TORONTO, Oct 12: Zimbabwe earned a win they barely deserved, claiming a 3-1 victory in a bowl-out, after scrambling to a tie against Canada in the Twenty20 tournament on Saturday

Zimbabwe, who slumped to 61 for five in the 11th over while chasing 136, recovered through a stand of 53 between Tatenda Taibu and Elton Chigumbura, but still needed 10 off the last over.

Harvir Baidwan took two wickets in two balls, but Prosper Utseya and Tawanda Mupariwa squeezed nine off the next four balls, with Utseya run out off the final delivery trying to win the match.

Under the regulations, Twenty20 matches can’t be tied in tournaments so it was time for cricket’s version of a penalty shoot-out. Baidwan, so nearly the match-winner, missed with his effort and so too did Sunil Dhaniram.

Abdool Samad then overstepped with his delivery after Zimbabwe’s bowlers hit the stumps three times. The visitors could breathe a sigh of relief, but they hardly deserved their escape route

Twenty20 again proved how it levels the playing field between teams, but Canada didn’t quite have the experience or skill to hold on at the end. A few misfields came into their game and occasionally bowlers lost their nerve, but to force their way into a position where they could even contemplate victory should be a huge boost to their confidence.

Scoreboard

CANADA:

A.A. Mulla b Chigumbura 0

Rizwan Cheema c Taibu b Chigumbura 23

Mohammad Iqbal b Price 22

A.M. Samad run out 18

R.R. David c Maruma b Utseya 2

S. Dhaniram run out 5

K. Jethi st Taibu b Maruma 24

W.D. Balaji Rao not out 22

Umar Bhatti not out 4

EXTRAS (B-4, LB-7, W-4) 15

TOTAL (for seven wkts, 20 overs) 135

Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Mulla), 2-32 (Rizwan Cheema), 3-59 (Samad), 4-71 (David), 5-71 (Mohammad Iqbal), 6-78 (Dhaniram) 7-108 (Jethi)

DID NOT BAT: H.S. Baidwan, H. Osinde.

BOWLING: Chigumbura 3-0-31-2 (1w); Mupariwa 4-0-31-0 (3w); Price 4-1-17-1; Utseya 4-0-12-1; Dabengwa 3-0-25-0; Maruma 2-0-8-1.

ZIMBABWE:

H. Masakadza c David b Rizwan 15

C. Zhuwawo c Baidwan b Osinde 0

C.J. Chibhabha c Baidwan b Rizwan 17

T. Taibu c Osinde b Baidwan 37

S. Matsikenyeri lbw b Baidwan 6

K.M. Dabengwa c Mulla b Balaji Rao 6

E. Chigumbura b Osinde 30

T .Maruma c Osinde b Baidwan 4

T. Mupariwa not out 3

P. Utseya run out 6

EXTRAS (B-3, LB-3, w5) 11

TOTAL (for nine wkts, 20 overs) 135

FALL OF WKTS: 1-1, 2-34, 3-34, 4-51, 5-61, 6-114, 7-126, 8-126, 9-135.

DID NOT BAT: R.W. Price.

BOWLING: Osinde 4-0-22-2; Umar Bhatti 2-0-15-0 (1w); Rizwan Cheema 4-1-19-2 (1w); Baidwan 4-0-27-3 (1w); Dhaniram 3-0-22-0; Balaji Rao 3-0-24-1.

RESULT: Match tied. Zimbabwe won

bowl-off.

UMPIRES: K. Bayney (Canada) and M.R. Benson (England).

TV UMPIRE: K. Shanthikumar (Canada).

MATCH REFEREE: J.J. Crowe (New Zealand).

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Tatenda Taibu. —Agencies