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Kenya rounded off their tour of Zimbabwe with their largest loss yet, as Tuskers warmed up for the forthcoming Stanbic T20 in the best possible way. Kenya managed just 117 from their 20 overs, with Aga's 53 being the only innings of note in a disappointing knock; Keegan Meth took two wickets in the first over, finishing on 2/27 from his 4 overs, while Glenn Querl again showed his talent, taking 3/13 from 3 overs bowled. Tuskers reached the required target with few problems, with 20 balls still remaining when they crossed the line. Openers Horton (43) and Smith (42) led the way, and while there was a small flurry of wickets towards the end of the innings, it wasn't enough to stop them. Full scorecard below the cut.
Kenya 117/6 (20 overs; Aga 53*, Querl 3/13), Tuskers 121/3 (16.4 overs; Horton 43, Patel 2/19). Matabeleland Tuskers win by 7 wickets.

Another day, another loss for Kenya, this time in the first of two T20s they're scheduled to play against Midwest Rhinos. Kenya, batting first, posted 114 before being bowled out, with only Obuya (44) and Odhiambo (24) making much of an impression; Graeme Cremer marked his return to fitness with 2/17; but once again it was Gary Ballance who starred for Rhinos, scoring 43 off 41 balls - ably assisted by Malcolm Waller, with 33 off 25 - as Rhinos raced to the target with over 3 overs to spare. Full scorecard below the cut.
Kenya 114 (18.5 overs; Obuya 44, Muzhange 3/15), Rhinos 115/5 (16.3 overs; Ballance 43, Otieno 3/20). Midwest Rhinos win by 5 wickets.

This was the last match of the Harare leg of the Kenyan tour, and Mountaineers saw them off to Kwekwe with a fairly straghtforward 14-run win. Kevin Kasuza, who's been perhaps the Mountaineers' most impressive performer this season, once again made an impression with the bat, amassing 45 from 40 balls and, along with Harris (22) and Maruma (25) doing most of the work. Kenya in reply couldn't keep up with the require run-rate, and ended on 112/8. Full scorecard below the cut.
Mountaineers 126/6 (20 overs; Kasuza 45, Varaiya 3/24), Kenya 112/8 (20 overs; Aga 37, Chatara 3/18). Mountaineers win by 14 runs.

Kenya made it two wins in one day, as they made light work of Zimbabwe U19 in their afternoon match at Zimbabwe Cricket Academy. Kenya were bowled out for 113 in their innings, with the final wicket falling on the last ball of their knock, but Zim U19 mustered little in the way of fight themselves, with only one player passing 20 as they finished on 102/8, giving Kenya an 11-run win. Full scorecard below the cut.
Kenya 113 (20 overs; Allen 24, Heggins 3/11), Zimbabwe U19 102/8 (20 overs; Zimwa 34, Oluoch 3/18). Kenya win by 11 runs.

Cephas Zhuwao's 59 for Eagles wasn't enough to prevent Kenya from claiming their first win of their Zimbabwean tour, as their lower-order pairing of Patel and Odhiambo did most of the work in seeing them home after Eagles were bowled out for 150. Full scorecard below the cut.
Eagles 150 (19.1 overs; Zhuwao 58, Obuya 2/9), Kenya 151/7 (19.1 overs; Patel 42*, Mbofana 2/12). Kenya win by 3 wickets.

The Kenyan national team continued to be highly competitive but not enough to convert their efforts to a victory as they slumped to a two wicket defeat against the Mashonaland Eagles at Harare Sports Club on Thursday. Mash Eagles lead 2-0 in their three match preparation series prior to their campaign to defend their Stanbic Bank 20 series title.

Kenya batted first and set 122 runs for the loss of seven wickets after winning the toss. Morris Ouma (15) looked confident in the initial stages of his innings before Ray Price had him bowled. Dominic Wesongo was the top run scorer, lower in the order for the Kenyans with an unbeaten 27 runs from 26 balls. The home sides spin pair of Raymond Price and young Tinotenda Mutombodzi continued to torment the visitors, Price once again being the pick of the bowlers with two wickets for 26 in four overs.

Former English county players Peter Trego (22) and Rory Hamilton-Brown (28) were the top scorers for the Eagles set the pace and kept the Eagles well above the run rate for the better half of their innings. Young Nathan Waller had a brisk sensational 16 from nine balls which featured two massive sixes to guide the Eagles to a much easier victory in 18.1 overs. Nehemiah Odhiambo and his captain Collins Obuya took two wickets apiece. Full scorecard below the cut.
Kenya 122/7 (20 overs; Wesongs 27*, Price 2/26), Eagles 126/8 (18.1 overs; Hamilton-Brown 28, Obuya 2/9). Mashonaland Eagles win by 2 wickets.
[Match report via ZC]

Mashonaland Eagles handed the Kenya national team a three-wicket defeat in the first Twenty20 match of their tour of Zimbabwe at Harare Sports Club yesterday.

The visitors won the toss and chose to bat first setting a target of 124 runs for the loss of six wickets but the home team chased down the target with two balls remaining.

Zimbabwe Cricket domestic franchises MidWest Rhinos and the Mashonaland Eagles are hosting the Kenyan national team as part of their preparations for the Stanbic Bank 20 series starting on the 24th of November.
The visitors team captain Collins Obuya top scored in the match with an inspiring 44 from 32 balls and Duncan Allad who opened the batting chipped in with a handy 15 runs.

Although the Mash Eagles used seven bowlers and each almost got a wicket, veteran left-arm spinner Ray Price played a big role to stop massive run scoring with an attacking economic bowling.
Price finished without a wicket but only conceded 18 from his allotted four overs. Nehemiah Odhiambo finished off the innings with a quick cameo of 30 from 38 balls.

Mash Eagles were convinced that the total was low enough to take on the Kenyans without too much diligence. They lost early wickets with the captain Stuart Matsikenyeri among the low scorers, caught for just five runs.

Elton Chigumbura (24) played his natural game and upped the run rate with his partner Foster Mutizwa (34), a partnership which drove the Eagles a step closer to the target, though not within safety.
The Eagles needed 10 runs from the last over and they capitalised on some sloppy Kenyan fielding and managed to push through a victory with two balls to spare. Full scorecard below the cut.
Kenya 124/6 (20 overs; Obuya 44, Zhuwao 1/2), Eagles 126/7 (19.3 overs; Mutizwa 34*, Varaiya 2/22). Mashonaland Eagles win by 3 wickets.
[Match report via ZC]

It was a batsman's day at Harare Sports Club for the second and final Twenty20 match and, when Zimbabwe looked likely to suffer another heavy defeat, Chamu Chibhabha led a thrilling assault on the bowling so that the home side could at least go down with all guns blazing and lose with honour. Chibhabha's 65 off 39 balls was, in its way, the best innings of the day, as it was made off better bowling than the New Zealand batsmen had to face, and under more pressure, well as Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill batted for their fifties. It was a pity this fine match - 15 sixes were hit, some truly massive - was played before a comparatively small crowd, due to its being played on a weekday and suffering from unreliable weather.

Zimbabwe played Chris Mpofu instead of Regis Chakabva, while Forster Mutizwa kept wicket. They won the toss and put New Zealand in to bat, understandably after the disappointment on Saturday. Unfortunately this did not help them as the knocks given to the bowling this time was, if anything, more intense this time.

It was the first of many sixes in the New Zealand innings, reduced to 18 overs due to a rain shower. McCullum and Guptill found the gaps, picked up balls off a good length for six, and left the Zimbabwe bowlers quite helpless even to contain them. McCullum took 31 balls for his fifty and Guptill 37. Zimbabwe finally got a wicket when McCullum was bowled attempting a scoop off Jarvis; his 64 came off only 37 balls and he hit two fours and six sixes. The opening pair had put on 120 in 11 overs.

So well did the innings continue that New Zealand must have entertained hopes of reaching 200, but the bowlers did manage to pull it back a little at the end. Guptill made 67 and Jesse Ryder 30 not out, the final total being 187 for three off the 18 overs. Jarvis took both wickets to fall to the bowlers for 36, but no bowler went for less than eight and a half an over. Utseya got the most blows from McCullum that his three overs went for 45 and he completely lost his pitch. At the fielding was fairly good, with no catches dropped. Zimbabwe needed to score at more than ten runs an over to win.

Zimbabwe's batsmen, however, had learned something since Saturday's game. They lost their two best batsmen, Hamilton Masakadza (9) and Brendan Taylor (1), early on, but then Chibhabha and Elton Chigumbura launched a thrilling assault on the bowling, mainly by powerful driving. For a while it was the New Zealand bowlers who felt the cosh, as the pair added 57 in six overs. Chigumbura led the way with 39 off 22 balls, a better rate of scoring than any of the New Zealanders had managed, before falling to a fine return catch by Nathan McCullum. Zimbabwe were then 84 for three in the tenth over. Amid the assault the New Zealand bowlers and fielders kept their heads and eventually broke through.

Charles Coventry fell to a soft dismissal, but Mutizwa proved a good partner for Chibhabha, who ran to his fifty off 34 balls. He then launched into the bowling of Nathan McCullum, hitting him for two big sixes, but the bowler responded well, having him stumped by his brother in the same over for 65, with four fours and five sixes. The required rate was now over 15, but Mutizwa continued the fight until a hesitation over a third run led to his dismissal for 22. Utseya, having a bad match, was involved in two run-outs in successive balls, following which the last two batsmen, hitting out, both went first ball to Doug Bracewell. The last four wickets thus fell remarkably in four balls with the total remaining on 154, but at least some of Zimbabwe's top batsmen had done their team proud on this occasion. Full scorecard below the cut.
New Zealand 187/3 (18/18 overs; Guptill 67, Jarvis 2/36), Zimbabwe 154 (16.5/18 overs; Chibhabha 65, N McCullum 3/23). New Zealand win by 34 runs (D/L method).
[Match report via ZC]

New Zealand easily won the first Twenty20 match against Zimbabwe, racing to a 10-wicket victory with 6.4 overs in hand at Harare Sports Club. Zimbabwe fell short of their visitors in all three departments, but the most visible was the catching. Although it did not make the difference between victory and defeat, the fielders dropped both New Zealand openers before they had reached 30, and should have avoided the humiliation of a margin of defeat as great as ten wickets.

Zimbabwe were without Tatenda Taibu, still not fully recovered from the injury he sustained during the Pakistan tour, and Vusi Sibanda, whose mother had passed away in the morning. New Zealand won the toss and put them in to bat, with the weather beautiful and the pitch slightly green and rather slow; the crowd was to grow to perhaps two or three thousand. Hamilton Masakadza drove a ball from the debutant Doug Bracewell for six over long-off in the second over, but this flattered only to deceive; in the next over he tried to do the same thing to Kyle Mills, but got a leading edge and was caught off a skier to mid-off for 9.

The rest of the innings was Brendan Taylor, accompanied by a series of batsmen who made starts but were unable to convert them to anything substantial; the next best innings was 16 by Forster Mutizwa. After ten overs the score was 57 for three; the 100 only came up in the 17th over. Taylor reached his fifty in the final over, off 46 balls; this is hardly a match-winning scoring rate in Twenty20 cricket, but he was in a difficult situation and had to hold the innings together in the absence of a durable partner at the other end. Mills and the off-spinner Nathan McCullum took two wickets each; overall the New Zealanders bowled well, with skilful variations, and gave nothing away in the field. Zimbabwe ’s 121 for eight was scarcely a defendable total.

Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill made light work of the target, helped by a few dropped catches. They played the first over or so fairly quietly before going on the attack with a vengeance. McCullum hit a big six over long-off off Kyle Jarvis in the third over, but when he had 24 he skied a catch to midwicket, where it was put down by Taylor . Guptill, for his part, was dropped at long-on by Waller when he had 22, so Zimbabwe should have had both the openers out. McCullum ran to his 50 off 36 balls, and continued the assault. They romped home with almost seven overs to spare, with only Raymond Price and Prosper Utseya (the latter had only two overs) of the bowlers escaping brutal treatment. Zimbabwe ’s ground fielding was generally good, but the seam bowling was not at par with the work rate on the field and variations were often picked up easily by the batsmen.

"We came here to win, and the way we started with the ball was pleasing, but we know Zimbabwe will come hard at us. When you have been out of cricket for so long, the way we backed up the bowlers in the field was excellent. Brendon and Martin were outstanding with the bat," said the Black Caps' skipper, Ross Taylor. The Black caps had last played international cricket five months ago at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 and the victory is the first for the Taylor on his maiden tour as team captain. Full scorecard below the cut.
Zimbabwe 123/8 (20 overs; Taylor 50*, Mills 2/15), New Zealand 127/0 (13.3 overs; McCullum 81*, Guptill 40*). New Zealand win by 10 wickets.
[Match report via ZC]

Zimbabwe had a wonderful chance of breaking Pakistan’s winning run by gaining a victory in the final match of the tour. Good bowling and some superb fielding saw them unexpectedly restrict Pakistan to 141 runs in their 20 overs, but their batsmen choked at the target, managing only 136, despite a final gallant effort by Tatenda Taibu, who finished unbeaten on 37. Their bogey man was once again Mohammad Hafeez, a man who seems to strike terror into Zimbabwean players' hearts, as shown by his 51 runs and three wickets in this match.

On another warm sunny day Pakistan won the toss and decided to bat, after their success going in first in their previous match. The pitch was ideal, good for batting but with some life and bounce for the bowlers. The start was not auspicious for the home side. The first ball of the innings was misfielded by Brendan Taylor in the covers, a single resulting, and ten runs came off that rather poor over from Prosper Utseya, a surprise choice to open the bowling.

After that, however, it was Zimbabwe almost all the way throughout the innings. Pakistan hit the ball in the air, only to find the Zimbabwe fielding vastly improved on their previous matches. The catches were taken and three batsmen were out for 34 in the sixth over. However, Hafeez was still there, and despite lack of support at the other end he ran to another 50 off 37 balls. He then skied a ball from Price to long-on and departed for 51. Umar Akmal, who had been his best partner, ran himself out for 28, and the innings eventually closed at 141 for seven. Kyle Jarvis had been the best of the bowlers, with a remarkable three for 14 in his four overs. Zimbabwe now found themselves in with a good chance of victory.

Vusi Sibanda drove the first ball of the Zimbabwe reply straight back down the ground for four. He and Chamu Chibhabha proceeded to play with a confidence that suggested that Zimbabwe believed in themselves and were on course for victory. After four overs the score was 28 without loss, but then both were dismissed in quick succession and the wheels came off with a vengeance. Cephas Zhuwao looked out of his depth; the experienced Hamilton Masakadza and Taylor lost their wickets to soft shots, and Zimbabwe were 72 for six after 13 overs. The team seems to have a deep-set fear of Hafeez, whether he is batting or bowling, as he took three of the wickets.

With Tatenda Taibu and Elton Chigumbura together, Zimbabwe still had a chance, though 53 were still needed off the last five overs with four wickets left. Taibu did not look at ease at first, but Chigumbura played enough good shots to give hope to his team, until he holed out at long-on for 24. Utseya faced five balls without scoring, leaving 29 needed off the final two overs, and 20 off the last. Taibu made a gallant effort and managed to get it down to six needed off the final ball – only for the bowler to put a yorker outside the off stump that Taibu left in expectation of it being called a wide. It was adjudged just legal, justifiably, but it was a disappointing anticlimax and Zimbabwe had lost again. Full scorecard below the cut.
Pakistan 141/7 (20 overs; Mohammad Hafeez 51, Jarvis 3/15), Zimbabwe 136/7 (20 overs; Taibu 37*, Mohammad Hafeez 3/11). Pakistan win by 5 runs.