Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza shone with bat and ball as Zimbabwe beat Ireland by one wicket in the first Twenty 20 international of a three-match series on Thursday.
Ireland finished with a total of 147-8 off 20 overs, whereas Zimbabwe finished with a total of 148-9 when Blessing Muzarabani got two runs off the penultimate ball of the match, which was the first delivery he faced.
Raza’s spin bowling claimed three wickets, including that of top Irish scorer Andy Balbirnie, the recently deposed captain, who scored 32 runs, including a six and six fours.
Batting at number four, Pakistan-born Raza hit 65 off 42 balls, including two sixes and five fours.
With two wickets remaining, Zimbabwe needed 11 runs from nine balls when the skipper was caught by Ireland captain Paul Stirling off the bowling of Mark Adair.
When Zimbabwe’s ninth batter, Richard Ngarava, fell for 146, Muzarabani rose to the occasion with an inside edge that escaped wicketkeeper Lorcan Tucker.
The victory capped off a memorable night for Zimbabwe cricket, as the game was the first to be played under newly erected floodlights in Harare.
It was also a pleasant reversal of fortune for the host team, who were ousted after finishing third in a recent T20 World Cup qualification competition in Namibia.
Zimbabwe and Ireland will play T20 internationals again on Saturday and Sunday before a three-match one-day international series resumes on December 13 in Harare.
Brief evaluations
Ireland 147-8 (A. Balbirnie 32, G. Delany 26 not out, H. Tector 24; S. Raza 3-18) v Zimbabwe 148-9 (Raza 65, W. Madhevere 25, C. Madande 20)
Zimbabwe won by a single wicket.