Cricket: Brendon, Guptill set up win

New Zealand clinch second Twenty20 against Zimbabwe.

HARARE: New Zealand opening batsmen Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill continued their assault on the Zimbabwe bowlers to set up a comfortable win in the second and final Twenty20 international at Harare Sports Club.

Brendon (64) and Guptill (67) put on 120 for the first wicket as the tourists piled up 187 for three after being sent in to bat in a match reduced by rain to 18 overs a side.

Zimbabwe made a spirited reply but were all out for 154 with seven balls remaining to give New Zealand a 34-run win according to the Duckworth/Lewis method.

Chamu Chibhabha hit a career-best 65 off 39 balls for Zimbabwe and shared a third wicket stand of 60 with Elton Chigumbura, which kept the home side close to the required scoring rate.

But Chigumbura chipped back a return catch to off-spinner Nathan McCullum in the 10th over after making 39 off 22 balls. McCullum dismissed Charles Coventry in similar fashion two balls later. There was another useful stand of 41 between Chibhabha and Forster Mutizwa (22) but then Zimbabwe’s resistance crumbled.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 18^th, 2011.