|| CF Correspondent ||
Zimbabwean stand-in-skipper Sean William said that he was surprised with the way Tiripano hit the ball all across the park, hammering five sixes and two fours on his way to maiden unbeaten half century against Bangladesh in the series concluding second ODI at Sylhet.
After slumping to 225 for 7 by the 42nd over, with their last recognized batsman Sikandar Raza gone, there was an air of inevitability about this contest. Bangladesh's total of 322 for 8 seemed a bridge too far for Zimbabwe's lower order to overcome, but Tiripano and Tinotenda Mutombodzi added 80 off the next 45 balls, bringing the game down to the final ball: Six needed off one.
"Tiripano played a magnificent innings this evening. He caught me off guard. I know he can bat. He has always been able to bat. I am glad that he has finally got to the half-century mark. If he had hit that ball for a six, I am pretty sure we would all be elated and jumping around, celebrating in the change room,’’ said Williams.
‘’It is a good thing for us. Losing by such a big margin in the previous game, and losing by four runs now; yes we lost but we have taken the first step in the way forward,’’ he said adding that he feels that juniors will come up in the coming days.
‘’I think our guys are growing up a little bit more. It is a very young side. I think there's only two or three players close to a hundred ODIs. Brendan [Taylor] and myself have played more than a hundred and [Sikandar] Raza is on 99. The rest are not even close to 50. It is a good thing for me,’’ he said.
‘’I think it is extremely exciting to see someone like Wesley [Madhevere]. He is an extremely good find for Zimbabwe cricket. It is unbelievable the way, as a 19-year old, he has batted in the middle order,’’ he added
