Zimbabwe vs Australia: The everything ratings

Australia has just been defeated by Zimbabwe in Harare in a massive upset of global cricketing proportions. Here we are again with the everything ratings, trying to make some sense of the contest.

FULL SCORECARD

Zimbabwe spinners: A-
In their previous game, Zimbabwean spinner Prosper Utseya took five wickets – including a hat trick – against the South Africans. So it was no surprise to see Zimbabwe call for an early ProsperPlay against the Australians.

But even before Prosper came on to bowl, Zimbabwe had opened the bowling with one of their other spinners, John Nyumbu. And as each spinner finished their spell, a new one would pop up, like clowns from a clown car, or gibberish from a Shane Warne Twitter account.

It all proved too much for the Australian top order. Making Phil Hughes start his innings against spin feels like something that should be outlawed by the ICC, or possibly the Geneva Convention.

After 30 deliveries of failing to get the ball through the seven fielders covering his cut shot, Hughes was dismissed for 10. He wasn’t alone. Aaron Finch, George Bailey and Glenn Maxwell all fell cheaply to spin too.

Heck, Maxwell’s dismissal was barely even ridiculous – always a dark sign for Australia.

Michael Clarke’s hamstring: D
Holding the remnants of the innings together was Australia’s new number three batsman and stand-in full-time skipper, Michael Clarke.

Unfortunately, he failed to hold the remnants of his hamstring together anywhere near as well. So, in the 43rd over, with five wickets down and a mere 147 on the board, Clarke was eventually left with no choice but to retire hurt.

Oh sure, he could have walked a couple of balls earlier when he appeared to have edged behind. But Australians don’t walk, especially not with a dodgy hamstring.

At this stage, one began to suspect that Australia might struggle to reach 350.

Physiotherapy on Clarke’s hamstring was interrupted once during the Australian innings when the ninth wicket fell with two balls remaining, requiring him to return to the wicket to stand at the non-striker’s end.

And the physio was aborted completely during the Zimbabwe innings when it was discovered that being forced to watch Aaron Finch bowl an over of dross was an infinitely more effective way to get a captain to return to the field.

Fielding errors: B+
Zimbabwe’s fielding performance was littered with fielding errors. The innings began with an overthrow (always the best way to start an innings) and got no better after that.

It would come as no surprise to anybody who saw last summer’s Ashes that the main beneficiary of the dropped catches was Brad Haddin.

And while there’s nothing quite as cruel as a Zimbabwe pity drop, Haddin showed once again why he’s the number one batsman on the ICC Riding One’s Luck rankings. Calmly chipping balls through fielders’ hands for singles, Haddin teamed with Cutting to put on 50 crucial runs to push Australia past 200.

Eventually, however, on the first ball of the final over, Cutting was run out when the wicket-keeper somehow managed to drop a return throw onto the stumps. Which just goes to show that if you put the effort in and make a large enough number of fielding errors, one of them will eventually end up working for you.

Nathan Lyon: A
With Cutting gone, famed Ricky Ponting impersonator Nathan Lyon strolled to the crease to join Brad Haddin. When even Haddin’s near-infinite supply of luck ran out and he was surprisingly caught with two balls remaining, Lyon took the initiative.

With the injured Clarke taking the prime non-striker’s slot, Lyon tonked the penultimate ball for a six before closing out the innings with a lazy single. In a low-scoring game, those seven runs threatened to make all the difference. Outstanding finishing from Australia’s number eleven batsman.

Oh, and he also took 4/44 to tear the Zimbabwean top order out, laying the groundwork for what looked like being an unlikely Australian victory.

Elton Chigumbura: A+
Based on previous efforts this series, the Zimbabwe skipper’s decision to play a heroic captain’s knock without a damaged leg was viewed as highly unorthodox. But Chigumbura’s healthy-limbed maverick innings got the job done as he combined with Prosper Utseya, who smashed a match-winning six to guide Zimbabwe to the target with 12 balls and three wickets to spare, only their second ever ODI victory against Australia.

Will captains batting with two fully functioning legs become a modern trend? Only time will tell.