dodgers acquired outfielder Alex Call and sent right-hander Dustin May to the Boston Red Sox. For all four of these teams, the lack of deadline moves can be taken as a sign that their front offices are betting on themselves and the teams they already have. One could argue that these teams already had what they need to contend down the stretch. But one could also argue that once the dust of the trade deadline settled, with other teams getting better, these squads got worse by comparison. In Detroit, the Tigers are betting that their pitching, led by AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal, can continue to carry the team. Detroit has leaned heavily on its starting pitching over the past two years, but at this point, for the Tigers to finish as the top team in the American League, their offense is going to have to come through in a big way. The Dodgers are going all-in on their roster getting healthy, which is hard to fault given that when they're healthy, they're as loaded as any team in baseball. But of course, in recent years, the Dodgers have never been fully healthy, so the idea that they'll somehow get there this season seems like a bit of a stretch. In the case of the Cubs, they're betting on the offense that has carried them to this point and certain players, such as Jameson Taillon and Javier Assad, getting healthy down the stretch. That seems like a risky bet, especially with the Cubs already regretting their inactivity at the trade deadline. It's not just that their only starting-pitching acquisition immediately got injured; that simply wasn't the type of move that says a team is trying to win the World Series. Yes, starting pitching is always expensive, and at this year's deadline, it might've been even more expensive than usual. But for a team that needed not just a postseason-caliber starter but also additional depth, the addition of one back-end starter wasn't going to cut it. Not to mention, Chicago is 6-9 in its past 15 games, now four games behind the Brewers in the NL Central, and its high-powered offense has gone ice-cold since the All-Star break. The Brewers are the one team from this quartet that deserves the benefit of the doubt. Milwaukee has looked almost unbeatable for the better part of the past two months, but what's more, they addressed some of their needs prior to the flurry of deadline activity. Quinn Priester, acquired in an April trade with Boston, has been a huge addition to their rotation, and Andrew Vaughn, acquired from the White Sox in June, has been one of the best hitters in MLB over the past three weeks. If this season has shown us anything, it's that the league is wide-open, and there are probably six to eight teams with a legitimate chance to win the World Series. When some teams stand pat while others act aggressively to get better, the outlook of the league and the postseason picture can change rather quickly. In a year like that, it's imperative for the teams in contention to bolster their rosters and give themselves the best odds to win it all. Not doing so feels like a waste of a golden opportunity.
