HIGHLIGHTS Zimbabwe vs Ireland, Ireland in Zimbabwe 3 T20I Series 2025, 1st T20- Result, Scorecard

It is pouring down now and the game has been CALLED OFF! Rain has emerged victorious in the first T20I. There was rain earlier but it did stop. It was got down to a curtailed game and we did have 9 full overs of the first innings but that was it. As soon as the first innings was done, the rain returned and that forced the umpires to call it off. The second T20I though will be played on the 23rd of this month and we hope we get a full game then. Till the, goodbye and take care!

Bad news to begin with in the second half as the rain is coming down and the covers are on again!

... The Run Chase ...

Ireland's bowling effort was exceptional for most of the 9 overs, but a slight lapse in discipline towards the end, particularly from Curtis Campher and Gareth Delany, who conceded over 10 runs each, allowed Zimbabwe to post a competitive total. The Irish bowlers still had some notable performances, with Craig Young and Josh Little claiming two wickets each, while Graham Hume chipped in with one wicket.

Zimbabwe's top order struggled early on, but a crucial cameo from Ryan Burl provided the much-needed impetus to get the hosts' innings going. Burl's solid knock was then complemented by some impressive finishing touches from Wessly Madhevere and Tashinga Musekiwa, enabling Zimbabwe to post a total of 77.

We are at the midway break of this contest and Zimbabwe have posted 77 after 9 overs.

Craig Young to Tashinga Musekiwa, On a length around the pads, Tashinga Musekiwa flicks this to deep square and takes two.

Craig Young to Tashinga Musekiwa, Edged and put down again, this time by the keeper.

Craig Young to Tashinga Musekiwa, Short-pitched again, Tashinga Musekiwa pulls this straight towards the fielder at deep square but he drops it. Couple taken again.

Craig Young to Tashinga Musekiwa, Short-pitched, around leg, Tashinga Musekiwa pulls this to deep mid-wicket for two.

Craig Young to Wessly Madhevere, On a length wide of off, Wessly Madhevere lofts this to mid off and takes one.

Craig Young to Wessly Madhevere, Slower one, short and wide of off, Wessly Madhevere swings and misses.

Graham Hume to Tashinga Musekiwa, FOUR! Short and wide outside off, Tashinga Musekiwa smashes this up and over cover for four.

Graham Hume to Tashinga Musekiwa, WIDE! Bumper, way too high for the umpires liking. Wided.

Graham Hume to Tony Munyonga, OUT! IN THE AIR AND GONE! Short-pitched around middle and off, Tony Munyonga looks for the pull but gets a hand off the handle of his bat and hits this straight at Harry Tector towards long on for his dismissal.

Graham Hume to Tony Munyonga, Back of a length outside off, Tony Munyonga looks for the pull but misses.

Graham Hume to Tony Munyonga, FOUR! Edged and away for four. Pitched-up around middle and off, Tony Munyonga swings as hard as he could, gets an outside edge and this flies between the keeper and short third for four.

Graham Hume to Tony Munyonga, On a length wide outside off, Tony Munyonga looks to slog this on leg but misses out.

Graham Hume to Wessly Madhevere, On a length around middle and leg, Wessly Madhevere flicks this just over the fielder at short fine leg and takes three here.

Josh Little to Wessly Madhevere, On a length around the pads, Wessly Madhevere moves in and flicks this through fine leg for one.

Josh Little to Tony Munyonga, Good length around off, Tony Munyonga punches this away for a single.

Josh Little to Tony Munyonga, Good length around off, Tony Munyonga looks to loft this over the fielder at short third but misses out.

Josh Little to Tony Munyonga, FOUR! Short-pitched, around off, Tony Munyonga leans back and just helps this up and over the keeper for a boundary towards third man region.

Josh Little to Ryan Burl, OUT! IN THE AIR AND GONE! A timely cameo from Burl has ended with this catch. On a length around middle and leg, Ryan Burl goes for the slog aiming to clear long on but gets it off the tow end and the ball ends up in the fielders hands at long on.

Josh Little to Ryan Burl, Good length around middle and leg, Ryan Burl lofts this in empty pocket towards leg and takes two.

Curtis Campher to Ryan Burl, Short-pitched around leg, Ryan Burl pulls this towards deep mid-wicket for one.

Curtis Campher to Ryan Burl, FOUR! Toying with the field is Burl. On a length wide outside off, Ryan Burl steps a long way across and flicks this over short fine leg for a boundary.

Curtis Campher to Ryan Burl, Short-pitched, on leg, Ryan Burl pulls this flat and towards deep mid-wicket for two.

Curtis Campher to Ryan Burl, FOUR! Short-pitched, around off, Ryan Burl slashes hard at it and the ball finds an outside edge and it flies through short third's right for four.

Curtis Campher to Ryan Burl, On a length around middle and leg, Ryan Burl punches this away for two more.

Curtis Campher to Ryan Burl, SIX! Third six from the bat of Ryan Burl. On a length around middle and leg, Ryan Burl clears his front leg and slogs this up and over long on for a huge six.

Gareth Delany to Ryan Burl, Floated around off, Ryan Burl hammers this to long on and takes one.

Gareth Delany to Ryan Burl, SIX! Deposited in the stands again. Tossed up wide outside off, Ryan Burl steps across and slogs this up and over long on for six more.

Gareth Delany to Ryan Burl, SIX! First one right out of the middle of Burl's bat and this is deposited way back in the stands for six towards deep mid-wicket region.

Gareth Delany to Wessly Madhevere, Tossed up around leg, Wessly Madhevere slogs this to deep mid-wicket for one.

Gareth Delany to Wessly Madhevere, Full and on leg, Wessly Madhevere miscues it off the cue end rolling through mid on and the batters take two.

Gareth Delany to Ryan Burl, Tossed up on off, Ryan Burl lofts this to long on for one.

Curtis Campher to Ryan Burl, Punched into the gap on off for one.

Curtis Campher to Ryan Burl, On a length around leg, Ryan Burl moves in and goes for the flick but misses out. Umpire to Burl's surprise calls it a fair one and states that the movement from the batter is the reason for this call.

Curtis Campher to Ryan Burl, WIDE! On a length way too wide outside off. Wided.

Curtis Campher to Ryan Burl, Bumper, going past the batter around his off. Burl leaves this expecting a wide but the umpire calls it fair.

Curtis Campher to Ryan Burl, Full and wide outside off, Ryan Burl shimmies down the track and swings but misses.

Curtis Campher to Ryan Burl, Good length around middle and leg, Ryan Burl ends up thumping this closer to the bowler.

Curtis Campher to Wessly Madhevere, On a length around off, Wessly Madhevere lofts this over short cover for one.

Josh Little to Ryan Burl, A wicket maiden in a shortened game and this is absolutely sensational from Josh Little.

Josh Little to Tadiwanashe Marumani, OUT! IN THE AIR AND GONE! Zimbabwe are in deep trouble having gone three down with just 11 in a 9-over contest. Good length around off, Tadiwanashe Marumani looks to loft this over cover but gets it off the bottom and it travels only to Neil Rock at cover for a dolly.

Josh Little to Tadiwanashe Marumani, Goes past the outside edge yet again. Good length outside off, Tadiwanashe Marumani pokes at it and gets beaten.

Josh Little to Tadiwanashe Marumani, Another play and a miss. Short and wide outside off, Tadiwanashe Marumani shimmies down and swings but misses.

Josh Little to Tadiwanashe Marumani, Good length around off, Tadiwanashe Marumani goes for the pick up flick but misses.

Josh Little to Tadiwanashe Marumani, Good length wide of off, Tadiwanashe Marumani swings and misses.

Craig Young to Wessly Madhevere, Back of a length around off, Wessly Madhevere was almost looking to bail out of any stroke but ends up dabs this past short third for two.

Craig Young to Wessly Madhevere, Good length around off, Wessly Madhevere looks to get some bat behind this but gets beaten as it keeps low.

Craig Young to Sikandar Raza, OUT! A GOLDEN DUCK FOR THE ZIMBABWEAN SKIPPER! Back of a length around middle and leg, Sikandar Raza steps into the line of it and looks to hit over short fine leg. Gets it high on his bat and the ball finds Graham Hume at short fine.

Sikandar Raza walks out next to bat.

Craig Young to Brian Bennett, OUT! IN THE AIR AND GONE! Good length around off, Brian Bennett clears his front leg and slogs at it. Get it sliced off the bottom and it hangs over Harry Tector at mid off. Harry runs back and takes it well.

Craig Young to Brian Bennett, FOUR! Good length around middle and off, Brian Bennett has a full go at it, gets it off the top edge and it flies over short third for a boundary.

Craig Young to Brian Bennett, On a length around off, Brian Bennett punches this off his back foot past point for two.

Craig Young will bowl from the other end.

Graham Hume to Tadiwanashe Marumani, Good length around middle and off, Tadiwanashe Marumani swings and misses.

Graham Hume to Tadiwanashe Marumani, Good length on top of off, Tadiwanashe Marumani punches this back to the bowler.

Graham Hume to Tadiwanashe Marumani, Good length around off, Tadiwanashe Marumani looks to slog this over mid-wicket but gets it off the inside the ball is rolled to mid-wicket instead.

Graham Hume to Brian Bennett, Back of a length around off, Brian Bennett moves to his leg and guides this to short third for one.

Graham Hume to Tadiwanashe Marumani, On a length around leg, Tadiwanashe Marumani flicks this to short fine leg for one.

Graham Hume to Brian Bennett, Good length on the pads, Brian Bennett tucks this to deep square for a single to start the contest.

After all the delays, we are finally all set for play to begin. The umpires have made their way out in the middle followed by the players of Ireland. Brian Bennett and Tadiwanashe Marumani are the openers for Zimbabwe while Graham Hume will bowl the first over for Ireland.

We are hearing that the game might have been further cut down to 9-overs per side contest.

Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza expressed that he would have preferred to bowl first, but remains confident in his team's all-round abilities. He emphasized that Zimbabwe is now approaching every T20I with a sense of seriousness and a focus on the future.

Ireland captain Paul Stirling stated that his team will field first, aiming to secure early wickets and build momentum. Stirling emphasized the importance of continuous improvement, with the next World Cup just 12 months away. He highlighted that Ireland's automatic qualification for the tournament provides an opportunity to experiment and try out different approaches, unlike in previous years when they had to navigate qualifying tournaments six months prior.

Ireland (Playing XI) - Paul Stirling(C), Lorcan Tucker(WK), Harry Tector, Curtis Campher, Neil Rock, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Graham Hume, Craig Young, Josh Little, Ben White.

Zimbabwe (Playing XI) - Brian Bennett, Tadiwanashe Marumani(WK), Wessly Madhevere, Sikandar Raza(C), Tony Munyonga, Ryan Burl, Tashinga Musekiwa, Wellington Masakadza, Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani, Trevor Gwandu.

TOSS - Ireland have won the toss and they have decided to bowl.

UPDATE - The wait is finally over, and we have some exciting news! The match has been revised to an 11-over-per-side contest, and we're just moments away from getting underway. The all-important toss is scheduled to take place at 1.5 pm GMT, which will determine who takes the field first. Play will start at 1.30 pm GMT.

UPDATE - 12.49 pm GMT - What a dramatic turnaround! The covers are off, and the sun is shining brightly! It's a beautiful transformation from rain to sunshine, and the stage is finally set for the match to begin! The players, officials, and spectators must be thrilled to see the sun peeking through the clouds. Let's get ready for some exciting cricket action!

UPDATE - 12.39 pm GMT - The rain seems to be playing a game of hide and seek indeed! For the third time, the rain has stopped, and the groundsmen are back out on the field. Let's keep our fingers crossed that this time, the rain stays away for good, and we can finally get this match underway!

UPDATE - 12.28 pm GMT - The rain is back! Just as we thought the groundsmen were making progress in preparing the field for play, the rain has returned, and the covers are back on. The ground staff has retreated to shelter, and it seems we're back to square one. The wait continues...

UPDATE - 12.10 pm GMT - It looks like the rain has finally cleared up, and the groundsmen are busy getting the field ready for play. The covers are being removed, which is a great sign that we might be getting underway soon. Fingers crossed that the sun comes out and dries up any remaining wet spots, and we can get this match started!

UPDATE - 11.55 am GMT - No change in the situation at the Harare Sports Club. The rain continues to fall, and we're still waiting for a break in the weather. We'll keep you posted as soon as there's an update.

UPDATE - 11.24 am GMT - Rain delays play at the Harare Sports Club! Unfortunately, the toss has been delayed due to the inclement weather. We'll keep you updated on any further developments. Fingers crossed the rain clears up soon and we can get this exciting T20I match underway.

Zimbabwe, under the leadership of Sikandar Raza in the T20 format, will be relying on their batting firepower, which includes the likes of Brian Bennett, Wessley, Burl, Campbell, Myers, Marumani, and others. Their bowling unit, spearheaded by the towering pacers Richard Ngarava and Blessing Muzarabani, has the potential to trouble the Irish batsmen. As the two teams face off in the 1st T20I, it promises to be an exciting encounter, with both sides looking to assert their dominance and gain an early advantage in the series.

Ireland, led by the experienced Paul Stirling, boasts a well-rounded squad. Their batting lineup features a talented mix of players, including Ross Adair, Neil Rock, Harry Tector, and Lorcan Tucker, alongside their skipper. The all-rounders department is equally impressive, with Curtis Campher, Mark Adair, George Delany, and George Dockrell offering a perfect blend of batting and bowling skills. Ireland's bowling unit, spearheaded by Joshua Little, looks potent, with Ben White, Grahama Hume, Humphreys, and McCarthy providing ample support.

Hello and welcome to all our viewers tunign in. The Ireland tour of Zimbabwe reaches its final leg as the two teams clash in the 1st T20I of their 3-match series. Zimbabwe, who suffered a defeat in the one-off Test, bounced back to win the ODI series 2-1, and will be looking to carry that momentum into the T20 format.

... MATCHDAY ...

The Harare Sports Club is set to host the first T20I between Zimbabwe and Ireland, kicking off what promises to be an exciting three-match series. Ireland started the tour with a commanding victory in a one-off Test match, but Zimbabwe bounced back brilliantly to clinch the ODI series 2-1. Now, as the focus shifts to the shortest format, both teams will be eager to stamp their authority. The head-to-head record in recent T20I meetings has been evenly matched, with Zimbabwe and Ireland winning two games each in their last four encounters. However, Ireland will take confidence from their T20I series win over Zimbabwe in December 2023. On the contrary, Zimbabwe will look to carry forward their ODI momentum into the T20 series. Brian Bennett has been in sensational touch, scoring a century on this tour, and will be crucial at the top of the order. Sikandar Raza, Zimbabwe’s skipper and star all-rounder, will be eager to regain his best form like he has shown in the last couple of years after a quiet series where he managed just one fifty and didn't get that much chance to bat as well. Their fast-bowling unit is looking lethal though, with Blessing Muzarabani and Richard Ngarava both in fine rhythm, having picked up 6 wickets each in the ODI series. Ryan Burl, a reliable lower-order batter, adds depth to the lineup, while young talent Wessly Madhevere could also play a key role in stabilizing the innings, though these two batters will need to step up a bit. Ireland, on the other hand, will be without their key pacer Mark Adair, who pulled out due to a knee injury and is replaced by Craig Young. Josh Little, their premier fast bowler, has been below his best in this tour and will need to step up in Adair’s absence as he has been their premier pacer in the last couple of years. They have a good all-rounder in the form of George Dockrell who can chip in with both bat and ball. In the batting lineup, the skipper Paul Stirling remains the backbone, and his explosive starts at the top will be crucial for Ireland’s success. He was in good touch on this tour, scoring a half-century. Middle-order batters Harry Tector and Lorcan Tucker have also been consistent, each registering a fifty in the ODI series. The uncapped Tim Tector has replaced Ross Adair, who was ruled out due to a calf injury. The pitch at Harare Sports Club offers something for both batters and bowlers. While runs will be there for the taking, the surface tends to grip for spinners, and pacers can generate bounce and early movement. Batters who settle in can make big scores, but stroke-making might not be easy in the early overs. With the match scheduled in the afternoon, cracks may open up, making spin more effective as the game progresses. The weather forecast suggests overcast conditions with possible thunderstorms, which could assist the fast bowlers with some movement and make the toss even more crucial. With both teams eyeing a strong start, expect a thrilling contest in Harare!