Criag Ervine’s ton helps Zimbabwe seal series against Ireland in 2nd ODI at Harare

Earlier, Ireland finished the innings scoring a competitive total of 268 for the loss of seven wickets in 50 Overs.

Zimbabwe batsman Craig Ervine scored a match-winning knock of 101 as Zimbabwe beat Ireland by five wickets in the second of the three-match ODI series at the Harae Sports Club on Sunday and also take an unassaible 2-0 lead in the series. Earlier, Zimbabwe skipper, Elton Chigumbura won the toss and elected to field first, which was indeed a surprise call as Ireland finished the innings scoring a competitive total of 268 for the loss of seven wickets in 50 Overs, courtesy of twin impressive innings from Paul Stirling and Gary Wilson of 72 and 65, respective, while Sikandar Raza claimed three for 49. The cahse began on a healthy note as with the Zimbabwe opening batsmen in the form of Chamu Chibhabha and Richmond Mutumbani, putting up 47 opening runs on the board before Mutumbani fell for 14 to Tim Murtagh. And he was soon followed by his fellow opener Chibhabha, who too departed for 30 the very next over off Kevin O’Brien. SCORECARD: Zimbabwe vs Ireland, 2nd ODI at Harare

However, it was followed by a 98 run stand between Criag Ervine and Sean Williams as it was not until at the score of 149 in the 26th over, Williams fell for 43 to Andrew McBrine. With 43 runs more added to the total, it was Tinotenda Mutumbozi, who departed after contributing crucial 25 runs before falling prey to Kevin. Nebvertheless, it was followed by a strong 63-run stand for the fifth wicket, as Raza fell for a healthy 33 in the 48th over to John Mooney. However, any attempt being mate by the Irish bowlers at the end proved to be futile as it was too late by then and Ervine had the game under control completely as he eventually scored his second ODI century. He along with Chigumbura made sure that they chase down the total comfortably in the end, with just nine balls to spare as Ervine hit the winning runs. UPDATES: Zimbabwe vs Ireland, 2nd ODI at Harare

Man of the Match: Craig Ervine (Zimbabwe)

Full Scorecard

Brief scores:

Ireland 268 for 7 in 50 Overs (Paul Stirling 72, Gary Wilson 65; Sikandar Raza 3 for 49) lost to Zimbabwe 270 for 5 in 48.3 Overs (Craig Ervine 101*, Sean Williams 43; Kevin O’Brien 2 for 46) by 5 wickets.

(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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