Watch cricket video highlights of Ireland Tour of Zimbabwe 2025. Second ODI between Ireland and Zimbabwe. Venue of the match will be Harare.
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Curtis Campher delivered another outstanding all-round performance that set the stage for Ireland’s victory in Harare, leveling the series. His impressive three-wicket haul disrupted Zimbabwe’s batting momentum, keeping their score well below par, while his partnership of 144 runs with Paul Stirling, who scored a solid 89, ensured Ireland was always in control of the chase. Having fallen short in their previous ODI chase, Stirling was pleased to choose to bowl first again on a pitch that favored bowlers.
Although Wessly Madhevere and Sikandar Raza both scored half-centuries, Ireland effectively contained Zimbabwe and never allowed them to pull ahead. Mark Adair claimed four wickets, but it was Campher’s pivotal performance that ended a 74-run partnership between Madhevere and Raza, significantly restricting the hosts just as they began to gain momentum. Despite losing an early wicket, Stirling and Campher kept Ireland ahead of the required run rate, and by the time they were dismissed, it was too late for Zimbabwe to stage a comeback.
Chasing a target of 246, Andy Balbirnie started the innings with a stylish drive through cover point in the opening over. In the second over, Stirling struck a boundary against Blessing Muzarabani, hitting him through the covers on the very first ball. Unfortunately for Zimbabwe, Muzarabani struggled with his accuracy, resulting in a ten-ball over that cost them 14 runs. Nevertheless, Muzarabani made a strong comeback, dismissing Balbirnie caught at slip with a well-directed bouncer in the sixth over.
And he also troubled Campher by beating his outside edge a couple of times. Campher and Stirling worked through the new ball effectively, maintaining Ireland’s momentum, with the captain capitalizing on fielding limitations by striking several boundaries, including the match’s first six in the ninth over off Trevor Gwandu. The pair reached their fifty-run partnership in just 51 balls, skillfully rotating the strike while including an occasional boundary.
Ireland benefitted as well from Zimbabwe’s generosity in extras, totaling 23. Stirling achieved his half-century in the 24th over, and shortly after, the century partnership with Campher was established. Campher celebrated his fifty in the 30th over by launching Gwandu into the stands in front of square leg. The partnership was eventually broken when a length delivery from Gwandu unexpectedly stayed low, catching Campher in front while he attempted a pull shot.
Harry Tector, who had an unproductive 39 off 78 in the previous ODI, was much more aggressive this time, pulling the third ball he faced for a four. In the last match, it took him 77 balls to hit his first boundary. However, his time at the crease was brief as he attempted to cut a short and wide ball but edged it to the wicketkeeper, where Tadiwanashe Marumani made a fine catch. Stirling, on the other hand, made sure Ireland remained in control, striking Ngarava for a six over long-on.
Ngarava finally achieved a breakthrough when Stirling went for a short ball and misplayed it to cover, finishing 11 runs shy of a century. Lorcan Tucker then took over and hit Gwandu for three successive boundaries. Ireland easily chased down the remaining runs, with Tucker scoring the winning runs in the second-to-last over. Earlier, Zimbabwe’s opening pair started cautiously until Brian Bennett accelerated with a series of boundaries off Adair and Graham Hume.
Five out of his six boundaries were hit on the off side, and he struck two of them back-to-back off Adair, only for the fast bowler to dismiss him with a wide delivery that Bennett edged to slip. Ireland managed to stabilize their innings after Bennett’s departure. Curran and Craig Ervine could only muster nine runs from 25 balls until Josh Little bowled a full delivery that seamed past Ervine’s inside edge and knocked out his middle stump.
Curran’s disappointing innings concluded when he chopped the ball onto his stumps in Andy McBrine’s first over, scoring 18 off 36 balls. Raza began by facing McBrine without scoring for four balls, resulting in a wicket maiden for the spinner, before hitting a boundary off him in his next over. Madhevere, who appeared aggressive from the outset, and Raza maintained Zimbabwe’s momentum with consistent boundaries, with Madhevere reaching a run-a-ball half-century in the 27th over.
However, a timely bowling change shifted the momentum back to Ireland. Campher came in during the 30th over and, in his second over, skillfully set up Madhevere. After bowling a series of outswingers, he had Madhevere moving across his stumps before delivering a straight ball that trapped him lbw. In his next over, he bowled a length ball to Johnathan Campbell, and the noise prompted the umpire to give it as caught behind. Replays indicated that the ball had only brushed the pad.
There was no ambiguity regarding Campher’s following wicket when he struck Marumani plumb in front just two balls later. Raza and Masakadza then halted the decline, with Raza scoring 27 off 24 balls in a 50-run partnership, thereby securing his half-century in the process. Raza was dismissed at deep midwicket while attempting to increase the scoring rate, miscuing a pull off Adair. Tector made a fine catch as he sprinted in from the boundary and dove forward. Masakadza and Ngarava endeavored to elevate Zimbabwe’s total past 250, but Ireland quickly dispatched the tail, with Adair taking two of the last three wickets.
