Graeme Cremer captured three wickets for 11 runs as Zimbabwe’s spinners bowled the visitors to a stunning, 26-run victory over West Indies in their Twenty20 International (T20I) on Sunday.
Zimbabwe exploited West Indies’ susceptibility to spin, as the home team, chasing a modest 106 for victory, were restricted to 79 for seven from their allocation of 20 overs to hand the visitors a win in the only T20I between the two sides in this series.
The Zimbabwe spinners shared all seven wickets with off-spinner Greg Lamb taking two for 14 from his four overs, while their captain Prosper Utseya and left-arm spinner Ray Price took one scalp apiece.
It was a complete reversal of fortunes, after Zimbabwe’s batting at Queen’s Park Oval was demolished by Darren Sammy and Sulieman Benn.
Choosing to bat, the visitors were dismissed for 105 in 19.5 overs, as Sammy collected five for 26 from 3.5 overs to trump Benn’s four for six from four overs for the third-best figures in a T20I.
Hamilton Masakadza hit the top score of 44 from 67 balls for the Zimbabweans, and Elton Chigumbura led a late charge with 34 from 19 balls to bring some respectability to the visitors’ total. No other batsman passed 20.
Utseya and Price opened the bowling, and made life difficult for West Indies’ openers Adrian Barath and Shivnarine Chanderpaul.
But Cremer swung the match decisively, when he bowled Kieron Pollard for one, and trapped Darren Bravo lbw for a first-ball duck in the ninth over to leave West Indies 32 for four.
Cremer turned villain, when he dropped Chanderpaul, on 16, at wide long-on off Lamb, but his miss was not costly.
Lamb gained a palpable lbw decision over Chanderpaul in the 12th over to leave West Indies 39 for five, and though Denesh Ramdin, leading the home team in the absence of resting talisman Chris Gayle, tried to launch a late charge, the result was never in any doubt.
Earlier, Zimbabwe suffered a catastrophic start, when they slumped to 11 for four in the fifth over, after Benn, opening the bowling, removed Vusimuzi Sibanda, Tatenda Taibu, Stuart Matsikenyeri, and Brendan Taylor all for ducks in his spell.
Zimbabwe never fully recovered, although Masakadza and Lamb added 40 for the fourth wicket before Sammy came into the attack and ran through the bottom half of the visitors’ batting.
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