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Eddie Chikamhi Senior Sports Reporter

THE Zimbabwe senior women cricket team fell short in the just-ended One Day series against South Africa Emerging women’s side after suffering a 5-0 whitewash at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo.

The hosts were beaten by 69 runs in the last match yesterday. The defeat wrapped up this one-sided series. The visitors dominated from the first game which they had won by 32 runs.

They were sent in to bat first and put on 232/7. Skipper Andrie Steyn led the charge with 100 runs from 132 deliveries.

Middle order batters Nondumiso Shangase (43) and Anneke Bosch (46) also made a big difference with their contributions.

Zimbabwe could only manage 200 runs for the loss of five wickets in their response. Stand-in captain Josephine Nkomo (70) and Precious Marange (41) were the leading lights with the bat in the first match. Bowlers Tasmeen Granger (3-44) and Nomvelo Sibanda (2-46) also provided some positives.

South Africa Emerging Women claimed the second match by 90 runs. They elected to bat first and there was marked improvement in their batting with a total of 297/5 in their 50 overs.

Steyn scored her second century unbeaten (135) and was complemented by opening partner Tazmin Britz (85). The pair set up the stage for the win with a 129-run partnership for the first wicket.

Zimbabwe responded with 207/7. Modester Mupachikwa was unbeaten on 95 runs while Nkomo weighed in with 60 runs. But the rest of the batters struggled. Precious Marange was the only other home player with a double digit score for her 18 runs. It was also not a good game for the bowlers.

The script continued in the third match, which the Zimbabwe women lost by 79 runs, despite skipper Nkomo scoring her third successive half century.

The South Africans batted first but this time their top order faltered. They were 97/5 before Delmi Tucker (65) and number seven batter Masabata Klaas (59) gave them a strong finish, on the way to 242/7.

Zimbabwe totaled 163/8 with Nkomo leading the scoring on 63 runs. But there were encouraging performances from the bowlers after Nomvelo Sibanda took 4-57 while Lorrain Phiri had 2-26.

The hoists batted first in the fourth match but their fortunes did not change as they were beaten by 10 wickets. Their batting was their biggest undoing after they were bowled out, for the first time in the series, for 137 runs.

Steyn (61) and Britz (67) made light work of the hosts with an unbeaten partnership of 138 runs, with just over 25 overs to spare.

The South Africans wrapped up the series with a 69-run win on Wednesday, thanks to middle order batter, Bosch’s century. Zimbabwe were set 239 for victory but they could only get 169/9 in their 50 overs.

Zimbabwe Women were without six key players, including captain Mary-Anne Musonda, Ashley Ndiraya, Chipo Mugeri, Nomatter Mutasa, Sharne Myers and Anesu Mushangwe.

Zimbabwe Women, who were recently granted Test and one-day international status by the International Cricket Council, were using the matches as part of their preparations for the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier 2021 scheduled for December in Sri Lanka.

The top three teams from that 10-team qualifying event will progress to the 50-over ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 in New Zealand.