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PCA's win in the 3rd one-day match against Zimbabwe Board XI handed them a 3-0 series sweep at Harare Sports Club yesterday. PCA opted to bat after winning the toss, posting 260/7 in their 50 overs. Fawad Alam anchored the innings with an unbeaten 100 runs, while Asad Shafiq chipped in with 49 runs before he was run out, and Umer Ameen added 35 before he fell to Prince Masvaure who had him caught by Regis Chakabva. Shingirai Masakadza, returning from injury, picked up 3/42 from his 10 overs and was the pick of the Zimbabwean bowlers.

As before, though, Board XI's batting simply wasn't up to scratch. Friday Kasteni top-scored with 45, with Regis Chakabva adding 37 and Timycen Maruma 31, but other than that there wasn't much resistance from the home side, who were bowled out for 197 in the 47th over.

Full scorecard below the cut.
Pakistan Cricket Academy 260/7 (50 overs; Alam 100*, S Masakadza 3/42), Zimbabwe Board XI 197 (46.2 overs; Kasteni 45, Majeed 3/41. PCA win by 63 runs.

While the match was closer than the first one-dayer, the result was the same, as Pakistan Cricket Academy scored another win to take a 2-0 lead in the three-match series. Batting first, Pakistan were reduced 45/3 by Board XI's opening bowler Taurai Muzarabani. Fawad Alam top scored with 68 to lead PCA to a decent score as part of a 5th-wicket stand with Ali Asad, who carried on where Alam left off, scoring freely to take his side past the 200 mark.

Zimbabwe lost Friday Kasteni early to Junaid Khan, but they moved along quickly to 63 thanks to some agressive play from Cephas Zhuwawo. The dismissal of Chamu Chibhabha sparked a collapse, though, as the side fell to 103/6. Timycen Maruma wagged the home side's tail a little with his 50, the top score of the innings, but by then the damage had been done & Zimbabwe were eventually bowled out for 189.

Full scorecard below the cut.
Pakistan Cricket Academy 213 (49.3/50 overs; Fawad Alam 68, Muzarabani 4/38), Zimbabwe Board XI 189 (44.1/50 overs; Maruma 50, Mohammad Talha 5/43). PCA win by 24 runs.

Pakistan Cricket Academy continued in their winning ways yesterday, sealing a comprehensive 113-run win over Zimbabwe Board XI.

Board XI won the toss and sent the Academy side in to bat. They made 237 runs for eight wickets in their allotted 50 overs. Fahad Iqbal top-scored with 61 runs from 86 balls, five of them fours, before he was caught by Friday Kasteni off the bowling of captain Graeme Cremer. Anwar Ali chipped in with an unbeaten 54. Cremer finished with figures of 3/46 from his 10 overs, while Trevor Garwe took 3/50. Admire Manyumwa and Timycen Maruma picked up one wicket each.

Speculation over on the forums ahead of the match was that the Board XI's bowling line-up was decent, but that there could be problems with the batting, and so it came to pass as Zim managed to score just 124 before being bowled out. Rising star Regis Chakabva went for a duck with another bright prospect, Friday Kasteni, following soon after for just 2. Bonaparte Mujuru steadied the ship with his 45 but when he was caught by Asad Shafiq off Yasir Shah, things fell apart for the Board XI as the tail collapsed with the side well short of their target.

The next one-dayer between the ZC Board XI and the Pakistan Cricket Academy is at Harare Sports Club on Sunday. Scorecard below the cut.
Pakistan Cricket Academy 237/8 (50 overs; Iqbal 61, Cremer 3/46), Zimbabwe Cricket Board XI 124 (33.2 overs; Mujuru 45, Shah 3/23). PCA win by 113 runs.

ZC have confirmed the following squad for the 1st one-dayer against Pakistan Academy, which will be played at Harare Sports Club today:

Graeme Cremer (captain), Regis Chakabva (wicket-keeper), Patient Charumbira, Tendai Chisoro, Trevor Garwe, Friday Kasteni, Admire Manyumwa, Timycen Maruma, Johnson Marumisa, Prince Masvaure, Bright Mugochi, Bonaparte Mujuru, Steady Musoso, Foster Mutizwa and Cephas Zhuwawo.

Shingirai Masakadza has also been included in the squad, subject to his passing a late fitness test.

Zimbabwe Board XI may have had the upper hand for most of this match, but Pakistan Academy put in a dominant performance on the final day to secure a 4-wicket win and with it an unassailable 2-0 series lead.

Board XI started well on Day One, scoring 300/6, led by 91 from new boy Tafadzwa Ngulube. The resumption of play on Day Two saw the first worrying signs, though, as Pakistan were able to bowl out the remainder of the Zimbabwean batsmen with just 25 more runs scored. Mohammad Talha was the pick of the visiting bowlers, taking 4/89. In reply, Pakistan picked up 366, with Cremer (4/83) and Garwe (2/78) making sure the visitors were kept within sight. Fawad Alam's 101 was the best score for PCA.

Board XI's second innings got off to a promising start, too, with the side working their way to 201/3 before bad light stopped play on Day Three. The next morning saw a repeat of the first innings though, with Pakistan making early headway and eventually bowling Zimbabwe out for 304, leaving a target of 266 for the visitors to chase. With Zimbabwe's bowlers showing poor form, and captain Khurram Manzoor reaching 115, it turned out to be an easy target to reach. Prince Masvaure was the best of Zim's bowlers, but was only able to contribute 2/30.

Full scorecard below the cut.
Zimbabwe Board XI 328 (Ngulube 91, Talha 4/89) & 304 (Maruma 60, Raheel Majeed 4/80), Pakistan Academy 366 (Fawad Alam 101, Cremer 4/83) & 267/6 (Manzoor 115, Masvaure 2/30). Pakistan Academy win by 4 wickets.

Following their comprehensive defeat in the series opener, the Zimbabwe Board XI has seen a number of changes ahead of the 2nd 4-day match against Pakistan Academy, which gets underway in Harare today. The squad for this match is:
Keith Dabengwa (captain), Bonaparte Mujuru, Stuart Matsikenyeri, Friday Kasteni, Regis Chakabva (wicketkeeper), Timycen Maruma, Tafadzwa Kamungozi, Prince Masvaure, Tendai Chisoro, Michael Chinouya, Trevor Garwe.
Zimbabwe Independent - Changed Board XI

Pakistan Academy cruised to an easy win over Zimbabwe Board XI in Harare yesterday, as the Board XI's 2nd innings ended just before tea on the final day with the side just over 200 runs short of their target. The writing was already on the wall by the end of the first day, when Pakistan eased their way to 330/6, lead by Ahmed Shehzad's 76. Prosper Tsvanhu had scored an early scalp when the visitors' captain Khurram Manzoor was caught behind on just 7, but that was pretty much the highlight of the opening day for the home side. Pakistan when on to reach 482/7 before declaring on day two to give the Zimbabweans their turn with the bat.

They managed to reach just 189 before succumbing, with only Bornaparte Mujuru (90*) putting up significant resistance. In their second innings, Pakistan again declared at 103/2 leave the Board XI to chase a target of 397, but their inexperienced side wasn't up to the task. Tafadzwa Kamungozi top-scored in the 2nd innings with 37.

Full scorecard below the cut
Pakistan Academy 480/7 decl (Ali Asad 100*, Garwe 2/75) & 103/2 decl (Khurram Manzoor 51, Staddon 1/20), Zimbabwe Board XI 184 (Mujuru 90*, Anwar Ali 4/41) & 194 (Kamungozi 37, Yasir Shah 5/70). Pakistan Academy win by 205 runs.

Bucking the current isolationist trend, the Pakistan Cricket Board have confirmed that a Pakistan 'A' side is set to visit Zimbabwe in August. Current plans are for two 5-day matches and three one-dayers, with the first match beginning on August 20th. An un-named PCB official, speaking to CricInfo, confirmed that they saw no reason to stop the tour:

"The team will be going there as far as we are concerned. We see no issue in this."

"We believe that sport and politics should be kept apart at all times. [...] Personally, what is happening in Zimbabwe is not right at all. [but] When the ICC decided to shift its annual meeting from Lord's to Dubai [after complications for Zimbabwe cricket officials in obtaining a UK visa] that was one way of the ICC saying sport and politics should not mix. All countries were in favour of that."

You could also argue that the PCB owe ZC a favour, after Zimbabwe fulfilled their tour of Pakistan earlier in the year when other countries were backing out on security grounds.
CricInfo - Pakistan A likely to tour Zimbabwe

Another match, another loss for a Zimbabwean side as Provinces were put to the sword by Griqualand West in their SAA Provincial Cup one-day match in Kimberley. Provinces started well enough, with Taurai Muzarabani keeping the Griqua top-order in check and taking some key early wickets, but Adrian McLaren was allowed to cut loose mid-innings, contributing to a 66-run 6th wicket stand that helped the home side to their eventual total of 212/9.

In reply, Provinces simply went to pieces, with Regis Chakabva (24) and Terry Duffin (17*) the only players to make any sort of worthwhile contribution to an innings that was shortened by rain. Faced with an eventual target of 142 runs from 23 overs, Provinces fell far short, ending the match on 77/6 and notching up yet another disappointment in a poor weekend.
Griqualand West 212/9 (45/45 overs; McLaren 81, Muzarabani 3/25), Zimbabwe Provinces 77/6 (23/23 overs; Chakabva 24, Swanepoel 2/13). Griqualand West win by 64 runs (D/L method).

Full scorecard below the cut.

Needing 190 to win and cement their place at the top of the Pool B table, Zimbabwe Provinces choked on the final day against Griqualand West. Provinces resumed on 41/1, with Tino Mawoyo and Bornaparte Mujuru at the crease, and the pair seemed to have taken the idea of caution to heart - for much of the opening session, Provinces ticked along at a meagre 1.40/over, barely enough to allow them to reach their target in the day's allotted overs. It wasn't until Regis Chakabva arrived at the crease that the pace picked up - but that change in pace also coincided with a typically Zimbabwean batting collapse. After the dismissal of Friday Kasteni in the 60th over, Provinces simply went to pieces, as batsman after batsman failed to make any impact against the Griqua bowling, and what had seemed a certain win slipped further and further away. Blessing Mawhire gave the side hope with some useful resistance at the bottom of the innings, but when he fell - the last wicket of the day - Provinces were still 11 short of the required total, and Griqualand West had the win that took them back to the top of the group, with a game still in hand over Provinces.

A huge disappointment, this result. The one-day match tomorrow will give Provinces some scope for revenge, but with them already out of contention for the semi-final places in that competition, a win will hardly be satisfying.
Griqualand West 293 (Bossenger 88, Garwe 4/49) & 90 (Kruger 32, Pietersen 32, Cremer 3/10), Zimbabwe Provinces 194 (Kasteni 61, Karolus 4/26) & 178 (Chakabva 35, Pietersen 6/66). Griqualand West win by 11 runs.

Full scorecard below the cut. Previous days' reports: Day One | Day Two