Marsh flays rookie Zimbabweans

The Australian Academy side, fresh from a 3-0 whitewash of Kenya, continued their good form with a thumping 119-run victory over a Zimbabwe Board XI at Harare Sports Club.

The Academy's batting was too much for the Kenyans, and Shaun Marsh, who hit two massive hundreds in Nairobi, slammed 170 off 144 balls and put on a large opening stand with Tim Paine (63), who made the most of being dropped early on by Tafadzwa Kamungozi at deep extra-cover. Kamungozi made amends of a sort when he bowled Paine in the 27th over, but that was the only wicket that fell as the Academy raced on to 309 for 1.

That was always likely to be too much for a young Zimbabwe side and they lost wickets steadily, none more recklessly than that of Piet Rinke - in need of runs to cement his place in the national side - who was run-out in a mix-up with Chamu Chibhabha. Chibhabha went on to make 42 but no one else was able to make any significant contribution.