HARARE: Abhishek Sharma slammed a 46-ball century as India bounced back with a 100-run win over Zimbabwe in the second Twenty20 international at the Harare Sports Club on Sunday.
Sharma, playing in his second international match, made 100 in an Indian total of 234 for two.
Zimbabwe, who won the first match by 13 runs on Saturday, were bowled out for 134.
The left-handed Sharma, who was out for a duck on debut on Saturday, thrashed eight sixes and seven fours.
“It was a good performance after the defeat yesterday,” said Sharma when he was named man of the match.
“Thanks to the coaches and captain to keep confidence.”
After opening his score with a six against off-spinner Brian Bennett, who dismissed him on Saturday, Sharma charged to his half-century with a six off medium-pacer Dion Myers.
He then raised his hundred with three successive sixes off left-arm spin bowler Wellington Masakadza before being dismissed next ball, caught at backward point.
Sharma was dropped on the long-off boundary off Luke Jongwe when he had 27.
“After the drop I thought it was my day,” he said. “I always believe in my ability. If it’s in my arc and even if it’s the first ball I will go after it.”
Ruturaj Gaikwad (77 not out) and Rinku Singh (48 not out) continued to take the attack to the Zimbabwe bowlers, who conceded 160 runs in the last 10 overs.
India made more runs in their innings than the combined total of both teams in a low-scoring encounter on the same pitch on Saturday when Zimbabwe made 115 for nine and India were bowled out for 102.
Despite an aggressive 26 off nine balls by Bennett, Zimbabwe’s hopes were virtually extinguished when they crashed to 46 for four after four overs, with seamers Mukesh Kumar and Avesh Khan taking two wickets each.
India captain Shubman Gill said his young team had responded well to Saturday’s defeat.
“Yesterday it was more about not being able to handle the pressure. It is a young side and many of them are new to international cricket. It was good to have pressure in the first game. We knew what to expect in this game.”
Abhishek century guides India to T20 victory against Zimbabwe
https://arab.news/9zt8j
Abhishek century guides India to T20 victory against Zimbabwe
- Zimbabwe, who won the first match by 13 runs on Saturday, were bowled out for 134 runs
- Abhishek Sharma, playing second international match, thrashed eight sixes and seven fours
Salama smashes course record with sensational 60 at Madinaty
- Spaniard cards 10-under-par round with 9 birdies and a chip-in eagle to lead by four in Egypt
CAIRO: Spain’s Juan Salama fired a sensational 10-under-par course record of 60 to take a four-shot lead after the opening round of the Egypt Golf Series.
Salama’s stunning round at Madinaty Golf Club bettered the previous record of 63 and included nine birdies and a chip-in eagle on the par-five ninth — his final hole of the day after the field started on the 10th.
The Spaniard, who finished runner-up to Jack Davidson in last week’s play-off at Address Marassi, dropped his only shot of the day on the eighth hole, meaning a par there would have given him the magical 59.
“It was definitely an early start today — I was up at 3:45 a.m. stretching, breakfast at 4:30, and we arrived at the course around 5:30, so I was warming up in the dark, which was pretty crazy,” said Salama.
“But it actually went really well. I love being first out because the greens are perfect with no footprints and the ball rolls beautifully. The conditions here at Madinaty Golf Club have been fantastic all week.
“I made nine birdies with just one dropped shot, and on the last hole I really fancied the chip-in for eagle. My personal best round is nine under, so I went for it and it paid off. I feel like my game has been in a really good place the last couple of weeks. I’ve been working hard, my family has been a huge support, and my wife keeps me very disciplined, so it’s nice to see that work paying off.”
Last week’s winner Jack Davidson is the closest pursuer after a six-under 64 that included seven birdies and just one dropped shot at the par-five 13th — his fourth hole of the day.
“It was a similar situation to last week, chasing Juan Salama again, but I’m really happy with six under,” said Davidson. “The wind made it tough at times, but I managed to hole a few nice putts and keep the momentum going after last week’s play-off win.
“The up-and-down on eight was a big moment. It’s one of the hardest holes on the course, so saving par there and going on to make birdie at the last was huge. With an early tee time tomorrow, hopefully we get slightly better conditions and fresher greens.”
Four players currently share third place at five under par: Argentina’s Gaston Bertinotti, Wales’ Owen Edwards, Germany’s Tim Tillmanns and Italy’s Ludovico Addabbo, who sits second in the MENA Golf Tour Rankings.
“It was a great round, to be honest. I played really solid,” said Bertinotti. “The course was playing pretty tough — really firm and fast, especially on the downhill shots — and the wind picked up after the fourth hole, which made things even more challenging.
“The wind makes the course a lot more challenging. There are holes where you can be hitting three clubs less than normal from the rough because the ball just doesn’t stop downwind. Both nines are tough in different ways. On the front you hit more drivers, and on the back there are a lot of demanding iron shots, especially with the par threes and the water in play.”
Rankings leader Chris Wood is absent this week as he competes in the Qatar Masters on the DP World Tour, and with Addabbo well placed heading into round two, there is an opportunity to close the gap at the top of the standings.
The Egyptian contingent found the windy conditions challenging but took plenty of positives from the experience of competing against the international field.
“Conditions are pretty tough with the wind,” said Ahmed Morgan, who carded an 81. “When I played this course on the Asian Tour without wind it was much easier, but with these conditions there are some really demanding holes. The greens are very fast, so it’s difficult to hold them, which makes knocking it close to the pin the key this week.”
Amateur Abdelrahman El-Defrawy echoed those sentiments after his opening 78.
“It was pretty tough out there with the wind, but the course itself is in great condition,” he said.
“The wind was probably the biggest challenge, especially with judging yardages between clubs. But that’s all part of the experience — playing under this kind of pressure is something I’ll take a lot from going forward.”
