Zimbabwe make winning start – Minnows Hong Kong beaten by 14 runs in opener

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NAGPUR, India, March 8, (AP): Zimbabwe survived a late batting charge by Hong Kong to win the opening match of the World Twenty20 by 14 runs on Tuesday.

Opening batsman Vusi Sibanda anchored Zimbabwe to 158-8 with 59 off 46 balls while Elton Chigumbura scored an unbeaten 30 off 13 deliveries after Hong Kong won the toss and chose to field in the first round Group B match.

Hong Kong opener Jamie Atkinson scored 53 and captain Tanwir Afzal was not out on 31 off 17 deliveries before Zimbabwe restricted them to 144-6.

“I thought to get to 150 after the wobble was a good effort,” Zimbabwe captain Hamilton Masakadza said. “Elton played well at the back end and Vusi controlled the innings … we needed somebody to take the innings deeper.” Zimbabwe ran into early trouble when it lost four of its top five batsmen for 62 runs in the eighth over. Masakadza (20) and Sikandar Raza (3) were run out while Afzal removed Richmond Mutumbami for nought and Sean Williams played back onto his stumps (12).

Sibanda and Malcolm Waller added 61 runs off 50 balls before both fell to medium fast bowler Aizaz Khan in the 17th over to make it 125-6.

Chigumbura then took charge and hit three sixes in his brisk knock which gave Zimbabwe 29 runs in the last two overs which proved decisive in the end.

Atkinson took his time to settle in before he raised his half century with a six and a four off Tendai Chatara, but holed out at long off when he misread Donald Tiripano’s slower full delivery.

Chatara made a strong back by removing Anshuman Rath and Nizakat Khan off successive deliveries and Zimbabwe didn’t have to pay dearly when Chigumbura at point dropped Afzal on 17.

“We did well in the middle overs, and I thought we could have chased this (score),” Afzal said. “Credit to Zimbabwe. They bowled well in the powerplay, but we were in a position to keep them under 150.”

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said on Tuesday that having bowlers specifically for the final stages of a match has contributed to his team winning 10 of 11 games in the run-up to the World Twenty20.

“Over the last few years it was a question of who will bowl in the end overs,” the wicketkeeper-batsman said at a news conference. “It’s a relief to have specific bowlers for the death overs as 99 percent of the time now I know who will be bowling. The job becomes easy. I don’t have to put in a lot of effort.” The return of veteran pace bowler Ashish Nehra and fine seam bowling from rookies Jasprit Bumrah and allrounder Hardik Pandya have given Dhoni options for the final overs with the likes of lead spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuvraj Singh also experienced in the format.

“I feel the team is settled, all departments are settled. The kind of stuff we are doing is good for any level of the game. Our intensity has to be there from the start but we are happy at the way we have progressed,” Dhoni added. India won the Asia Cup last week to cap a fine T20 run that included a 3-0 win in Australia in January.

Dhoni, who has led India to victories in all three ICC tournaments – the World Twenty20 in 2007, the World Cup in 2011 and the Champions Trophy in 2013, said his team is not planning too far ahead.

“Expectations can get you (under) pressure. We’ve prepared well but once you get to the knockout stage, you have to be at the top of your game. Every team has two or three players who can win matches single-handedly so it’s not right to think too far ahead,” Dhoni added.

India, which have a formidable batting lineup that includes the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Dhoni and Yuvraj, plays this first match against New Zealand in Nagpur on March 15.

Pakistan, Australia and a qualifier from a preliminary league that started Tuesday, complete their Group 2 of the Super 10 stage.

 Scoreboard

ZIMBABWE

Masakadza run out…………………………. 20

Sibanda c Chapman b Aizaz Khan……………. 59

Mutumbami c Nadeem b Tanwir……………….. 0

Williams b Tanwir Afzal…………………….. 12

Sikandar Raza run out……………………….. 3

Waller c Shah b Aizaz Khan…………………. 26

E Chigumbura not out………………………. 30

Tiripano lbw b Nadeem Ahmed………………… 0

WP Masakadza run out………………………. 2

T Panyangara not out………………………… 0

Extras (b 1, w 3, nb 2)……………………….. 6

Total (8 wickets; 20 overs)…………………. 158

Did not bat: TL Chatara

Fall of wickets 1-20 (H Masakadza, 2-38 (Mutumbami), 3-53 (Williams), 4-62 (Sikandar Raza), 5-123 (Waller), 6-125 (Sibanda), 7-127 (Tiripano), 8-145 (WP Masakadza)

Bowling: Tanwir Afzal 4-0-19-2 ; Haseeb Amjad 3-0-41-0 (1nb, 1w); Nadeem Ahmed 4-0-26-1; RJ Campbell 4-0-26-0 (1w); Aizaz Khan 4-0-33-2 (1w); Anshuman Rath 1-0-12-0 (1nb)

HONG KONG

Atkinson c Williams b Tiripano………………. 53

Campbell c Masakadza b Tiripano……………… 9

Hayat lbw b WP Masakadza…………………… 9

Chapman c Sibanda b Raza………………….. 19

Anshuman c Tiripano b Chatara………………. 13

Tanwir Afzal* not out………………………. 31

Nizakat Khan c Williams b Chatara…………….. 0

Aizaz Khan not out………………………….. 0

Extras (b 4, lb 4, w 1, nb 1) 10

Total (6 wickets; 20 overs)…………………. 144

Did not bat: KD Shah, Haseeb Amjad, Nadeem Ahmed

Fall of wickets 1-15 (Campbell), 2-43 (Babar Hayat), 3-75 (Chapman), 4-108 (Atkinson), 5-130 (Anshuman Rath), 6-130 (Nizakat Khan)

Bowling: T Panyangara 4-0-27-0; DT Tiripano 4-0-27-2; TL Chatara 4-0-28-2 (1nb); WP Masakadza 4-0-30-1; SC Williams 2-0-14-0; Sikandar Raza 2-0-10-1 (1w).

Toss: Hong Kong, who chose to field

Player of the match: V Sibanda (Zimbabwe)

Umpire: Aleem Dar (Pakistan), IJ Gould (England)

TV umpire:  M Erasmus (South Africa)

Match referee: J Srinath

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