Adam Milne and Mitchell McClenaghan claim 2 wickets each as New Zealand thrash Zimbabwe by 80 runs

Zimbabwe started their chase on a shaky note as well.

New Zealand speedstars, Adam Milne and Mitchell McClenaghan claimed a couple of wickets each for 10 and 33, as New Zealand thrashes Zimbabwe by 80 runs, in the one-off T20I at the Harare Sports Club in Harare on Sunday. Earlier, Zimbabwe skipper, Elton Chigumbura won the toss and elected to field first, as New Zealand posted a challenging total of 198 for the loss of five wickets in 20 overs, piling on some impressive innings from Martin Guptill and debutante, George Worker. For New Zealand, batsman Worker made his debut, while both the teams move in with a strong batting squad, with an aim to put runs on the board and if possible, chase down a hefty total set by the team batting first, as the pitch promised runs. Live Scorecard: Zimbabwe vs New Zealand, one-off T20I at Harare

Zimbabwe started their chase on a shaky note as well as with just 12 runs on the board, it was opener, Hamilton Masakadza, who was dismissed for mere six by Milne. He was followed by his fellow opener, Chamu Chibhabha for the same score the very next over off James Neesham. With just 13 more added to the total, it was Sikandar Raza, who too departed for a mere eight off McClenaghan. And soon to follow him was Chigumbura for a couple as Nathan McCullum claimed him as his victim, with just nine added to the total and the scoreboard read 34 for the loss of four. Live Updates: Zimbabwe vs New Zealand, one-off T20I at Harare

The pair of Sean Williams and Craig Ervine contributed a healthy and crucial 30-run stand for the fifth wicket, but in the 12th over, Williams fell for mere 16 to Ish Sodhi. It was followed by a 25-run stand between Ervine and Regis Chakabva, before Chakabva fell for 13 to Milne in the 17th over, as a loss was most certain to the minnows. The 19th over saw the fall of Graeme Cremer for mere five off McClenaghan, followed by Ervine in the 20th over for a healthy 42, as he was dismissed by Grant Elliott. The final pair of Ervine and Prosper Utseya were able to play out the remaining balls, as Zimbabwe slumped to a heavy 80-run defeat. Worker was adjudged the Man of the Match for his impressive debut with the bat and a score of 62, while Craig Ervine was adjudged the Man of the Series for his impressive 42 during the chase.

Brief scores:

New Zealand 198 for 5 in 20 Overs (George Worker 62, Martin Guptill 33; Sean Williams 3 for 28) beat Zimbabwe 118/8 in 20 Overs (Craig Ervine 42; Adam Milne 2 for 10, Mitchell McClenaghan 2 for 33) by 80 runs.

Full Scorecard

(Ayush Gupta is a reporter at CricketCountry. A passionate supporter of Manchester United, he idolises Roger Federer and is also a World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) maniac. He can be followed on Twitter @Ayush24x7)

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