The Sunday News
Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter
DAYS after he made his 200th One Day International cricket appearance for Zimbabwe, Brendan Taylor is now the country’s second leading run scorer in ODIs.
Taylor, the Zimbabwean captain in the three-match International Cricket Council Super League matches against Bangladesh scored 46 off 57 deliveries in the second ODI against the Tigers to take his tally to 6 600 runs. In the process, he overtook Grant Flower as the second leading run scorer for Zimbabwe in the 50-over format of the game.
Grant Flower scored 6 571 runs for Zimbabwe in 221 ODIs between 1992 and 2010 with a best score of 142 not out against Bangladesh at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo on 11 April 2001, a match Zimbabwe won by 36 runs.
Andy Flower is still Zimbabwe’s leading run getter in ODIs with a tally 6 786 off 213 matches played between 1992 and 2003. His best score of 145 came against India in a 2002 ICC Champions Trophy match played in Colombo, Sri Lanka, with the left handed batsman’s effort on that day not enough as the Indians won the close contest by 14 runs.
Taylor, appearing in his 201st ODI was dismissed in a bizarre manner in the 25th over of Zimbabwe’s innings when he hit his own wicket. After missing a delivery from Bangladesh left arm seamer Shoriful Islam, Taylor swung his bat and it clipped the stumps and dislodged the bails, which meant the Zimbabwean skipper had to walk four runs short of a half century when he looked well set.
Zimbabwe are looking to bounce back after suffering a humiliating 155-run defeat to Bangladesh in the first ODI of the series last Friday.
This is a crucial series for both teams since the three matches are part of the ICC Super League, the qualification pathway for the 2023 Cricket World Cup in India.
-@Mdawini_29
