Watch cricket video highlights of Ireland Tour of Zimbabwe 2025. Third ODI between Ireland and Zimbabwe. Venue of the match will be Harare.
Copyright – Third Party Reference Inline Linking Embedded Video from Dailymotion
Report
Zimbabwe won the toss and chose to have Ireland bat first in the series decider in Harare. Both teams have retained their lineups from the second ODI, which Ireland claimed by six wickets. Craig Ervine mentioned that extras have been detrimental to them and emphasized the need to bowl more tightly to exert early pressure on Ireland. Paul Stirling pointed out that the importance of the toss has not been as significant as it typically is in Harare.
The morning in Harare was overcast with the possibility of rain likely occurring an hour or two into the match, which could potentially benefit Zimbabwe. The ground features a larger square boundary, which might encourage batters to target the shorter boundary. There is also grass cover present, including some on the pitch. Stirling and Curtis Campher both achieved match-winning half-centuries in the previous game and are currently Ireland’s leading run-scorers in the series.
Together with Andy Balbirnie, they will play a crucial role in establishing the innings for the visitors. Ben Curran triumphed over his brothers Sam and Tom, becoming the first sibling in the family to achieve an international century. His unbeaten score of 118 helped Zimbabwe claim their first ODI series victory since March 2023, their first against a Full Member team since August 2022, and their first against Ireland in almost a decade.
Curran entered the match following disappointing performances in the first two ODIs, but demonstrated his high potential by guiding Zimbabwe to their target of 241 with 63 balls remaining. As the Harare pitch improved throughout the afternoon, he raced to a 38-ball half-century, hitting nine of his 14 fours during that explosive start, before adopting a more measured pace while his captain Craig Ervine smoothly reached an unbeaten 69 off 59 deliveries.
Curran formed an unbroken partnership of 122 runs with Ervine for the second wicket, having previously contributed to a 124-run opening stand with Brian Bennett. It was an ideal day for the home team right from the moment Ervine won the toss and chose to field. Ireland’s batting never gained momentum, despite half-centuries from Andy Balbirnie, Harry Tector, and Lorcan Tucker. Zimbabwe utilized only five bowlers, with Richard Ngarava and Trevor Gwandu each taking two wickets, consistently applying pressure throughout the innings.
Curran approached his batting with bravery right from the first delivery – his attempted flick off that ball soared away off the leading edge, yet he didn’t let it discourage him as he followed up by cutting the next ball for four. Mark Adair, who bowled the opening over, faced more punishment in the fifth as Curran and Bennett struck him for three fours. There were well-timed pulls, edged cuts, and powerful swipes down the pitch as the openers capitalized on Ireland’s bowlers’ lengths.
Curran’s scooped four off Graham Hume in the eighth over stood out as a highlight. Between the fifth and tenth overs, Zimbabwe scored 60 runs off 36 balls, hitting 12 fours. They concluded the first powerplay at 77 without losing a wicket, with Curran unbeaten on 54. The arrival of spin and a 30-minute rain delay did not disrupt the rhythm of the batters or influence the pitch conditions. In fact, it seemed to improve the batting surface even further. Bennett was dismissed by Hume in the 20th over against the flow of the game.
He missed a flick, was struck on the pad, and was ruled out lbw, despite height appearing to be questionable upon review. DRS isn’t available for the series, so Bennett had no choice but to leave the field. Ervine struck a four and a six in his first ten deliveries. He tapped a length delivery from Hume through the slips for a four and elegantly flicked a six off Andy McBrine. The runs kept flowing steadily as Zimbabwe reached 151 for 1 after 25 overs.
McBrine attempted to secure wickets by delivering slower, fuller balls, but this strategy yielded no results as the match continued to drift away from Ireland. Ervine easily hit him over cover and flicked him over midwicket for consecutive fours in the 28th over. His on-drive for six off Harry Tector in the 33rd over was even more impressive, arguably the best shot of the day. He soon reached his fifty and helped Zimbabwe cross 200 with a single to long-on.
Meanwhile, Curran smoothly approached his century. He hit his 10th boundary off his 40th ball, his 11th off the 65th – when he was on 66 – and his 12th off the 127th, bringing his tally to 108*. He moved from 80 to 100 with 18 singles and a two, and even faced a maiden over on 99 before celebrating his maiden century off 120 balls, much to the joy of his teammates and the attending fans. Ultimately, the home team surged to victory in the 39th over, achieving their first series win of the summer on home soil.
Choosing to bat first, Ireland approached their innings with caution, hoping to weather the new ball in overcast conditions. Blessing Muzarabani and Richard Ngarava bowled with Test-match precision, continuously probing the outside edge. Paul Stirling, having been beaten twice by Muzarabani in the sixth over, attempted to capitalize on width from Ngarava in the following over but ended up lobbing a catch to cover. Balbirnie, his partner, concluded the first powerplay with a mere 12 runs off 40 balls, leaving Ireland at 26 for 1.
Gwandu, who came into the attack in the 12th over, began with a no-ball and gave away seven runs from his first two legal deliveries, but then managed to draw an edge from Curtis Campher two deliveries later. In the next over, he again troubled Campher with extra bounce, eventually causing him to be caught at midwicket while trying to pull the ball. Tector entered the fray alongside Balbirnie in the 14th over, with Ireland at 42 for 2.
The pair combined for 86 runs for the third wicket, hitting a total of four fours and two sixes in their partnership, but it took 115 balls to achieve this. Balbirnie was dropped on 42 during the 29th over and achieved his fifty off 87 balls in the 31st. He managed to hit his first six with a slog-sweep against Wellington Masakadza but was dismissed the very next ball while miscuing the same shot to deep midwicket. This left Ireland at 128 for 3 in the 33rd over, with their scoring rate still below four.
Sikandar Raza bowled a fast and varied ten-over spell without a break. He kept Tector from scoring after Balbirnie’s departure as the batter sought ways to hit boundaries. Ngarava capitalized on Tector’s frustrations as he mishit a pull shot to midwicket right after reaching a fifty from 83 balls. After Gwandu induced extra bounce to dismiss George Dockrell cheaply, Adair came in to partner Tucker, contributing 57 runs for the sixth wicket in 52 balls. Tucker’s fifty, achieved in just 44 balls, was the fastest of the innings. However, none of the last ten overs yielded more than ten runs or more than one boundary.
