HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — New Zealand stayed perfect at the T20 tri-series with a crushing 60-run win over host Zimbabwe on Thursday.
Tim Seifert (75) smashed his second successive half century and Rachin Ravindra made an entertaining 63 runs off 39 balls as New Zealand posted the tournament’s highest total of 190-6 with its fourth straight win of the league stage.
New Zealand and South Africa had already secured their places in Saturday's final.
Leg-spinner Ish Sodhi, one of four changes for New Zealand, grabbed a career-best 4-12 in four overs as Zimbabwe was dismissed for 130 in 18.5 overs.
Zimbabwe lost all four games.
Supreme Seifert
Mitchell Santner became the first captain in the tournament to choose to bat first on a tricky wicket after winning the toss.
Tim Robinson (10) couldn’t capitalize on Ryan Burl’s dropped catch in the slips before he had scored and was out to Zimbabwe’s best bowler, Richard Ngarava (4-34).
Zimbabwe was scrappy in the field when Seifert got a lucky escape on 13 as Tony Munyonga missed a catching opportunity at deep backward square leg.
Together with Ravindra, Seifert raised 108 runs for the second wicket before Zimbabwe hit back.
Fast bowler Tinotenda Maposa had both Ravindra and Mark Chapman caught in the outfield in the space of three balls and Ngarava chipped in with three wickets in his return spell.
Seifert feathered a catch to wicketkeeper Clive Madande after Ngarava outfoxed him with a slower ball while Bevon Jacobs was spectacularly caught by Munyonga at backward point.
Michael Bracewell made a 16-ball 26 and Trevor Gwandu (0-51) went for 21 runs off his final over.
“Different guys stepping up at different times is a good thing, although it can be a selection headache at times," Santner said. We know we have a massive game in a couple of days’ time.”
Sodhi strikes
Zimbabwe opener Dion Myers (22) smashed four boundaries in a brisk start before Sodhi struck three times inside the batting powerplay and the hosts were reduced to 37-4.
Sodhi clean bowled Myers and Madande after Brian Bennett was caught when he failed to clear Jacobs at extra cover as he tried to show early aggression against the leg-spinner.
Off-spinner Bracewell made it 44-5 when he took a well judged caught-and-bowled off Burl’s miscued hit before Munyonga (40 in 30) and Tashinga Musekiwa (21) resisted with a 51-run partnership.
Sodhi returned in the 14th over and picked up his 150th T20 wicket when Munyonga holed out at long-off.
New Zealand's pace then finished off the tail in quick succession with Matt Henry taking 2-34.
“We keep digging ourselves a hole and when we try to climb out of it, we don’t,” Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza said.
“The catches we dropped hurt us. As much as we wanted to be upbeat, it took us a bit of time to get into the game. One of the things I will speak (to players) is that it is never a dead rubber for Zimbabwe.”
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The Associated Press
