New Zealand defeated Zimbabwe by eight wickets in the third match of the ongoing ZIM T20 Tri-Series at the Harare Sports Club, thanks to a brilliant batting performance by Devon Conway.
Chasing a modest target of 121, New Zealand had a shaky start as they lost opener Tim Seifert on the first ball of the second over. However, Rachin Ravindra joined Conway at the crease, and the duo began to rebuild the innings. They added a steady 59-run partnership off 44 balls for the second wicket before Ravindra was dismissed for 30.
Daryl Mitchell then came in and ensured there were no more hiccups. He and Conway took New Zealand home comfortably. Mitchell remained unbeaten on 26 from just 19 balls, while Conway anchored the chase with an unbeaten 59 off 40 deliveries at a strike rate of 147.50.
His knock included four fours and two sixes, earning him the Player of the Match award.
New Zealand reached the target with ease, finishing the chase with 37 balls to spare.
Earlier, New Zealand won the toss and elected to bowl first. Their bowlers maintained tight lines and didn’t allow the Zimbabwe batters to settle. After Zimbabwe lost their second wicket at 61, the rest of the batting line-up struggled, with wickets falling at regular intervals.
For Zimbabwe, opener Wessly Madhevere was the top scorer with 36 runs off 32 balls, including four boundaries. For New Zealand, Matt Henry led the bowling effort, claiming 3 for 26 in his four overs, with an economy rate of 6.5.
With this victory, New Zealand now sit at the top of the points table with four points from two matches and a strong net run rate of +1.919. Hosts Zimbabwe, on the other hand, are placed third after losing both of their matches so far.
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