Guyana: Zimbabwe continued to impress everyone with their fighting spirit as the African nation registered their first ever ODI win in the Carribean. Shingrai Masakadza held his nerve in the final over, conceding just one run off the final three deliveries to earn Zimbabwe a two-run victory over West Indies in the first one-day international on Thursday.

It’s very rare to see a bowler, who has gone for 12 an over in the match, be the hero for the winning side. Masakada, on his ODI debut, scalped three wickets – two in the final over – for 36 runs from three overs to help Zimbabwe successfully defend a target of 255 on a typically slow Guyana National Stadium pitch.

The victory gave Zimbabwe a 1-0 lead in the five-match series with the second match set for the same venue on Saturday.

Earlier, opener Vusimuzi Sibanda had struck five fours and one six in 95 from 162 balls to be the cornerstone of Zimbabwe’s 254 for five from their quota of 50 overs after they decided to bat.

In reply, West Indies got off to a very good start with the openers, Chris Gayle and Adrian Barath, adding 99 runs for the first wicket in 23 overs before Gayle was lbw to Lamb. Shivnarine Chanderpaul held one end up after that even as wickets kept falling from the other end.

It all came down to the final over, and Zimbabwe captain Prosper Utseya gambled with Masakadza, who had figures of 0-24 off his first two overs.

The 23-year-old fast-medium bowler conceded a six, a four, and a single to Nikita Miller off the first three balls of the final over before he bowled Dwayne Smith for four, and had Sulieman Benn caught at deep mid-wicket off successive balls. Needing four to win of the final ball, Kemar Roach could only manage a single to give Zimbabwe a 2-run victory.

Zimbabwe’s spinners once again choked the West Indies’ top-order. Their four frontline spinners – captain Prosper Utseya, Ray Price, Graeme Cremer, and Greg Lamb – delivered 40 overs at four runs apiece, and removed Gayle and Kieron Pollard, West Indies’ two most dangerous hitters.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul top scored with a run-a-ball 70 while home team captain Chris Gayle made 57 from 66 balls, and fellow opener Adrian Barath 50 from 96 balls on debut.

Zimbabwe had earlier won the one-off twenty20 international by 26 runs.

Match Summary:

Zimbabwe 254 for 5 (Sibanda 95, Taibu 56) beat West Indies 252 for 9 (Chanderpaul 70, Gayle 57, Barath 50, S Masakadza 3-36)

Man of the Match: V Sibanda

Tagged with: Chris Gayle, Guyana, Prosper Utseya, Shingrai Masakadza, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, V Sibanda, West Indies, Zimbabwe

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