Although pleased with the batting efforts of his team, Zimbabwean captain Elton Chigumbura(in pic) on Thursday said he was disappointed with his team’s fielding after they beat United Arab Emirates (UAE) here in a Pool B World Cup encounter. Zimbabweans were loose on the field, as they let UAE post a decent total on board (285/7) owing to some mis-fielding and lack of throwing precision.
But their lower middle-order combined well to chase down the score with four wickets in hand courtesy knocks from Sean Williams (76) and Craig Ervine (42). “Disappointed about the fielding, but I am happy that our guys played well with the bat. “I thought when Craig Ervine went into bat he was positive and brought the run-rate down. That’s where we went wrong against South Africa,” said Chigumbura at the post-match presentation ceremony.
The skipper, 28, added they would look to uplift their fielding and take the winning momentum through to the next game against the West Indies in Canberra. “It’s good to take the momentum from this game into the game against West Indies. Hopefully we can polish our fielding and have a good game in all departments in upcoming matches,” he added.
‘We proved ourselves’
United Arab Emirates (UAE) captain Mohammad Tauqir took positives from their four-wicket loss to Zimbabwe in a Group B World Cup encounter here Thursday saying they played well and expected the result to go in their favour. Zimbabwe at a stage were tottering at 167 for five in the 33rd over chasing the UAE’s formidable 285.
But all-rounder Sean Williams and Craig Ervine (42) notched up a useful 83-run partnership and secured Zimbabwe’s victory. Williams remained not out on 76 and finished the innings off with the help of captain Elton Chigumbura (unbeaten 14).
“We played some good cricket but we were expecting a different result. I think this wicket, we saw the last game also, even 300 was not enough. We know our limitations,” said Tauqir. “Both the left-handers played well, and they won the game.”
The veteran, 43, also credited his bowlers for their performance and added breaking the Williams-Ervine partnership in the 43rd over could have won them the game. “I think overall the bowlers bowled really well”.