New Zealand beat Zimbabwe by seven runs

New Zealand beat Zimbabwe by seven runs on the Duckworth-Lewis system after rain stopped play when New Zealand had scored 36 for one wicket in 8.1 overs.

New Zealand’s Nathan McCullum took three wickets for one run in an over as Zimbabwe collapsed to 84 all out in a World Twenty20 match here on Tuesday.

In a game they had to win to have any chance of qualifying for the second round Super Eights, Zimbabwe - who’d beaten defending champions Pakistan and Australia in the warm-ups, made a relatively sound start to be 58 for one in the seventh over when opener Hamilton Masakadza was run out.

Andy Blignaut followed soon afterwards, bowled trying to slog sweep Kiwi captain and left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori.

And any hope of a Zimbabwe fightback was then wrecked by a dramatic ninth over, McCullum’s third.

The off-spinner, who’d starred with the bat by hitting the winning six in New Zealand’s opening two-wicket victory over Sri Lanka, had the dangerous Elton Chigumbura (three), caught at long-on off the over’s first ball.

Two balls later, Charles Coventry was out for nought offering a simple caught and bowled chance after being beaten in the flight by a slower delivery.

And off the over’s last ball Craig Ervine (one), drawn out of his crease and then beaten by a ball that dipped and turned, was stumped by Gareth Hopkins, keeping wicket in this match rather than McCullum’s younger brother Brendon, playing as a batsman only. Zimbabwe, who’d been 62 for three at the start of the over, were 63 for six when it finished.

Medium-pacer Scott Styris followed up with three wickets for five runs in two overs to compound the damage.

Tatenda Taibu top-scored with 21, with only fellow opener Masakadza also making it to 20. Greg Lamb was 14 not out, with 11 extras the fourth best score of the innings. PROVIDENCE, Guyana, AFP