Zimbabwe win 3rd ODI, claim series against Netherlands: Stats
What's the story
Zimbabwe defeated Netherlands by 7 wickets in the third and final ODI in Harare to clinch the three-match ODI series by 2-1. An all-round performance from the hosts saw, Netherlands managing only 231/9 and then courtesy of fifties from Wesley Madhevere and Gary Ballance, Zimbabwe chased it down in 42 overs. Sean Williams also had a sensational outing with bat and ball. Here's more.
Summary
How did the match pan out?
Netherlands won the toss and decided to bat and were off to a great start. The openers added 67 runs. Later. Colin Ackermann, Musa Ahmed and Scott Edwards contributed to helping Netherlands reach 231/9. Williams finished with 3/41. In reply, Madhevere and Craig Ervine stitched a 96-run opening stand. Later, Ballance 64* and Williams (43) had another 50+ partnership, as Zimbabwe cruised home.
Williams
All-round masterclass from Sean Williams
The veteran Zimbabwean all-rounder has been a metronome for the hosts for many years. Williams operated in the middle overs and picked up three crucial wickets of Wesley Barresi, Ackermann, and Edwards, derailing the visitors. He finished with 3/41 restricting Netherlands to only 231/9. Williams also scored an important knock of 43 from 53 deliveries and took Zimbabwe to safer shores in the chase.
Madhevere
Fifth ODI fifty for Madhevere
Madhevere's well-paced knock of 50 from 61 balls allowed the hosts to cruise through the chase. He smashed seven boundaries to bring up his fifth ODI fifty. His 96-run opening partnership with captain Craig Ervine (44) was very crucial in the context of the game. Madhevere has raced to 597 runs in 29 ODIs and has also scalped 13 wickets.
Ballance
A fluent knock from Gary Ballance
Ballance came to the crease when Zimbabwe were comfortable at 96/1 and he consolidated with Williams stitching a 96-run stand to negate any danger for the hosts. His 72-ball 64 saw his smash eight boundaries. Ballance who earlier played for England has become a mainstay for Zimbabwe in the middle order. In 21 ODIs he has scored 454 runs, smashing 4 fifties.
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Here's a look at the series numbers
Williams bagged the 'Player of the series' honor as he scored 120 runs and picked three wickets. Dutch opener O'Dowd who scored 139 runs finished as the top scorer. Whereas Shariz Ahmad, who picked eight wickets in three matches, finished as the top wicket-taker.
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Did you know?
As per statistician Kausthab Gudipati, Madhevere was only the second player to pick up a hat trick and score a fifty in the same ODI series/tournament. Only South Africa's Jean-Paul Duminy could match this feat in the 2015 ODI World Cup.