Zimbabwe – 79-5 in 9 overs (Wessly Madhevere 35*, Milton Shumba 18, Regis Chakabva 8; Lungi Ngidi 2/20, Wayne Parnell 1/6, Anrich Nortje 1/10)
South Africa – 51-0 in 3 overs (Quinton de Kock 47*, Temba Bavuma 2*)
No result
Zimbabwe and South Africa had to settle for a share of the spoils after rain had the final say in their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 match at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart on Monday night.
Heavy showers in the Australian city delayed the start of the Super 12 encounter by over two and a half hours.
Zimbabwe had won the toss and opted to bat before the heavens opened up.
When conditions were finally judged fit for play, the contest had been reduced to nine overs a side.
Kagiso Rabada bowled a fine opening over where Regis Chakabva and Craig Ervine managed to score only three singles and a leg-bye.
Wayne Parnell took the second over, which saw just a single and another leg-bye and the wicket of Ervine (2), who miscued the final delivery to mid-on.
Lungi Ngidi then delivered an over where Chakabva hit the first ball for six and edged the second on to the keeper to depart for eight.
Sikandar Raza was then brilliantly caught off an edge to the keeper from the fourth ball of the same over without scoring, leaving Zimbabwe reeling at 12 for three.
The next over saw a mid-pitch collision between Wessly Madhevere and Sean Williams, which led to the latter being run out for one, making the score 19 for four.
Madhevere and Milton Shumba however succeeded in putting together a fine partnership, which culminated in the eighth over when they hit 17 runs off Rabada – 16 of them to Madhevere which included a six and two successive fours.
Fifteen then came off the final over from Anrich Nortje, but only four were from the bat.
Zimbabwe had some good fortune at last here, as they were awarded four leg-byes despite Shumba playing no stroke to a leg-side ball that flicked his pad, and also five penalty runs as a return from the field hit the wicket-keeper’s discarded glove.
The final total after nine overs was 79 for five, a good recovery after the disastrous start.
Madhevere made 35 not out from 18 balls, with a six and four fours, while Shumba, caught at the wicket off the final delivery from Nortje, had 18 off 20 balls.
Ngidi had figures of two wickets for 20, while Parnell took a wicket for only six runs off his two overs.
South Africa opened their innings with their captain Temba Bavuma and the brilliant hitter Quinton de Kock, a man who can make a mockery of any target if he gets going.
Get going he did, smiting 23 runs off Tendai Chatara’s opening over, with a six and four fours, followed by a single to keep the strike.
He took four fours off Richard Ngarava’s over, so that after two overs the score was 40 for no wicket, of which de Kock had 39.
Rain was actually falling again, but the umpires were determined to continue play, although the bowlers were unable to grip the ball and the wicket-keeper Chakabva found it difficult to keep his balance.
Ngarava limped off after bowling his over, having slipped in the wet conditions.
The spin of Raza tied de Kock down so only 11 runs came off the third over, but the batter was fortunate to escape an lbw appeal against him that he himself began to walk off for.
Rain cut two overs from the innings, so South Africa’s target was adjusted to 64 off seven overs, and after three they had 51 on the board – 47 to de Kock off 18 balls and two to Bavuma.
At this point the rain came down yet more heavily.
So, with fewer than five overs having been bowled, the match was officially declared ‘no result’.
