Half-centuries by Runako Morton and Marlon Samuels guided West Indies to a one-day series win over Zimbabwe at Bulawayo on Friday. West Indies won the fourth match by five wickets to take an unbeatable 3-1 lead in the five-match series.
Zimbabwe scored 232-9 after being put in to bat, and West Indies replied with 234-5 to win with three overs to spare. Morton scored 79 while Samuels made 62, and they shared 105 runs for the third wicket. Vusi Sibanda and Hamilton Masakadza put on 167, Zimbabwe's biggest opening stand in one-day matches. The previous record of 161 was set by the Flower brothers, Grant and Andy, against Bangladesh in 1997.
West Indies had an opportunity to end the partnership at 15 in the seventh over when Sibanda, on eight, was dropped by Dwayne Bravo at first slip off fast bowler Daren Powell. Instead, Sibanda and Masakadza kept the runs flowing until the 37th over, when leg-spinner Rawl Lewis had Masakadza stumped by wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin for 80.
Bravo eventually made amends in the 43rd over, when his throw from cover to the non-striker's end ran out Sibanda for 96. Brendan Taylor's 26 not out was the home side's only other score in double figures as nine wickets fell for 65 runs in 13 overs.
Fast bowler Jerome Taylor profitted handsomely from Zimbabwe's inept batting by taking 5-48. West Indies slipped to 62-2 in the 14th over of their reply, but Morton and Samuels steadied the innings with their century stand. Bravo hastened the end of the match by scoring an unbeaten 41 off as many balls. The last match of the series will be played in Bulawayo on Sunday.
SCOREBOARD:
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Zimbabwe
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V. Sibanda run out (Bravo) 96
H. Masakadza st Ramdin b Lewis 80
E. Chigumbura c Deonarine b Taylor 4
T. Taibu c Deonarine b Taylor 0
B. Taylor not out 26
S. Matsikenyeri b Taylor 4
K. Dabengwa c Ramdin b Taylor 2
C. Chibhabha b Taylor 1
P. Utseya b Bravo 3
G. Brent run out (Bravo) 9
R. Price not out 1
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Extras: (lb-2 w-4) 6
Total: (nine wickets, 50 overs) 232
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Fall of wickets: 1-167, 2-173, 3-176, 4-194, 5-207, 6-213,
7-215, 8-220, 9-231.
Bowling: Powell 8-1-39-0 (w-2), Rampaul 6-1-16-0 (w-2),
Taylor 10-0-48-5, Samuels 10-0-36-0, Deonarine 2-0-16-0, Lewis
7-0-38-1, Bravo 7-0-37-1.
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West Indies
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D. Smith b Chigumbura 0
B. Parchment c Masakadza b Utseya 25
R. Morton c Chigumbura b Price 79
M. Samuels c Chibhabha b Utseya 62
D. Bravo not out 41
N. Deonarine c Price b Utseya 8
D. Ramdin not out 5
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Extras: (lb-5 nb-2 w-7) 14
Total: (five wickets, 47 overs) 234
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Fall of wickets: 1-0 2-62 3-167 4-176 5-197.
Bowling: Chigumbura 6-0-39-1 (nb-1 w-3), Brent 10-0-47-0,
Price 9-0-44-1 (w-1), Chibhabha 2-0-16-0 (nb-1), Utseya
10-1-40-3 (w-1), Dabengwa 10-0-44-0 (w-2).
Result: West Indies won by five wickets
Man of the match: Jerome Taylor (West Indies)
Series: West Indies lead 3-1 in five-match series
Remaining fixtures: Fifth ODI at Bulawayo, December 9.
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