Kaia shines for Chevrons

Eddie Chikamhi

Zimpapers Sports Hub

TOP-order batsman Innocent Kaia struck a career-best T20I half-century to guide Zimbabwe to a comfortable five-wicket victory over Namibia and keep the Chevrons firmly in contention for a place in the final of the Tri-Nations Series in Windhoek yesterday.

The win extended Zimbabwe’s dominance over the hosts after their dramatic five-run victory in a last-over thriller on Monday.

Despite producing a mixed performance with both bat and ball, the Chevrons still successfully chased down Namibia’s 156/6, reaching 159/5 with 11 balls to spare.

Kaia was the standout performer, anchoring the chase with a composed and aggressive 72 off just 42 deliveries. His match-winning innings featured eight fours and three sixes and earned him the Player of the Match award.

The right-hander shared two crucial half-century partnerships, first with Brian Bennett and later with captain Sikandar Raza, to put Zimbabwe firmly in command of the contest.

“It’s always a great feeling when you’re contributing to the team and help them win. This was only my second game, and I knew I needed to score runs for the team.

“For me, it was quite clear. When we lose wickets, what we talk about in the team is to just carry forward, be aggressive and take the game to the bowlers. I just try to back myself whenever I’m playing the game, and that’s it, paid off today,” said Kaia.

With four points now in the bag, the Chevrons remain in the hunt for a place in Sunday’s final. Their hopes will hinge on the outcome of today’s final round-robin match between Namibia and table-topping South Africa, who are also on four points.

Zimbabwe won the toss and elected to field first, a decision that initially paid dividends as they reduced Namibia to 26/3 by the end of the powerplay.

The hosts continued to struggle, reaching 50/3 at the halfway stage before captain Gerhard Erasmus engineered a remarkable recovery with an unbeaten 88 off 48 balls.

Erasmus’ innings dragged Namibia back into the contest and lifted them to a competitive 156/6 from their allotted 20 overs.

Brad Evans and newboy Kundai Matigimu claimed two wickets apiece, while Sikandar Raza and Blessing Muzarabani chipped in with one each.

Zimbabwe knew from the onset they needed to win the match to stay alive but their chase got off to a shaky start when Ben Curran mistimed a shot and departed for five in the second over.

However, Kaia quickly seized the initiative after arriving at the crease, combining with Bennett for a rapid 61-run partnership off just 34 balls.

Bennett contributed 22 before departing, but Kaia continued to dominate, adding another 54 runs with Raza for the third wicket.

By the time Kaia fell for 72, caught by Erasmus off Jack Brassell’s bowling with Zimbabwe on 124/3 in the 13th over, the momentum had shifted in favour of the visitors.

Tadiwanashe Marumani (13) and Ryan Burl (12) then ensured the team crossed the line comfortably as Zimbabwe cruised to victory in 18.1 overs.

Namibia captain Erasmus, whose team stunned South Africa in their first match, has refused to give up ahead of the decisive clash with the Proteas today.

“All in all, after three games in the series, we still have a shot of going to the finals against two Test countries. I still think that is a major achievement in itself, and we’ve got it in our hands to play good cricket tomorrow (today) and try and get to the final.

“So, I think that in itself is a positive. The fact that we’ve been rounded enough to take the tournament this deep and give ourselves a good shot with ball, bat and in the field, we’ve many guys have stood up, and it’s given us a chance,” said Erasmus.