…Sibanda and Masakadza lead the charge…
VUSIMUZI Sibanda struck a resilient 95 while Winston Masakadza kept his nerves to pick up three late wickets, as Zimbabwe shocked the West Indies with a two-run victory in the first 2010 Digicel limited overs match at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, yesterday.
Scores: Zimbabwe 254-5, West Indies 252-9. Having recorded a shocking 26-run victory over the West Indies in their one-off Twenty20 in Trinidad and Tobago last Sunday, Zimbabwe won the toss and opting to bat first, scored 254-5 from their 50 overs, to which the West Indies replied with 252-9 from 50 overs.
Hamilton Masakadza (41) and Sibanda got things started against the pace/spin attack of Kemar Roach (1-34) who bowled with pace and aggression on a hard Providence batting track and Sulieman Benn, with a 67-run first wicket partnership.

Having survived a confident lbw appeal off the first delivery of the match, Masakadza responded with a sweetly timed extra cover drive off the next delivery, which was backed by two more fours off Roach and Dwayne Smith, who had replaced Roach at the Pavilion End.
The 26-year-old Masakadza, whose 44 was instrumental in getting Zimbabwe past the 100-run mark in the Twenty20, continued the assault on the West Indies bowlers, with two more boundaries off Kieron Pollard (2-59) through extra cover and backward square leg, raising his team’s 50 in the 16th over.

Just when he looked set to achieve his 15th half-century, Masakadza in his attempt to sweep at Nikita Miller, was struck right in front and had to make his way to the comfort of the pavilion. His innings took him 52 balls to accumulate and was decorated with five fours.
Former skipper Tatenda Taibu joined Sibanda and before the home team knew what struck them, the two added 100 from 18.3 overs, with the diminutive Taibu taking the fight to the bowlers while Sibanda offered support.

Prior to this match, which is his 113th limited over international for Zimbabwe, the 26-year-old Taibu was averaging 27.62, with two centuries and 11 half-centuries and duly got to his 12th half-century, with back-to-back boundaries through point and backward square off Narsingh Deonarine.
He faced 45 balls, hitting five of them for four, before he was lbw to Pollard when he attempted to work his 54th delivery through the onside, bringing his 100-run partnership which took both himself and Sibanda 18.3 overs to accumulate to end at 167-2 in the 38th over.

A resilient-looking Sibanda was joined by Brendan Taylor (1), but the latter did not hang around long enough to present any trouble to the Windies, as some brilliant footwork from Pollard accounted for him via run-out three balls after Taibu was dismissed.

Sibanda continued to soldier on for his team and reached his 12th half-century from 105 balls with two fours and together with Elton Chigumbura (27), added 47 for the fourth wicket from 7.5 overs, with the latter hitting Benn over midwicket for the first maximum of Zimbabwe’s innings, to raise the team’s 200.

Rain stopped play for 10 minutes, with Zimbabwe on 207-3 in the 44th over with Sibanda on 78 and Chigumbura 23 and the West Indies should have had Sibanda off the first ball when play resumed, had Pollard not spilt the chance at long leg off Roach with the score on 208-3.
While the chance did not cause the West Indies any harm with regard to the partnership, as they removed Chigumbura who was caught by Andre Fletcher at long on off Pollard in the next over, having made 27 of the 47 he added with Sibanda from 22 balls, with one four and his maximum.
Sibanda displayed his ability to hit the ball after the life, when he pulled the hapless Pollard over backward square leg for the second six of the innings, adding his final 45 runs from 50 balls with three fours and a six, after passing 50.

It can be described as a bowler’s delight and a batsman’s nightmare once pitched right and that’s what Roach produced, the perfect yorker that did not only send back Sibanda, but also broke his bat in the 49th over of the innings.

The damage with the bat, albeit a resilient one, was already done as the opener made 95 from 155 balls with five fours and one six, but most importantly, he helped Zimbabwe surpass their highest score in Guyana, which was the 251-7 they made at the Georgetown Cricket Club, ground in 2006, with their final total of 254-5.

Stuart Matsikenyeri and Gregory Lamb were their not-out batsmen on 16 and 2 respectively at the end of their quota of overs.

Pollard’s 2-59 was the leading wicket-taker for the Windies, whose openers, skipper Christopher Gayle and Adrian Barath, were met by an all-spin attack of Zimbabwe’s skipper Prosper Utseya and Raymond Price.

In his usual pugnacious style, Gayle struck Utseya over wide long on for a maximum, followed by another back over his head and, along with Barath’s delicately played cut shot through midwicket off the same bowler, guided the West Indies to their first 50 from 13.2 overs.

The 30-year-old talismanic left-handed batsman from Jamaica, who is averaging 39.38 from his 211 matches, reached his 40th half-century in this form of the game, with a reverse sweep to third man off Graeme Cremer for his second four to go along with his three sixes from the 54th delivery he faced.

But just when Gayle looked as if he would have recorded his third against Zimbabwe and 20th one-day international century, he was sent back to the dressing room, lbw to Gregory Lamb for 57 made off 63 balls with two fours and three sixes at 99-1 in the 23rd over.

Debutant Adrian Barath was joined by Shivnarine Chanderpaul and they took the score to 126, before Barath, who had hit Lamb back over his head for his lone maximum and brought up his maiden half-century with a flick through backward square for four off Chigumbura, was bowled off the inside edge off the next delivery.

His even 50 was made from 99 deliveries and decorated with four fours and one six, but most importantly for Zimbabwe, his dismissal was followed by the wickets of Fletcher (6) and Deonarine (17), who were both run-out to leave the West Indies on 165-4 in the 38th over.
Chanderpaul retaliated with two reverse pulls for four through point off Cremer, but lost Pollard who holed out to Taylor at mid on off Utseya, leaving

Chanderpaul, who was joined by Dinesh Ramdin, and the rest of the West Indies batting order, to score 62 runs from seven overs.

Chanderpaul is a veteran of 252 one-day internationals, where he has accumulated 8 250 runs with 10 centuries and 55 half-centuries at an average of 41.66 and in front of his home crowd, he recorded his 56th half-century from 59 balls with three fours.

Chanderpaul got into overdrive with a six back over the head of Chigumbura, as the West Indies who needed 32 runs from 18 balls, got a scare when their dependable middle order batsman had to dive to make his ground, heading back for a second run.

Chanderpaul stepped up the pace with a deft flick to backward square before he was caught by Chigumbura at lo
ng off two balls later off Winston Masakadza for a run-a-ball 70 which was decorated with four fours and one six, leaving the West Indies who were 233-6, to get 22 runs from 12 balls in overcast conditions.

Ramdin was bowled by Chigumbura for eight and the West Indies who last won a limited overs international against India in Jamaica last year, needed 15 runs in the final over and were treated to a maximum off the first delivery bowled by Winston Masakadza, followed by an outside edge to third man for four from Miller.

But the bowler kept his nerve to knock back the off stump of Smith, followed by the wicket of Benn who was caught by Lamb at deep extra cover then all Roach could get was a single to long-on leaving Miller unbeaten on 12, as Zimbabwe completed a second successive victory over their opponents.

Winston Masakadza took 3-36 while Chigumbura ended with 2-32, but most importantly for Zimbabwe, they recorded a victory over their more illustrious opponents, with Sibanda carting off the man-of-the-match award.

Mr. `dependable’  Shivnarine Chanderpaul lashes out during his impressive innings of 70 which failed to save  the West Indies from defeat at the Providence  Stadium.

A  perfect Kemar Roach Yorker  not only bowled  opener Vusimuzi Sibanda  for a fine 95 but also broke his bat in the process.  Sibanda  was later named man-of-the-match in Zimbabwe’s thrilling tw-run win over West Indies. (Adrian Narine photos-compliments of Digicel).

ZIMBABWE innings
H. Masakadza lbw b Miller    41
V. Sibanda b Roach    95
T. Taibu lbw b Pollard    56
B. Taylor run-out    1
E. Chigumbura c Fletcher b Pollard    27
S. Matsikenyeri not out    16
G. Lamb not out    2
Extras: (b-4, lb-2, w-7, nb-3)    16     
Total: (5 wkts, 50 overs)    254
Fall of wickets: 1-67, 2-167, 3-168, 4-215, 5-241. 
Bowling: Roach 9-0-34-1 (nb-1), Benn 10-4-38-0, Smith 3-0-18-0, Pollard 10-0-59-2 (w-4), Miller 10-1-52-1 (w-1), Deonarine 8-0-47-0 (nb-1).
WEST INDIES innings
C. Gayle lbw b Lamb    57
A. Barath b Chigumbura 50
S. Chanderpaul c Chigumbura b Masakadza    70
A. Fletcher run-out    6
N. Deonarine run-out    17
K. Pollard c Taylor b Utseya    5
D. Ramdin b Chigumbura    8
D. Smith b Masakadza    4
N. Miller not out    12
S. Benn c Cremer b Masakadza    0
K. Roach not out    1
Extras: (b-2, lb-7, w-11, nb-2)    22     
Total: (9 wkts, 50 overs)    252
Fall of wickets: 1-99, 2-126, 3-136, 4-165, 5-193, 6-233, 7-235, 8-251, 9-251. 
Bowling: Utseya 10-1-47-1 (w-2), Price 10-1-31-0, Cremer 10-0-48-0 (w-2), Masakadza 3-0-36-3 (w-1, nb-1), Lamb 10-0-35-1 (w-3), Chigumbura 5-0-32-2 (w-2, nb-1), Taylor 2-0-14-0.