Zimbabwe succumbs to defeat against India in the five-match T20I series: Player Ratings for the Hosts
The Indian cricket team humbled the Zimbabwe side as they won the five-match T20I series by 4-1. Playing all the games at the Harare Sports Club in Harare, Zimbabwe got off to a stunning start as they impressed the who’s who of the cricket fraternity by scoring a victory by 13 runs.
However, the team could not continue the momentum and ended up losing the next four matches in a row by 100 runs, 23 runs, 10 wickets, and 42 runs respectively.
Amidst the poor show, there was some silver lining for the hosts as well in the form of good performances by Dion Myers, Blessing Muzarabani, and others. Let us check out the report card of the Zimbabwe players:
Top Order
Wessly Madhevere (5.5/10): Wesley Madhevere ended up as the joint-second-highest run-getter for Zimbabwe alongside Sikandar Raza as he scored 90 runs in five matches at an average of 18 and a strike rate of 100.
Innocent Kaia (1/10): It was a series to forget for Innocent Kaia as he bagged a golden duck in the first T20 International at the hands of Mukesh Kumar and followed it up with another poor score of four runs off just three balls in the second T20I. The opening batter then had to be dropped from the team as he picked up an injury and was replaced by Tadiwanashe Marumani.
Tadiwanashe Marumani (4.5/10): Tadiwanashe Marumani replaced Kaia in the third match but he failed to justify his selection in the team. The opening batter scored 13 runs off 10 balls while the remaining two matches saw the batter scoring 32 and 27 runs respectively.
Brian Bennett (5/10): Brian Bennett ended up with just 71 runs in five matches at an average of 14.20 but impressed the spectators with his performances in the first two fixtures where he smashed six boundaries and three maximums despite facing only 24 balls in the first two matches of the series.
Middle Order
Dion Myers was the top run-scorer for the Zimbabwe cricket team
Dion Myers (7/10): The only Zimbabwe batter who stood out in the five-match T20I series was Dion Myers. The middle-order batter topped the run-scoring charts for his team while also occupying third place in the overall list with 134 runs in five matches at an average of 33.50.
Jonathan Campbell (1.5/10): It was a series to forget for Johnathan Campbell as despite playing all five games, he failed to prove himself. The middle-order star started with a golden duck in the first match and followed it up with knocks of 10 runs and one run in the next two matches. His performance in the last two games was no better as he scored only three and four runs in the fourth and fifth T20Is respectively.
Clive Madande (3/10): Clive Madande was slightly better in the T20I series as compared to Campbell as he scored 74 runs in five matches at an average of 18.50.
All-rounders
Sikandar Raza (6.5/10): Sikandar Raza dished out a decent performance both with the bat and the ball against the Indian cricket team. He was the second-highest run-getter for Zimbabwe with 90 runs in five matches at an average of 18. Speaking of his contribution with the ball, Raza picked six wickets at an average of 24 and an economy rate of 8.47.
Sikandar Raza performed both with the bat and ball against India
The skipper displayed ordinary leadership skills throughout the series as despite gaining some momentum by winning the first T20I, Zimbabwe failed to give a good fight to the young Indian team.
Faraz Akram (3/10): After missing the first three T20Is, Faraz Akram finally found a place in the playing XI as he replaced Wellington Masakadaza. The 30-year-old failed to make a mark in the fourth T20 International as he leaked 41 runs in four overs at an alarming economy rate of 10.2 without picking any wickets.
The seamer’s lukewarm form continued during the final T20I as well as he again failed to dismiss any batter and ended up giving 39 runs in his allotted four overs but bounced back with a strong showing as he scored 27 runs off 13 balls in a late splurge scoring 2 fours and 2 sixes.
Bowlers
Wellington Masakadza (3/10): Wellington Masakadaza who played the first three T20 Internationals against India before being dropped for the last two matches, picked two wickets at an average of 8.62. He dismissed Avesh Khan in the first T20I while his second wicket came during the second match as he dismissed the centurion Abhishek Sharma.
Tendai Chatara (3/10): Tendai Chatara is one of the experienced bowlers in the Zimbabwe unit but he failed to weave any magic on the field this time around. The bowler was rested for the last game but could pick up only three wickets at an average of 35.66 in the first four matches.
Blessing Muzarabani (6.5/10): Blessing Muzarabani emerged as the top wicket-taker for the Zimbabwe cricket team in the five-match T20I series against India. He played all five matches and ended up picking six wickets at an average of 19.33 and an economy rate of 6.
Luke Jongwe (3.5/10): Luke Jongwe dismissed Dhruv Jurel in the first T20I as Zimbabwe scored a victory by 13 runs. The seamer was also economical with the ball as he conceded only 28 runs in his four overs.
However, he failed to continue the good performance and ended up leaking 53 runs in just four overs in the second T20I before being dropped from the playing XI for the remaining three matches.
Richard Ngarava (3/10): Richard Ngarava made an entry into the Zimbabwe side from the third T20 International as Luke Jongwe warmed the bench. It was an ordinary outing for the seamer against the Indian cricket team as he picked only one wicket in three matches while bowling at an economy rate of 8.64.
Brandon Mavuta (3/10): Going into the last T20 International against the Indian team, Zimbabwe decided to rest their main bowler Tendai Chatara owing to their upcoming Test match against Ireland.
Therefore, Brandon Mavuta got a chance to showcase his mettle on the 22-yard pitch. However, the 27-year-old failed to do a good job as he ended up picking only one wicket in the form of Riyan Parag while conceding 39 runs in his four overs at an economy rate of 9.8.