After a shaky start, South Africa bounced back to register a brilliant 62-run win over their neighbours Zimbabwe in their first ICC World Cup 2015 clash at Hamilton.
After being put into bat, South Africa at one stage were reeling at 83/4 before David Miller and JP Duminy put on a record fifth wicket partnership of 256-runs to save the team from the blushes and the guiding their total to 339 runs. Both Miller and Duminy scored their first hundred in World Cup and remained unbeaten on 138 and 115 respectively. Miller, who was also adjudged the man of the match, became the 2nd South African and the 15th overall to score a hundred on World Cup debut.
Chasing a massive target of 340, Zimbabwe got off to a bad start as their opener Sikandar Raza got out cheaply to Vernon Philander. Chamu Chibhabha and Hamilton Mazakadza then held the innings together and put on a 105-run partnership for the second wicket in just 17 overs before the former, in the anxiety to up the scoring rate, lost his wicket to leggie Imran Tahir. Mazakadza and Brendan Taylor continued the fight for another 77 runs before losing their wickets in quick succession, there by, reducing the team’s chances of causing an upset. Skipper Elton Chigumbura, on whose shoulders Zimbabwe’s slight chances of winning rested, got run-out by a brilliant throw from AB De Villiers from short mid-off and after him, their tail also got laid to rest quickly by the South African bowlers lead by Tahir, who took 3 wickets.
Brief Scores: Zimbabwe 277 (Chibhabha 64, Mazakadza 80, Tahir 3-36) lost to South Africa 339/4 (Miller 138*, Duminy 115) by 62 runs