Heartbreak for Zimbabwe's cricket team! 💔 The host team's quest for the World Cup 2023 qualification falls short. 😢#WorldCupQualifier #Zimbabwe twitter.com/i/web/status/1… https://t.co/hsHdUs4FG4
Zimbabwe failed to seal their berth in the Cricket World Cup 2023 as they suffered an upset defeat at the hands of Scotland on Tuesday in Bulawayo. The Scots brought their 'A' game to the table and defended a modest target of 235 runs to keep themselves alive in the race to the mega event.
Zimbabwean skipper Craig Ervine won the toss and opted to field first in the do-or-die match at the Queens Sports Club. The decision initially seemed to have worked in the home team's favor as they restricted Scotland to 234/8 in 50 overs.
Not a single member of the Scottish batting lineup touched the 50-run mark. All-rounder Michael Leask top-scored with a quickfire 34-ball 48 down the order. Scotland were 170/7 in the 44th over, but Leask's flurry of boundaries helped them finish with a competitive score.
Sean Williams was the pick of the bowlers for Zimbabwe. The all-rounder bowled an impressive spell of 3/41. Tendai Chatara also chipped in with a couple of wickets for the home team.
Looking at Zimbabwe's previous performances, they started as the favorites to chase a 235-run target and qualify for the mega event in India. However, the hosts crumbled under pressure in the high stakes match of World Cup 2023 Qualifiers.
Chris Sole's fiery spell of 3/33 destroyed the Zimbabwean top-order. At one stage, Zimbabwe were down to 37/4. Ryan Burl tried his best to take his team to the mega event by scoring 83 runs off 84 balls. However, he lost his wicket while trying an aerial shot off Michael Leask's bowling when Zimbabwe needed 38 runs to win.
In the end, Scotland bowled Zimbabwe out for 203 runs in 41.1 overs and inched a step closer to the World Cup in India.
Ireland attained the seventh position in the World Cup 2023 Qualifiers standings by defeating Nepal in the play-off at the Harare Sports Club. Curtis Campher played a match-winning role for the Irish team, scoring 62 runs and scalping one wicket.
Nepal scored 268/9 in 50 overs. In reply, Ireland chased down the target in 49.2 overs and won by two wickets. Ireland skipper Andrew Balbirnie stepped down as the team's captain with immediate effect after the match.
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