ICC World Cup Qualifier 2018: Zimbabwe Defeat Opens Door for Afghanistan and Ireland
On Friday, Afghanistan and Ireland will meet at the same venue with the winner guaranteed a place in the 2019 finals in England and Wales.
Harare, Mar 22: Zimbabwe lost a World Cup qualifying thriller by just three runs to the United Arab Emirates today, allowing Afghanistan and Ireland to clash in a winner-takes-all tie for a place in the 2019 finals.
Chasing a rain-affected target of 230 off 40 overs, Zimbabwe needed six off the last ball to win the Super Six match and join already-qualified West Indies in the 2019 showpiece.
But Craig Ervine was only able to take two off man-of-the-match Mohammad Naveed and the home side's hopes were dashed. The UAE, who had no chance of qualifying for the finals, made 235-7 off 47.5 overs with Rameez Shahzad hitting a top score of 59.
After a delay for rain at the Harare Sports Club, Zimbabwe was set a DLS target of 230 off 40 overs but despite a run-a-ball 80 from Sean Williams, the home side never recovered from a poor start which saw them slip to 45-3 at one stage.
On Friday, Afghanistan and Ireland will meet at the same venue with the winner guaranteed a place in the 2019 finals in England and Wales.