The teenage pair of Disha Dhingra and Chetna Reddy Pagydyala made the most of being dropped early in their respective innings to each score half-centuries as USA Women coasted past Zimbabwe's total with 11 balls to spare. 

File photo credit: Peter Della Penna

By Peter Della Penna (Twitter/X @PeterDellaPenna)
 
The inconsistent fielding of the Zimbabwe Women’s side came back to haunt them in a big way on Thursday as Disha Dhingra and Chetna Reddy Pagydyala were both dropped early in their innings before going on to make half-centuries as USA chased down a target of 163 with 11 balls to spare to win a rain-reduced ODI by seven wickets at Grand Prairie Stadium on Thursday. Dhingra was dropped on 4 while Pagydyala was put down before she had scored a run as both players made Zimbabwe pay for the miscues in the field. 
 
Dhingra’s first let-off happened in the third over of the USA chase when she was spilled on 4 off the bowler of left-arm pacer Nomvelo Sibanda when a fielder placed precisely at short cover for a hard-handed shovel managed to spill a knee-high opportunity that came her way. Zimbabwe struck in the following over when debutant Mitali Patwardhan defended down the wrong line and was given lbw for an eight-ball duck to Adelle Zimunu to make it 9 for 1. 
 
USA could have been in an even bigger hole had Pagydyala’s chance been held onto in the seventh, also put down off Sibanda. A pull short off a half-tracker was shelled at square leg in the ring, giving Pagydyala her first single off the 14^th delivery she faced as the left-hander struggled badly early in her innings. However, Pagydyala and Dhingra continued to grind away to eventually accumulate runs and get a partnership going that wound up lasting for 76 runs across 21 overs. Dhingra did offer another life on 25, put down at midwicket in the ring off the bowling of Lindokuhle Mabhero. 
 
Dhingra eventually brought up a half-century off 69 balls when she played a lofted drive over extra cover against Beloved Biza for her fourth boundary. But the USA vice-captain fell three balls later for 51 when she went onto the back foot to a length ball and fended away from her body for an edge behind to make it 85 for 2. 
 
USA captain Aditi Chudasama joined Pagydyala and the pair looked like they were going to take USA across the line. Pagydyala brought up her half-century off 100 balls during the partnership with a full toss stroked down the ground to long-on. USA was one shot away from victory when Chudasama ran herself out for 33 off the second to last ball of the 38^th over. After flicking to deep midwicket, Chiedza Dhururu’s throw from 40 yards hit the stumps at the striker’s end with Chudasama 10 yards short of coming back for a second run, ending a 73-run partnership. Pooja Ganesh drove her first ball to the cover boundary to level the scores before Pagydyala hit a single that was taken off a misfield by bowler Kelis Ndhlovu for the winning run to end up 59 not out off 108 balls with just two boundaries. 
 
Zimunu finished with 1 for 19 off six overs while Biza claimed 1 for 26 off six. The luckless Sibanda ended with 0 for 26 off seven. Zimbabwe’s least economical bowler on the day was Loreen Tshuma, who conceded 0 for 18 off three overs. 
 
Zimbabwe scored 162 for 9 in their 40 overs after losing the toss and being sent in by USA following a length delay before the start of play due to a wet outfield from overnight rain. Chudasama, who wound up being Player of the Match, struck the first two blows for USA during a double-wicket maiden in the 10^th over. The captain first claimed Ndhlovu for 15, getting the left-handed to drag a pull onto her stumps. Four balls later, Tshuma played inside the line of a stock offbreak and was bowled for a duck to make it 24 for 2. Left-arm pacer Jessica Willathgamuwa made it 25 for 3 in the following over when she trapped Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano defending down the wrong line for a simple lbw decision as Zimbabwe’s captain fell for a second-ball duck. 
 
USA had a chance to keep the pressure on Zimbabwe but Biza was dropped on 7 in the 15^th over, grassing a straightforward thigh-high chance on a loose drive to mid-on off the bowling of Geetika Kodali. Biza was able to go on and make a top-score of 64 for Zimbabwe, keeping them afloat throughout their innings. 
 
At the opposite end though, Zimbabwe continued to struggle. Modester Mupachikwa tried to get creative in an effort to pick up the scoring rate but paid the price for walking too far across her stumps trying to sweep legspinner Saanvi Immadi behind square leg and wound up bowled behind her legs for 35 to make it 72 for 4 in the 22^nd. Two overs later, Dhururu charged Immadi and flailed at a wider delivery to be stumped for 3 making it 76 for 5. 
 
Pagydyala made her presence felt in the field with two runouts from the deep to keep Zimbabwe honest. Runyararo Pasipanodya was sent off for 15 on the first ball after drinks to start the 31^st over when Biza drove a single to long-off only for Pasipanodya to inexplicably try to steal a second run before Pagydyala’s relay to Kodali at the bowler’s end resulted in the bails coming off with two yards to spare. 
 
Adelle Zimunu was dropped at extra cover on 20 in the 38^th over off the bowling of Maahi Madhavan before Pagydyala entered the fray on the next ball. Zimunu flicked Madhavan to deep midwicket where Pagydyala relayed into Madhavan, who took the bails off with Biza having given up halfway down the pitch trying to come back for a second to the non-striker’s end, making it 158 for 7 to end a 53-run partnership. 
 
USA made it three runouts in a row at the start of the 40^th when Sibanda drove Madhavan to wide long-on where Willathgamuwa charged in and fired a direct hit at the non-striker’s end from 40 yards out to dismiss Zimunu for 21. After multiple runouts off her bowling, Madhavan finally took a wicket two balls later when Sibanda walked across her stumps trying to scoop over fine leg only to middle a ball straight into the stumps to fall for 2 making it 160 for 9. The tailend pair of Mabhero and Tendai Makusha added two more runs off the final three deliveries to ensure Zimbabwe batted out their overs. 
 
Immadi ended with USA’s best figures on the day, taking 2 for 26 in eight overs. Chudasama returned 2 for 29 off seven. Madhavan claimed an impressive 1 for 21 off seven overs including a maiden to be USA’s most economical bowler on the day. Willathgamuwa took 1 for 22 off six. Ritu Singh, Chetnaa Prasad and Kodali all ended wicketless. 
 
Both teams return to action on Saturday for the second and final ODI in the series to end Zimbabwe’s five-match tour.