by half century Craig Ervine And Sikandar Raza Blessing Mujarbani saw the tourists post a competitive 266-7 in their 50 overs before taking 4-29 with the ball to strangle Ireland’s run chase.
Despite the win, Zimbabwe remain last in the World Cup Super League points table but move up on points with the Netherlands and will expect two more ODIs in the Northern Irish capital next week.
#1 1st ODI | Result: ‘s 38-run win for a 1⃣-0⃣ lead Match Summary #IREvZIM | #SuperLeague | #VisitZimbabwe |… https://t.co/zkBA5t5DRQ
— Zimbabwe Cricket (@ZimCricketv) 1631123728000
Mujarbani, Wellington Masakadza and Sean Williams Seven for 41 in the final 10 overs as Ireland threw out a promising position after recovering from a slow start with half-centuries from William Porterfield and Harry Tector hitting 75.
“Our fielding and energy were off, which is disappointing and something that needs to change before Friday,” Ireland captain Andrew Balbirnie said.
“We started well with the bat and put ourselves in a good position to carry on and win the game.”
Raza’s unbeaten 59 off 44 balls proved to be a match-winning knock as Ireland put pressure on Zimbabwe in the middle overs.
Wesley Madhevere and Luke Jongwe also made important contributions by scoring more than a run in the innings.
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