Eire delivered a complete all-round efficiency on Saturday, July 26, to defeat Zimbabwe by 97 runs within the opening One-Day Worldwide of their two-match collection. The commanding win at residence leaves the touring Zimbabwean aspect nonetheless looking for their first white-ball victory. Eire’s top-order laid a robust basis, propelling them to a aggressive whole, which proved too formidable for Zimbabwe’s struggling batting lineup to chase.
Eire’s batting prowess units excessive goal
After being requested to bat first, Eire’s openers, Sarah Forbes (54) and captain Gaby Lewis (51), set the tone with a powerful 116-run partnership, irritating the Zimbabwean bowlers. Whereas Lewis, the extra aggressive of the 2, departed quickly after her fifty, Forbes continued her robust displaying, including a swift 40 runs in simply 5.1 overs alongside Amy Hunter. Hunter herself contributed a brisk 43 off 38 deliveries, narrowly lacking a half-century. Orla Prendergast maintained the scoring charge with a quickfire 52 off 52 balls earlier than being stumped. Laura Delany’s run-a-ball 34 guided Eire previous the 250-run mark. Regardless of a late collapse, the place Eire misplaced their final six wickets for under 35 runs, stopping them from breaching the 300-run mark, their closing whole of 288/9 introduced a major problem.
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Zimbabwe’s top-order collapse proves expensive
The 289-run goal instantly regarded daunting for Zimbabwe as their top-order crumbled underneath stress. Orla Prendergast, starring with the ball as properly, struck twice in consecutive overs throughout her opening spell, lowering Zimbabwe to a precarious 17/2. By the top of the Powerplay, they had been reeling at 34/3. Skipper Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano (68) and Beloved Biza tried a restoration with a resilient 68-run stand, stemming the move of wickets for practically 12 overs. Nevertheless, Lara McBride’s essential twin strikes ignited one other collapse, as Zimbabwe misplaced 4 wickets for simply 39 runs. Regardless of an unbeaten 32 off 71 balls from Runyararo Pasipanodya, which stored them mathematically within the contest till the penultimate over, the early injury proved insurmountable for the guests.
Eire thump Zimbabwe within the first ODI 🏏#IREvZIM #ODI #cricket pic.twitter.com/us5IIc2Jhl
— WomenCricket.com (@WomenCricketHQ) July 27, 2025
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