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Zimbabwe beats Australia in 3rd ODI, first win in eight years

Published

3 years ago

September 3, 2022

TOWNSVILLE – Ryan Burl picked up five for 10 in just three overs on Saturday as Zimbabwe stunned Australia in the third One-Day International in Townsville, registering an exciting three-wicket victory and denying the host a series clean-sweep.

Sent in to bat, to the crowd’s short-lived delight, Australia slumped to 141 all out in 31 overs with a counter-attacking 94 from 96 balls by David Warner the only major contribution.

Australia’s bowlers tried admirably to defend the low total, but visiting captain Regis Chakabva (37 off 72 balls) ensured his side secured an unlikely upset, only its third ODI win against the home side, reaching 142 for seven in 39 overs.

“Regis did exactly the right thing, he played some beautiful shots today but at the same time he steered the ship and got the guys over the line,” Zimbabwe coach Dave Houghton said.

In tricky morning conditions, Aaron Finch’s wretched run of form showed no sign of abating.

He added five before being caught at second slip off the bowling of seamer Richard Ngarava, who accounted for the Australia skipper in all three matches.

Wickets tumbled on the two-paced surface and Australia slid to 72 for five when left-arm spinner Sean Williams had Cameron Green caught for three.

Warner remained positive as wickets fell around him, including two in Burl’s first over when the all-rounder claimed Glenn Maxwell (19) and then Ashton Agar for a duck.

But the aggressive opener fell just shy of three figures, slog-sweeping Burl into the hands of Brad Evans.

Burl clean-bowled Mitchell Starc midway through the 30th over, and only had to wait three more balls to record his first international five-wicket haul when Josh Hazlewood was caught-behind.

Openers Takudzwanashe Kaitano (19) and Tadiwanashe Marumani (35) absorbed early pressure during the reply, but consecutive wickets by Hazlewood pegged Zimbabwe back.

In his 102nd ODI, Starc had Man-of-the-Match Burl caught for 11 late in the innings to become the fastest player to reach 200 wickets.

But it was too-little-too-late, as a captain’s knock from Chakabva anchored the innings.

Evans struck Starc through the covers to score the winning runs, cementing Townsville’s position in Zimbabwean cricket folklore as the team celebrated its first ODI win against the host on Australian soil.

Australia will now travel to Cairns for a one-day series with New Zealand beginning on Tuesday, while Zimbabwe’s next assignment is in October when it returns Down Under for the Twenty20 World Cup.

The win marked Zimbabwe’s first triumph over the Aussies in eight years since a three-wicket win in Harare in 2014 and the third overall.

Australia and Zimbabwe have faced each other in 33 ODIs, with the former winning on 29 occasions. Zimbabwe had won the first meeting between the sides back in 1983. – Reuters

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Zimparks launches elephant culling program

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VicFallsLive

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In a bid to address the growing elephant population in Save Valley Conservancy, the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) has issued permits for a controlled elephant management exercise.

The exercise, slated to commence shortly, aims to cull an initial 50 elephants from the conservancy, which is currently home to 2,550 elephants – more than three times the ecological carrying capacity of 800 elephants.

According to ZimParks, the conservancy has been struggling to cope with the swelling elephant population, which has put a strain on the wildlife habitat and resources. Over the past five years, the conservancy has translocated 200 elephants to other areas, including Hurungwe and Sapi, in an effort to manage the population.

Zimparks says the controlled culling exercise is expected to provide relief to the conservancy’s ecosystem, while also benefiting local communities.

Elephant meat from the exercise will be distributed to local communities while the ivory will be kept by the State.

In a statement, ZimParks spokesperson Tinashe Farawo emphasized the authority’s commitment to responsible and sustainable wildlife management.

“We remain committed to ensuring that our wildlife resources are managed in a responsible and sustainable manner, for the benefit of present and future generations.”

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VicFallsLive

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The Hwange police are urgently seeking the public’s assistance in locating 16-year-old Latoya Lisa Munkuli, who went missing on May 7, this month.

Latoya, a dark-complexioned female juvenile, was last seen leaving her residence in Hwange around 4 pm.

She was wearing a distinctive outfit consisting of green trousers and a white T-shirt, and carried a black satchel. She stands approximately 1.6 meters tall.

Inspector Glory Banda of the Hwange police is leading the investigation and urges anyone with information about Latoya’s whereabouts to come forward.

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BY WANDILE TSHUMA

A National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) locomotive suffered significant damage after catching fire while transporting export coal to Zambi. The incident occurred between Kalala and Matetsi sidings, resulting in the explosion of the locomotive’s fuel tanks.

According to the NRZ press statement on Monday, “A National Railways of Zimbabwe locomotive suffered some damages after it caught fire this afternoon while transporting export coal to Zambia.” Fortunately, the crew members on board managed to escape unharmed.

The NRZ responded swiftly to the incident, dispatching a rescue train with crews to the site. The team successfully extinguished the fire, preventing further damage. However, the locomotive itself sustained considerable damage.

The cause of the fire is yet to be determined, with investigations currently underway. “Investigations are already underway to establish the cause of the fire and the amount of damage to the locomotive,” the NRZ statement read.