T20 CRICKET: Ireland fall in final warm-up match to Zimbabwe

Hamilton Masakadza's unbeaten half-century carried Zimbabwe to a confidence-boosting six-wicket win over Ireland in their ICC World Twenty20 warm-up in Dharamsala.

By The Newsroom

Published 5th Mar 2016, 16:43 BST

Updated 5th Mar 2016, 16:59 BST

The Zimbabwe captain thrashed six sixes and three fours in accruing 68 not out from 49 balls to lead his side past their victory target of 156 with 13 balls to spare.

Slow left armer George Dockrell came in for particular punishment, conceding 17 in his first over to Masakadza, who also hit successive sixes off Boyd Rankin in what proved to be the penultimate over of the match.

Ireland had earlier made 155 for eight after being invited to bat first, Gary Wilson top-scoring with 38, while skipper Will Porterfield contributed 31.

Both nations are in the preliminary first round of the global tournament which gets under way in India this month, with Ireland facing Bangladesh, Holland and Oman in Group A, while Zimbabwe come up against Scotland, Afghanistan and Hong Kong in Group B.