Cara Murray, Georgina Dempsey, and Orla Prendergast orchestrate another clinical victory as visitors, Ireland continue their dominance in the T20I series.
The 21-year-old all-rounder Orla Prendergast powered Ireland as they clinched a thumping 60-run victory in the 3rd T20I to seal the T20I series. Orla Prendergast was awarded the Player of the Match for her match-winning performance (69 off 48 balls) with the bat and (2-0-6-1) in her spell with the ball.
The 4th T20I between these two sides had a delayed start to the proceedings courtesy of persistent rain. The game was eventually reduced to an 8-overs-per-side contest. The Ireland skipper Laura Delany won the toss and opted to field first. After being inserted to bat first, Zimbabwe got off to a poor start losing their skipper Mary-Anne Musonda in the 2nd over of the innings. Pellagia Mujaji joined Kelis Ndhlovu at the crease and the duo stitched a crucial 21-run partnership for the 2nd wicket before Cara Murray foxed Pellagia Mujaji to provide the 2nd breakthrough for Ireland.
Wicket-keeper batter Chiedza Dhururu joined Kelis Ndhlovu at the crease and the duo stitched a 15-run partnership for the 3rd wicket before the opening batter Kelis Ndhlovu was found short of her crease to provide the 3rd breakthrough for Ireland. Wicket-keeper batter Chiedza Dhururu soon found her back in the pavilion to provide the 4th breakthrough for Ireland.
The home side eventually ended up with a total of 65/5 in their quota of overs. Kelis Ndhlovu (17 off 17 balls), wicket-keeper batter Chiedza Dhururu (14 off 8 balls), and Pellagia Mujaji (12 off 8 balls) were the top performers with the bat for Zimbabwe. Georgina Dempsey (1-0-3-1), Cara Murray (2-0-17-1), and skipper Laura Delany (1-0-10-1) were the top performers with the ball for Ireland.
Chasing a target of 66, the Ireland openers got off to a flying start scoring over 8 runs an over before Lindokuhle Mabhero picked up the wicket of wicket-keeper batter Amy Hunter to provide the first breakthrough for Zimbabwe. Orla Prendergast joined opening batter Gaby Lewis at the crease and the duo sealed the game with a 36-run partnership. Gaby Lewis (25 off 21 balls), Orla Prendergast (22 off 12 balls), and wicket-keeper batter Amy Hunter (19 off 14 balls) were the top performers with the bat for Ireland. Lindokuhle Mabhero (1-0-6-1) was the top performer with the ball for Zimbabwe.
Orla Prendergast was awarded the Player of the Match for her match-winning performance (22 off 12 balls) with the bat, playing a crucial role in helping her side seal another comprehensive 9-wicket victory over Zimbabwe.