ZIMBABWE A failed to handle Durham’s seam and spin combination of Oliver Gibson and Callum Parkinson as the visitors took the two-match three-day games series 2-0 with a 136-run victory at Takashinga Cricket Club yesterday.
Speed merchant Gibson took four wickets for 39 runs from 11 overs to add to the three for 18 from seven overs he took in the first innings.
The 23-year-old pacer emerged as the player of the match while left arm spinner, Parkinson, troubled Zim A claiming four wickets for 47 runs in 12.5 overs.
Following a late start on Tuesday owing to a rain delay, Zim A skipper, Ainsley Ndlovu, sent Durham to bat first after winning the toss.
The teams broke for lunch after just seven overs of play with Durham on 17/0 after 8.2 overs; Michael Jones and Scott Borthwick both unbeaten on 10 and seven runs respectively.
Jones departed eight overs after lunch, caught by Brian Bennett off Takudzwa Chataira’s bowling for 24 runs, while Borthwick went on to top score for his side with 65.
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He was caught behind by wicketkeeper Tadiwanashe Marumani off the bowling of Victor Nyauchi, who finished the innings with four wickets for 43 runs from 16 overs.
Skipper Ndlovu took three wickets for 30 runs from 14 overs as Durham declared on 193/8d before the close of play on day one.
Zim A were five wickets down by drinks in the first session of day two with just 28 runs on the board in with Milton Shumba and Marumani unbeaten on nine and five runs, respectively.
By lunch time, Zim A were staring down the barrel on 93/8 after 30 overs with Nyauchi on 18 and Michael Chinouya yet to get off the mark.
It took Durham just under 10 overs to wipe out the remaining two wickets with Zimbabwe ending their first innings on 116 all out and trailing Durham by 77 runs.
Ndlovu top-scored for Zim A with 35 runs, while Nyauchi weighed in with 21 and Chinouya 15 was not out.
Durham went about their second innings on day two like a house on fire declaring for the second time in the match on 192/8d in 35.1 overs setting Zim A 270 runs to win buoyed by two half centuries from Ben Mckinney (52) and Colin Ackermann (51) as well as Jonathan Bushnell’s 31 not out.
Chinouya picked three wickets for 65 runs from 9.1 overs while Chataira took two for 33 from six and Ndlovu also picked up two wickets for 45 runs from eight overs.
At close of play on day two (on Wednesday) Zim A had lost one wicket on 10/1 in nine overs before the pace and spin combination from Durham saw the locals end their second innings on 133 runs all out.
Nkosana Mpofu top-scored with 37 runs, while Shumba 21 not out and Marumani 21 scored identical scores, albeit in Zimbabwe A’s defeat.