Spinners Andy McBrine and Simi Singh shared five wickets, as Zimbabwe lost 8 for 57
Ireland 118 for 3 (Stirling 43, Balbirnie 34, Masakadza 1-9) beat Zimbabwe 131 (Ervine 57, McBrine 3-26, Little 3-33) by seven wickets (DLS method)
Still, Ireland would have been delighted to not drop any further points in this series after losing the first match and sharing spoils in the second, which was washed out. They were in a strong position in that game and scored 282 for 8, but Zimbabwe’s chase never began.
Morning showers delayed the start by two hours and 15 minutes, and reduced the matters to 42 overs a side before a 28-minute drizzle in the middle of Zimbabwe’s innings cut that down further to 38. Ireland’s chase started late when rain returned, but was paused in the eighth over, with the target eventually set at 118 runs from 32 overs.
Muzarabani thought he had Stirling too in his next over, when the batter was given out leg before wicket after he shuffled across a full delivery and was hit in front of middle and leg stump. Stirling reviewed and replays showed the ball would have gone over leg. Jongwe also thought he had Stirling when, again, Stirling was given out leg before and reviewed. Replays then showed the ball would have turned past leg stump. Ngarava finally accounted for Stirling, who sliced a pull to midwicket; but by then, Ireland were well on their way to victory.
In Little’s next over, he removed Chakabva with a full ball on middle and off that beat his indecisive prod. Ervine and Wessley Madhevere put on 59, the most productive partnership of the Zimbabwe innings, and both looked in good control. Ervine was particularly confident on the sweep and played the shot of the innings when he cleared the front leg to send Getkate over the deep square leg boundary for six. But when Madhevere tried to take on Getkate, his attempt to slap him over the in-field resulted in a tame catch to Stirling at mid-on. That wicket sparked a collapse that saw Zimbabwe lose 8 for 57 either side of a rain break.
Williams played back to a full ball from McBrine and had his off stump pegged, and McBrine removed a well-set Ervine, who pushed forward defensively and edged to Lorcan Tucker. Sikandar Raza was run-out after responding late to a call for a single from Ryan Burl. By the time Raza saw that Burl, who was the striker, had taken off for a single after hitting Simi to short mid-wicket, Balbirnie had already swooped on the ball and Raza had to run to the wicketkeeper’s end, although he was never likely to make his ground. Burl was then bowled in Simi’s next over when he missed a heave across the line.
Ireland’s next two wickets came through reviews: McBrine accounted for Jongwe, confirmed leg before, while Little returned to take out Muzarabani, who drove away from his body and was caught behind. Ngarava and Wellington Masakadza tried to bat out the overs, but Ngarava was bowled as he tried to pull Simi to end the innings with four overs to spare.
Firdose Moonda is ESPNcricinfo’s South Africa correspondent