Ireland look to save series against confident Zimbabwe

Published

4 years ago

September 9, 2021

BELFAST – Lagging behind 1-0 in the three-match ODI series, Ireland needs a win in the second match against Zimbabwe to keep the hope of a series win alive.

Zimbabwe were relentless in their efforts to turn the first ODI in their favour.

The resistance was led by the bowlers who countered Ireland’s steady start by sparking an implosion.

Blessing Muzarabani’s four-wicket haul contributed to the hosts bundling out on 228 after being 187/3 at one stage.

A similar performance can be expected from the visitors on Friday.

Ireland’s batting found support from the top order but the middle order failed to capitalise on the start with the energy missing in the field from ball one.

As Ireland sits at the eighth position in the ICC Cricket World Cup Super League standings , they would continue to want to galvanise more points as a long road lies ahead.

On the other hand, Zimbabwe are currently positioned at the bottom of the table with two wins in seven matches.

After having asked Zimbabwe to bat first, Ireland struck at the beginning to send back Regis Chakabva in the fifth over.

However, Brendan Taylor (49) and Craig Ervine (64) regrouped to put together a 71-run stand, strengthening Zimbabwe’s position.

Although wickets fell at regular intervals, the visitors were boosted by important contributions from their experienced batters.

Sean Williams (33) and Sikandar Raza (59*) did well to maintain a consistent scoring rate.

Wesley Madhever and Luke Jongwe added a few handy runs at the end to help Zimbabwe post 266/7.

In reply, Ireland got off to a good start, openers William Porterfield and Paul Stirling stitching a valuable half-century opening stand.

After the dismissals of Stirling and Andrew Balbirnie, Porterfield shared another half-century stand with Harry Tector.

Zimbabwe hit back in the middle overs, picking up wickets and strangling the scoring rate.

With wickets falling at regular intervals, Ireland failed to recover.

They lost their last seven batsmen for 41 runs and were bowled out for 228, giving Zimbabwe a 38-run victory.

What they said:

Andrew Balbirnie (Ireland captain): “We perhaps didn’t start as well with the ball as we would have liked, but we pulled it back nicely.

“Our fielding and energy was off, which is disappointing and something that has to change before Friday.”

Craig Ervine (Zimbabwe captain): “At the beginning, we thought 250 would be a really good score, the wicket did get slightly better in the afternoon.

“The bowlers stuck to their plans really well.” – ICC

Zimparks launches elephant culling program

Published

3 days ago

June 3, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

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.”

In the community

Hwange police seek public’s help in locating missing teen

Published

3 weeks ago

May 15, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY STAFF REPORTER

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.

If you have any information about Latoya’s disappearance, please contact Inspector Banda on 0785961747 or 0771256607.

National

Coal train in flames: NRZ locomotive damaged in fire incident

Published

2 months ago

April 16, 2025

VicFallsLive

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.