USA Cricket News

USA Cricket: Mupachikwa dropped on 0, makes 77 as Zimbabwe Women chase 248 to beat USA by six wickets

2024 Oct 22 by DreamCricket USA

Sindhu Sriharsha top-scored for USA with 69 in the first innings, but the visitors could not defend a total of 248 after shoddy fielding reared its head for the second match in a row to allow host side Zimbabwe to secure a 2-0 series lead. 

File photo credit: ICC/Getty Images

By Peter Della Penna (Twitter/X @PeterDellaPenna)
 
USA Women’s fielding woes continued in the second ODI against Zimbabwe on Sunday at Harare Sports Club as numerous missed chances cost them dearly, none more so than spilling eventual Player of the Match Modester Mupachikwa on the second ball of the chase as the home side eventually hauled down USA’s first innings total of 248 with nine balls to spare to win by six wickets. Mupachikwa offered three chances in the air – the others on 24 and 40 – and also could have been run out on 50 before she eventually posted 77 to top-score in the Zimbabwe chase as USA’s woeful fielding came back to haunt them for the second match in a row. 
 
The first chance came in the opening over when a full inswinger from Tara Norris was chipped softly back to the pace bowler’s right side at rib height. Despite the chance arriving at a gentle pace, Norris got her hands into a tangle reaching to her weaker right hand side and the ball slipped through. It would be a harbinger of things to come throughout the second innings. 
 
USA managed to create a breakthrough in the seventh over when Sharne Mayers fell for 14, slapping a length ball from USA captain Aditi Chudasama’s offspin low to Disha Dhingra at cover who held onto a sharp diving catch to make it 37 for 1. Chudasama should have had Mupachikwa for 24 in the 11th over, but for the second match in a row Anika Kolan was shuffling her feet at slip before the ball had been played, moving toward wicketkeeper Sindhu Sriharsha only for an edge to go the opposite way at knee height to Kolan’s right hand side through the area where she had just been standing, a sequence which drew a visibly frustrated reaction from Chudasama. Norris created another chance off Mupachikwa on 40 coming back for a second spell in the 21st over, but a flick toward Ella Claridge low at short midwicket that appeared to carry wound up going to ground. 
 
Mupachikwa’s second-wicket partnership with Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano wound up extending all the way to 84 runs before Mugeri-Tiripano fell for 38 to Geetika Kodali to make it 121 for 2 in the 25th. Mugeri-Tiripano top-edged a short ball attempting to pull Kodali and the chance sailed straight to Gargi Bhogle positioned perfectly at deep fine leg for a simple catch. 
 
Mupachikwa tapped a single down the ground in the following over to bring up a half-century off 79 balls before the door was opened once again for another opportunity to dismiss her in the 27th. The Zimbabwe opener tapped a length ball from Kodali to Claridge’s left at short midwicket and set off for a suicide single, but Claridge’s collection and side arm throw at the non-striker’s stumps from 10 yards away went wide with Mupachikwa struggling to complete the run. 
 
New batter Beloved Biza then had a close shave on 4 in the 30th over taking on Ritu Singh’s offspin. A wild heave across the line to a fuller ball wide outside off resulted in a skied top edge that Kodali misjudged running sideways at mid-off only for the ball to land behind her just out of reach. Biza then offered another sharp chance on 8 in the following over against legspinner Saanvi Immadi, but the low return drive went underneath the bowler’s right hand at knee height after a delayed reaction trying to reach down to intercept it. 
 
Mupachikwa’s charmed stay in the middle finally came to an end in the 38th over, bringing a conclusion to a 59-run stand with Biza, when she played a tired sweep shot to Chudasama and was given lbw 23 runs short of a would-be century to make it 180 for 3. USA had a chance to make it two in two overs when Kodali induced a false drive from new batter Ashley Ndiraya toward Singh at mid-on, but a usually sure-handed Singh could not hold on as the ball trickled away for a single. 
 
Biza moved to within one shot of a half-century before Chudasama cleverly nabbed her for a third wicket to the USA captain in the 45th. Chudasama floated a full offbreak much wider outside off, forcing Biza to reach well away from her body attempting to sweep and the 15-year-old overbalanced after missing the shot before Sriharsha whipped off the bails for a sharp stumping to make it 203 for 4 after 42. 
 
Even though USA tried their best to apply bowling pressure late, their sloppy fielding once again came back to bite them as captain Josephine Nkomo should have been run out for 8 on yet another missed opportunity with the score at 221 for 4 in the 45th over. Ndiraya flicked a full delivery from Norris straight to Chudasama at midwicket as Nkomo sprinted on contact from the non-striker’s end while Ndiraya stayed put. Nkomo was stranded halfway down the pitch by the time the ball reached Chudasama, but the USA captain rushed her attempted collection after sensing a clear runout chance only to have the ball go straight through her legs with the sequence ending as a single to long-on. 
 
Ndiraya and Nkomo carried on to the finish without any more drama as both pulled and swept USA’s bowlers for multiple boundaries. Nkomo hit the winning runs midway through the 49th, flicking a lofted drive over midwicket to the boundary off Kodali to end on 20 not out off 17 balls. Ndiraya made the most of her life on 1 to finish unbeaten on 28 off 31 balls. 
 
Chudasama continued her impressive form with the ball for USA by finishing with figures of 3 for 33 in 10 overs including a maiden. Kodali was USA’s only other wicket-taker, returning 1 for 49 in 8.3 overs. Norris ended with 0 for 46 in 10 overs despite creating multiple chances that were not converted. Isani Vaghela was USA’s most expensive bowler on the day, ending with 0 for 64 in 10 overs including a maiden. Singh ended as USA’s least economical bowler on the day with 0 for 42 in six while Immadi finished with 0 for 14 off four overs. 
 
USA had battled back from a difficult start to the day after being sent in to bat first by Zimbabwe as Singh came in for Lekha Shetty in the only change to the lineup for USA. The tourists suffered a setback three balls into the match when Gargi Bhogle drove a full delivery from left-arm pacer Nomvelo Sibando straight to Nkomo at extra cover for a duck. Kolan entered at No. 3 and made 1 off 12 deliveries before she poked well away from her body at a length delivery angled across by Sibanda to feather an edge behind to Mupachikwa making it 12 for 2 in the fifth. Claridge’s rough start to her USA career continued when she tried to come down the track to heave offspinner Lindokuhle Mabhero over midwicket but could not clear Mayers on the boundary and fell for 18 to make it 39 for 3. 
 
But not for the first time, Sriharsha sparked a fightback for USA with her wide array of late cuts, dabs and sweeps to get the scoreboard moving. She teamed with Dhingra for a 61-run partnership before Dhingra fell for 39, missing a drive to a full delivery angled into the pads by Nkomo only for the ball to carom off the pads onto the stumps making it 100 for 4. Sriharsha was the aggressor in her 50-run partnership with Chudasama as well, bringing up a half-century by slapping a free hit from Runyararo Pasipanodya over mid-off for four before following it with a pull through the leg side for two on the next ball to arrive at her maiden ODI fifty off of 59 balls. 
 
Sriharsha looked well on her way to a century, having struck seven fours in her innings, before running herself out for 69 in the 33rd over. The former captain played a cut shot behind point where Sibanda dove to knock the ball down and prevent a boundary. The ball bounced several yards away for an easy single but Sriharsha tried to stretch it into a second run. Sibanda got back to her feet and chased the ball down at short third before relaying to wicketkeeper Mupachikwa who took the bails off with Sriharsha a yard short making it 150 for 5. 
 
Chudasama made 41 off 50 balls mostly by being efficient tapping ones and twos around the outfield. She only scored two boundaries in her knock but perished trying to clear long-off in the 42nd and instead offered a simple catch to Audrey Mazvishaya for a wicket to spinner Christabel Chatonzwa making it 199 for 6. Vaghela made 20 before she departed in the 45th, bowled by a full length ball from Nkomo to make it 213 for 7. 
 
Norris made a brisk 28 off 23 balls before falling to Mazvishaya in the 48th to make it 235 for 8. Two balls after driving Mazvishaya down the ground through mid-off for a boundary, Norris tried to repeat the shot but instead went too wide and picked out Ndiraya on the long-off boundary. Singh fell two balls later for 5, running herself out after setting off on contact on a ball punched straight to Mugeri-Tiripano at extra cover. Kodali turned down the run at the non-striker’s end and the relay to Mupachikwa had Singh out by 10 yards after giving up on returning to her crease. Immadi was the final wicket of the innings four balls into the final over, dragging a wide delivery from Sibanda onto her stumps for 4. Kodali remained not out on 9. 
 
Sibanda finished with 3 for 41 in 9.4 overs to lead Zimbabwe in the field. Nkomo returned 2 for 36 in 10 overs including a maiden. Mazvishaya had 1 for 36 in her 10 with a maiden. Spinners Mabhera and Chatonzwa returned 1 for 40 in seven and 1 for 57 in nine overs respectively. Biza, Pasipanodya and Mayers combined for the remaining four overs which gave away 36 runs. 
 
The two teams return to action for the third ODI of the five-match series on Wednesday.