Cricket: the Zimbabwe Select won the six-game series against the Pakistan Shaheens 4-2 as Craig Ervine set a new national record by scoring 195 runs in a thrilling final match played Saturday. Ervine’s performance propelled the Zimbabwe Select to a 32-run victory. Ervine’s innings were the highlight of the day, which saw a total of 738 runs scored.
The Pakistan Shaheens won the toss and opted to bowl first.
Zimbabwe suffered an early setback when opener Joylord Gumbie was dismissed for a duck. A “duck” in cricket is when a batsman scores zero runs and is dismissed. It is a significant failure as it wastes a wicket. A “golden duck” is when a batsman is dismissed on their first ball.
Ervine and Innocent Kaia then put on a 187-run partnership for the second wicket before Kaia was dismissed for 92. Ervine continued to attack the bowling and reached his century off 89 balls. He went on to score 195 off 148 balls before being run out in the final over.
Zimbabwe finished their innings at 385 for 7. The Pakistan Shaheens were set a daunting target of almost 8 runs per over. They lost three early wickets but then mounted a spirited fightback, led by Rohail Nazir, Kamran Ghulam, and Mubasir Khan. Mubasir scored a brilliant century, but the Shaheens ultimately fell short, finishing with a total of 353.