ZIM vs IRE 2025, 2nd T20I: Tony Munyonga's knock propels Zimbabwe to narrow win

Zimbabwe clinched a narrow three-wicket victory over Ireland in the second T20I at Harare Sports Club on Sunday, taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Tony Munyonga was the hero for the hosts, guiding them home with an unbeaten 43 off 30 balls as they chased down Ireland’s target of 138 with four balls to spare.

Being asked to bat first, the Irish team were on the receiving end of early trouble as skipper Paul Stirling departed for just one run in the opening over. Lorcan Tucker held the innings together with a 46-run knock off 40 balls, but he lacked support from the middle order.

Harry Tector played a decent innings (28 off 20 balls), while Curtis Campher contributed 26 from 25, but Zimbabwe’s bowlers kept things under control. Trevor Gwandu was the pick of the bowlers, finishing with figures of 3 for 24, while Sikandar Raza chipped in with two wickets for 22 runs. Richard Ngarava and Blessing Muzarabani also made crucial breakthroughs, restricting Ireland to 137/8 in their allotted 20 overs.

Zimbabwe’s chase got off to an underwhelming start as Craig Young struck in the very first over, dismissing Tadiwanashe Marumani. The pacer continued his impressive spell, removing Wessly Madhevere and Brian Bennett in quick succession to leave Zimbabwe struggling at 14/3 inside four overs. His final figures of 4 for 24 made him Ireland’s standout bowler of the match.

Despite the early setbacks, the hosts found stability through their skipper, Raza (22 off 27) and Ryan Burl (27 off 20), who tried to steady the wobbling ship. However, Ireland kept chipping in with wickets, and when Raza departed at 64/5, the game was inclined towards the visitors.

Munyonga then played a classical innings under pressure. He built a crucial 33-run partnership with Tashinga Musekiwa (15) before finding another valuable partner in Wellington Masakadza. Despite losing wickets at regular intervals, Zimbabwe remained in the hunt.

With 26 runs needed off the last three overs, Munyonga kept his cool, and a cameo from Richard Ngarava (12* off 7) helped ease the chase. Ngarava’s two boundaries off Young in the penultimate over proved to be costly for Ireland, as Munyonga sealed the win with a stylish drive-through cover.