ZIMBABWE Cricket prodigy Milton Shumba’s sensational half century turned the game on its head yesterday as the Chevrons recovered from a poor position to win the three-match T20I series against Scotland in Edinburgh.
The Chevrons ran out six-wicket victors.
Shumba, who enjoyed the company of fellow former Zimbabwe Under-19 teammate Wesley Madhevere (43) in the middle of the innings, scored a sizzling unbeaten 66 to hand Zimbabwe a rare series victory with a 2-1 margin.
The 20-year-old faced just 29 balls and slogged a half dozen sixes and two fours after Scotland had batted first and gave Zimbabwe an intimidating target with their 177/4.
But Shumba and Madhevere made it look easy in the end as Zimbabwe breezed to 180/4, with five balls remaining.
Scotland, after opting to bat first, were off to a cautious start. They were at 18/0 in 3.4 overs when they lost the first wicket of captain Kyle Coetzer for six runs. Coetzer attempted to pull the short ball but ended up edging it to the keeper off Richard Ngarava’s bowling.
But it was his opening partner, George Munsey, who provided the much-needed firepower. In the last over of the Powerplay, Munsey tonked Luke Jongwe for 22 runs that included two massive sixes.
Then, Munsey brought up his sixth T20I fifty in 28 deliveries while he lost Ollie Hairs (8) to a wonderful catch by Regis Chakabva. Munsey’s wicket soon followed in the same over.
Richie Berrington and Calum MacLeod paired up for a 70-run stand that sailed them through the middle overs into the death. Berrington fell for 44 to Tendai Chatara in the penultimate over after he carved the ball straight to Sean Williams at backward point region.
Ngarava returned to bowl the final over and was battered straightway by MacLeod and Michael Leask for 30 runs. MacLeod ended with 39* in 29 balls while Leask played an impressive cameo of 17 off five to take the hosts to a total of 177/5.
In response, it was a steady start from the Zimbabwe openers. Regis Chakabva (25) and skipper Craig Ervine (25) got an opening stand of 60 runs, to give the visitors a good chance of winning the series-decider.
Michael Leask, though, delivered the much-needed breakthrough by dismissing Chakabva. Alasdair Evans then got the scalp of Ervine.
Want-out former captain Sean Williams could not make much of an impact, only contributing one run as Zimbabwe disintegrated to 63/3.
But then Madhevere and Shumba came up with a vital partnership, to keep the visitors alive in the contest. The pair added 99 runs for the third wicket with some big hits that unsettled the hosts.
In a big blow to the visitors though, Madhevere was run-out for 43 just as Zimbabwe were starting to get a firm hold over the contest. But Shumba with some lusty blows ensured that the visitors ended up on the victorious side. His 29-balll 66 was the difference-maker, as Ryan Burl joined him on the crease to ensure Zimbabwe, who had lost the opening match, before posting last Friday’s 10-run victory, recovered and clinched the three-match series.