By IANS
Cape Town : Zimbabwe failed to repeat their heroics Thursday as England beat them by 50 runs in a Group B match of the Twenty20 World Championship here.
Zimbabwe, who had stunned World Cup winners Australia Wednesday, failed to repeat their performance against England, the most experienced side in this format of cricket, chiefly because of their batting.
Batting first after winning the toss, England scored 188 for nine wickets in the allocated 20 overs, with Kevin Pieterson hitting a 37-ball 79 (7x4s, 4x6s) captain Paul Collingwood making 37 off 28 balls (1x4s, 2x6s).
Pacer Elton Chigumbura was the best bowler on view with four wickets for 31.
In reply, the Zimbabwean batting, which had clicked so well against Australia at the same venue 24 hours ago, flopped against some fine bowling by England and finished at 138 for seven in 20 overs.
Brendan Taylor, hero of the upset win over Australia with a 45-ball 60, was again the top scorer with 47 (39 balls, 4x4s, 2x6s).
Vusi Sibanda chipped in with a 25-ball 29 and Hamilton Masakadza made 23-ball 27.
Dimitri Mascarenhas took three wickets and Chris Schofield two.
Zimbabwe can still qualify for the next round, the Super Eights, if England beat Australia Friday.
SCOREBOARD
England vs. Zimbabwe, Twenty20 World Championship, at Newlands, Cape Town
England:
D.L. Maddy c Matsikenyeri b Chigumbura 14
M.J. Prior c Chibhabha b Mupariwa 20
L.J. Wright c Taylor b Chigumbura 0
K.P. Pietersen c Masakadza b Utseya 79
P.D. Collingwood run out (Sibanda/Taylor) 37
A. Flintoff b Chibhabha 13
O.A. Shah c Chibhabha b Chigumbura 11
A.D. Mascarenhas c Masakadza b Chigumbura 0
C.P. Schofield not out 9
S. Broad run out (Mupariwa/Brent) 1
J.M. Anderson not out 0
Extras: (leg bye 1, wide 3) 4
Total: (for nine wickets in 20 overs) 188
Fall of wickets: 1-20 (Maddy, 2.3 overs), 2-20 (Wright, 2.4), 3-51 (Prior, 5.3), 4-151 (Pietersen, 14.3), 5-154 (Collingwood, 15.1), 6-172 (Flintoff, 17.6), 7-178 (Shah, 18.2), 8-178 (Mascarenhas, 18.3), 9-186 (Broad, 19.4)
Bowling:
E. Chigumbura 4 0 31 4 (1w)
G.B. Brent 3 0 34 0
T. Mupariwa 2 0 22 1
P. Utseya 4 0 27 1
T. Taibu 2 0 20 0
K.M. Dabengwa 2 0 29 0 (1w)
C.J. Chibhabha 3 0 24 1 (1w)
Zimbabwe:
V. Sibanda c Maddy b Mascarenhas 29
B.R.M. Taylor b Mascarenhas 47
T. Taibu b Mascarenhas 2
C.J. Chibhabha c & b Schofield 5
S. Matsikenyeri c Flintoff b Schofield 2
E. Chigumbura c Wright b Collingwood 8
H. Masakadza c Wright b Broad 27
P. Utseya not out 13
K.M. Dabengwa not out 0
Extras: (lb 4, w 1) 5
Total: (for seven wickets in 20 overs) 138
Fall of wickets: 1-74 (Sibanda, 8.4 overs), 2-81 (Taibu, 10.2), 3-84 (Taylor, 12.1), 4-87 (Matsikenyeri, 13.2), 5-89 (Chibhabha, 13.4), 6-104 (Chigumbura, 15.4), 7-137 (Masakadza, 19.4)
Bowling:
S. Broad 4 0 29 1
J. Anderson 3 0 31 0
A. Flintoff 3 0 18 0
A.D. Mascarenhas 4 0 18 3
C.P. Schofield 4 0 15 2
P.D. Collingwood 2 0 23 1 (1w)
Result: England won by 50 runs
Points: England 2
Toss: England (chose to bat)
Man of the Match: Kevin Pietersen (England)
Umpires Asad Rauf (Pakistan) and Tony Hill (New Zealand)
TV umpire: Ian Howell (South Africa)
Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (Sri Lanka)