Australia registered their first ODI win in Zimbabwe in three matches on Tuesday with Matt Renshaw hitting his first ODI century and Nathan Ellis picking five wickets.
Australia won the toss and electing to bat first, they scored 294 runs for 8 wickets in 50 ball. Renshaw scored 109 to anchor the stand and ended a wait of a long time since hitting a first international century in the form of a Test hundred against Pakistan in 2017.
The lefty forged significant relationships while Australia recovered. He added 72 runs with Alex Carey to the fifth wicket and 75 off Ollie Peake to the sixth.
Cooper Connolly was also given a chance to bat for 51 runs before Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza got him out. Zimbabwe’s standout bowler was Newman Nyamhuri who claimed 5-62. He was the second Zimbabwe bowler to pick five wickets in an ODI against Australia.
Zimbabwe’s run-rate was not able to keep pace of the target and they were bowled out for 235 off 45.1 overs.
The hosts got a glimmer of hope for a brief period when Craig Ervine and Sikandar Raza added 98 runs for the sixth wicket. Ervine was 59 when Ellis got the wicket of the former, bowled by him, and Johnson bowled down the latter for 57.
Ellis finished his five-wicket haul by mowing the Zimbabwe tail, having ended with 5-31 off 9.1 overs.
The second ODI will be held in Harare on Friday followed by the third ODI on Sunday. Australia will then go on a tour facing South Africa.
