Zimbabwe Women won by 10 wickets with 10 balls remaining.
Zimbabwe women won their first match of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier on Saturday, with openers Chipo Mugeri and Modester Mupachikwa taking them to the victory target against China.
The day began with Zimbabwe women winning the toss and captain Mugeri sending China in to bat, in their group B match at the Asian Institute of Technology Ground in the Thai capital, Bangkok.
China found the Zimbabwe bowling hard to negotiate and only two of their batters put up more than 20 runs – captain Huang Zhuo top-scoring with 24 runs off 28 balls and Zhao Ning adding 22 runs from 41 balls. Other than that, there was the fifth wicket-stand of 30 runs between Zhuo and Song Yangyang which was China’s highest partnership, as Zimbabwe restricted them to 88 runs for five wickets in their allotted 20 overs.
For Zimbabwe, four of the seven bowlers they used finished with one wicket each: Audrey Mazvishaya one for 11 runs in three overs, Josephine Nkomo one for 12 in three, vice-captain Precious Marange one for 13 in four and Mugeri one wicket for 14 runs in three overs.
Chasing, Mupachikwa made an unbeaten 33 runs off 49 balls, two of them fours and Mugeri a 61-ball 51 not out which included four fours, to take Zimbabwe to victory in 18.2 overs.
Next, Zimbabwe will face the Netherlands on Sunday before rounding up their Group B action against Ireland on December 1.
Thailand, Bangladesh, Scotland and Papua New Guinea make up Group A of the eight-team tournament.
The top two sides from each group will make it to the trophy semi-finals, while the bottom two from each group will play in the shield semi-finals.
The two trophy finalists will join defending champions Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies at the 2016 ICC Women’s World Twenty20 finals, which will be played alongside the men’s competition in India from the 11th of March to the 3rd of April.
Zimbabwe squad:
Chipo Mugeri (captain), Christabel Chatonzwa, Tasmeen Granger, Sharne Mayers, Precious Marange (vice-captain), Audrey Mazvishaya, Thandakwenkosi Mlilo, Pellagia Mujaji, Modester Mupachikwa, Mary-Anne Musonda, Nomatter Mutasa, Josephine Nkomo, Nonhlanhla Nyathi and Loreen Tshuma
| Date | Fixtures |
| Sat, 28 Nov | · Thailand v Bangladesh
· Ireland v Netherlands · PNG v Scotland · China v Zimbabwe |
| Sun, 29 Nov | · China v Ireland
· Scotland v Bangladesh · Zimbabwe v Netherlands · Thailand v PNG |
| Tues, 1 Dec | · China v Ireland
· Scotland v Bangladesh · Zimbabwe v Netherlands · Thailand v PNG |
| Thurs, 3 Dec | · Trophy semi-final 1 (A1 v B2)
· Shield semi-final 1 (A3 v B4), · Trophy semi-final 2 (B1 v A2), Shield semi-final 2 (B3 v A4) |
| Sat, 5 Dec | · Trophy third/fourth place play-off
· Shield third/fourth place play-off, · Trophy final |
