An all-round effort from hosts Ireland kept Zimbabwe win-less on their white-ball tour as the visitors went down by 97 runs in the first ODI of the two-match series that kicked off in Belfast on Saturday (July 26). Three of Ireland’s top-for hit fifties to propel their side to a competitive 288/9 despite a late flurry of wickets, but Zimbabwe’s top-order collapse proved too difficult for them to recover from and they could muster only 191 in reply.

Put in to bat first, Ireland openers Sarah Forbes (54) and skipper Gaby Lewis (51) put on a 116-run stand to keep Zimbabwe waiting for a breakthrough. Lewis, the aggressor in the two, fell soon after but Forbes carried on to add quick 40 runs in 5.1 overs for the second-wicket stand with Amy Hunter.

Hunter made a quick 43 in 38 deliveries but missed out on a half-century. Orla Prendergast was quick too, making her half-century in 52 deliveries before she was stumped out. Laura Delany chipped in a run-a-ball 34 to take her side past the 250-run mark during her stay. However, losing their last six wickets for 35 runs meant Ireland could not cross the 300 barrier that they had the platform for.

Nonetheless, the 289-run target proved well above par once Zimbabwe lost quick wickets upfront. Prendergast struck twice in succeeding overs in her opening spell to reduce them to 17/2 before they lost a third inside Powerplay to finish with 34/3.

Skipper Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano combined with Beloved Biza for a 68-run stand to attempt to rebuild, keeping Ireland at bay for close to 12 overs before Lara McBride kickstarted a collapse of 4 for 39 with her twin strikes. Thereafter, only Runyararo Pasipanodya’s unbeaten 32, in 71 balls, kept Zimbabwe academically in the game until the start of the penultimate over.

Brief scores: Ireland 288/9 in 50 overs (Sarah Forbes 54, Gaby Lewis 51, Orla Prendergast 50; Kelis Ndhlovu 3-50, Tendai Makusha 2-47) beat Zimbabwe 191 all out in 48.1 overs (Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano 48, Runyararo Pasipanodya 32*; Orla Prendergast 2-20, Arlene Kelly 2-17, Jae Mcguire 2-25) by 97 runs.