Taylor shines in Zimbabwe victory

Zimbabwe 272 for 8 (Taylor 127, Mufambisi 45) beat New Zealand 180 (Davis 44) by 92 runs
Scorecard

Zimbabwe ended their World Cup on a winning note with a comprehensive 92-run victory over New Zealand in the day-night match at the Bangabandhu National Stadium.

Brendon Taylor, Zimbabwe's opener, was named Man of the Match with an impressive 127 from 145 balls as his side took full advantage of batting first. Taylor was supported by Elton Chingumbura (20), Craig Ervine (34) and Tafadzwa Mufambisi (45*), as Zimbabwe reached 272 for 8 from their 50 overs.

New Zealand's reply lacked any conviction and not one of their top-eight batsmen made more than 20. They were all out for 180 in 42 overs, with No. 11 Te Ahu Davis top-scoring with 44 from 35 balls.

Taylor said he was pleased to finish the tournament on a high note. "I felt I batted well against the seamers, but I struggled a bit against the spinners," he said. "When we beat Australia I was a bit worried people might say that was a one-off, so it was good to get a second good win today. Although we are disappointed not to have made it to the semi-finals, it is satisfying to end the tournament with a win."

Dayle Hadlee, New Zealand's coach, felt his team had under-performed in the event. "We have only won two out of six matches which is not good enough," he said. "All credit to Zimbabwe who did everything we were hoping to do, but didn't. They paced their innings perfectly, Taylor batted very well and they fully deserved their victory."

The result meant that New Zealand finish bottom of Group Two of the Super League, with Zimbabwe third.