Matt Renshaw struck his maiden ODI century as Australia began their nine-match tour of southern Africa with a 59-run victory over Zimbabwe in Harare on Tuesday.
The world champions posted 294-8 after winning the toss before Zimbabwe were bowled out for 235 with 4.5 overs still remaining in the first of the three-match ODI series.
Nathan Ellis was Australia’s standout bowler, producing a career-best performance of 5-31. His wickets included Zimbabwe’s leading scorer Craig Ervine, who made 59, while opener Brian Bennett contributed 25.
Renshaw Delivers Under Pressure
Renshaw came to the crease with Australia in trouble at 107-4 but responded with an assured 109 from 94 deliveries.
The century was Renshaw’s first in ODI cricket. His only previous international hundred came in the Sydney Test against Pakistan in January 2017.
The Middlesbrough-born batter combined aggressive strokeplay with sharp running between the wickets. His innings featured three sixes and seven fours, alongside 49 singles and seven twos.
Batting at No. 6 in his 10th ODI, Renshaw comfortably surpassed his previous best score of 61 and helped Australia build a total that ultimately proved beyond Zimbabwe.
His innings ended when he mistimed a delivery from Newman Nyamhuri into the air towards midwicket, where Wessly Madhevere completed the catch.
Renshaw played a major role in Australia’s recovery, sharing a 72-run partnership with Alex Carey, who scored 27, before adding another 75 with 19-year-old Oliver Peake, who made 30.
“I just tried to rebuild the innings. We lost a few wickets (after) the boys started really well,” Renshaw said after receiving the player-of-the-match award.
“I did not feel under any scoring pressure. It was really nice. Pitch was nice. Ten years between international hundreds was not something I was expecting.”
Connolly Adds Valuable Runs
Cooper Connolly also made an important contribution, registering his second ODI half-century.
Coming to the crease after opener Travis Head was dismissed for four, Connolly scored 51 from 52 balls, hitting three sixes and four fours.
His innings came to an end when he failed to pick the turn from a good-length delivery by Zimbabwe captain and all-rounder Sikandar Raza, which went on to hit the off stump.
Nyamhuri was Zimbabwe’s most successful bowler, claiming a career-best 5-62 from nine overs.
Ellis Breaks Zimbabwe Resistance
Zimbabwe struggled early in their chase and slipped to 62-4 before Ervine and Raza mounted a significant recovery.
The pair added 98 runs for the fifth wicket, with Ervine scoring 59 and Raza contributing 57.
Ellis eventually ended Ervine’s resistance by bowling him through the off stump, while Spencer Johnson removed Raza with a yorker to swing the contest firmly back in Australia’s favour.
Zimbabwe could not sustain their lower-order resistance and were eventually dismissed for 235, handing Australia a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Australia, ranked fourth in the ODI rankings, are seven places above Zimbabwe and will look to seal the series when the teams meet again. The Zimbabwe leg concludes on Sunday before Australia travel to South Africa.
The Australians are scheduled to play three ODIs against South Africa from September 24, followed by three Tests.
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