Cricket World Cup 2015: Zimbabwe avoid UAE loss
- Published
World Cup Pool B, Nelson: |
UAE 285-7 (50 overs): Anwar 67, Khan 45, Chatara 3-42 |
Zimbabwe 286-6 (48 overs): Williams 76*, Tauqir 2-51 |
Zimbabwe won by four wickets |
Zimbabwe recorded their highest World Cup run chase to avoid an embarrassing defeat by United Arab Emirates.
UAE's Shaiman Anwar scored 67 as the qualifiers posted 285-7, their highest one-day international score, in their first World Cup match since 1996.
Zimbabwe started slowly before the greater quality and experience of the Test nation began to shine through.
Sean Williams's well-constructed 76 led them to a four-wicket victory with 12 balls to spare in Pool B.
UAE, the last of the 14 competing nations to play their opening match of the tournament, almost caused a shock in the picturesque New Zealand city of Nelson as they chased a first ODI win against a Test side.
The Arab qualifiers showed few nerves in their first World Cup appearance in 19 years and passed their previous ODI best, 282-4 against Afghanistan set last November.
Former England spinner Graeme Swann: |
|---|
"The UAE are going to struggle with their bowling. All the big teams will dissect this. A few bowlers will be worried though, the UAE know how to play proper shots. Whether they can win a match at this World Cup, my heart says yes but my head says they won't. |
"Zimbabwe are not one of the strongest. If they played Ireland tomorrow I'd back Ireland to win. I don't think they are good enough to get out of the group stage. But this was the best game I've seen at this World Cup so far. It was a really good advert for these teams." |
Anwar's enterprising 50-ball innings, which included nine fours and a six, set the platform before eighth-wicket pair Mohammad Naveed and Amjad Javed added 53 runs to complete the record tally.
Zimbabwe were boosted by an encouraging display against South Africa in their opening match, producing devastating spells with bat and ball before eventually succumbing to a 62-run defeat.
The lowest-ranked Test side showed enough in that performance to suggest they would reach the target against a UAE side which had only recorded one previous World Cup win.
How Zimbabwe beat UAE stats and facts
But UAE skipper Mohammad Tauqir celebrated becoming the oldest captain in World Cup history - aged 43 years and 36 days - by taking the first two wickets as Zimbabwe floundered on 112-3.
Brendan Taylor's swashbuckling 47 steadied Zimbabwe's chase before the sixth-wicket partnership of Craig Ervine and Williams upped the run-rate in an even game.
Ervine's dismissal gave UAE hope before man-of-the-match Williams took control, capping a tremendous innings with three successive boundaries as Zimbabwe, whose previous best run chase had been 231 against Kenya in 1999, boosted their hopes of reaching the last eight.
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Pool B | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Team | Played | Won | Lost | N/R | R/R | Points | |
1 | India | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | +1.52 | 2 |
2 | South Africa | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | +1.24 | 2 |
3 | Ireland | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.62 | 2 |
4 | Zimbabwe | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.46 | 2 |
5 | UAE | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -0.26 | 0 |
6 | West Indies | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -0.62 | 0 |
7 | Pakistan | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -1.52 | 0 |
Zimbabwe's previous highest successful World Cup run chase was 231-5 against Kenya in 1999
Sean Williams has made 18 fifties without a 100, equalling Elton Chigumbura's Zimbabwe record in ODIs
UAE skipper Mohammad Tauqir, aged 43 years and 36 days, is the sixth oldest man to play in the World Cup
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