The home side, Ireland, sealed the three-match T20I series against Ireland by winning the 2nd T20I by an emphatic margin of 65 runs.
Both sides made wholesale changes to their side ahead of the dead-rubber 3rd T20I. Wicket-keeper batter Coulter Reilly replaced Jane Maguire, Sophie MacMohan replaced Arlene Kelly, and Ava Canning replaced Lara McBride in the side for Ireland. As far as the visitors are concerned, Novelo Sibanda replaced Loreen Tshuma, Runyararo Pasipanodaya replaced Lindokuhle Mabhero, and Michelle Mavunga replaced Kudzai Chigora in the XI for Zimbabwe.
Amy Hunter’s Fifty, Orla Prendergast’s Late Burst, Takes Ireland to 179/4
Ireland skipper Gaby Lewis won the toss and opted to bat first in the 3rd and final T20I of the series. With the T20I series already secured, Rebecca Stokell was promoted to open the innings alongside the wicket-keeper batter Amy Hunter. The tactical move from the Irish skipper worked wonders as the pair stitched a massive 96-run opening partnership. The pair took the Zimbabwean bowlers to all the corners of the ground, scoring at a rapid rate of almost 10 runs an over.
Beloved Biza broke the ominous stand by sending the wicket-keeper batter Amy Hunter (59 off 40 balls) back to the pavilion in the 11th over of the innings to provide the first breakthrough for Zimbabwe. She scored her 4th T20I half-century before getting dismissed. The home side lost a couple of wickets in quick succession to find themselves at 122/3 in the 15th over of the innings.
However, a steady 29-run partnership for the 4th wicket between Louise Little (21 off 25 balls) and Laura Delany, followed by a late flourish powered by Orla Prendergast (24* off 9 balls), alongside the likes of Laura Delany (19* off 15 balls) took them to a massive total of 179/4 in their quota of 20 overs.
Rebecca Stokell (45 off 28 balls) chipped in with a solid counter-attacking innings on her promotion as an opening batter. A selfless move from the Irish skipper with an intent to give crucial game time to the other batters in the middle ahead of the upcoming ODI series. Beloved Biza (4-0-21-2) and Nomvelo Sibanda (3-0-24-1) were the only wicket-takers with the ball for Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe’s Improved Batting Effort Not Enough as They Suffer T20I Whitewash
Chasing a mountainous total of 180, the Zimbabwean openers Kelis Ndhlovu and Chiedza Dhururu got their side off to a positive start with a 17-run opening partnership, before losing Kelis Ndhlovu to Ava Canning in the 4th over of the run chase. Chiedza Dhururu (12 off 11 balls) soon followed her back to the pavilion in the 5th over of the run chase to provide the 2nd breakthrough for Ireland.
Skipper Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano joined Beloved Biza at the crease, and the duo stitched a crucial 35-run partnership for the 3rd wicket to take them past the 50-run mark. Cara Murray broke the stand, by sending the dangerous Beloved Biza (25 off 24 balls) back to the pavilion in the 10th over of the run chase to provide the crucial 3rd breakthrough for her side.
The Zimbabwean batters eventually failed to catch up with the required run rate as they were eventually restricted to 129/7 in their quota of 20 overs. Despite Zimbabwe’s best performance with the bat in the T20I series, they couldn’t avoid a whitewash as they fell 51 runs short of the target. Skipper Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano (39 off 42 balls) and Modester Mupachikwa (17 off 19 balls) were the only other Zimbabwean batters to enter the double digits with the bat for their side.
Ava Canning (4-0-18-2) and Sophie MacMahon (4-0-21-2) picked up a couple of wickets each, while Orla Prendergast (2-0-11-0), Cara Murray (2-0-16-1) and Leah Paul (2-0-16-0) were impressive with the ball for their side.
Wicket-keeper batter Amy Hunter was awarded the Player of the Match for her impressive innings with the bat (59 off 40 balls) and inflicting a crucial run-out with the gloves in hand. With that comprehensive 51-run win, Ireland completed a dominating T20I series whitewash (3-0) against Zimbabwe.
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