Zimbabwe leg-spinner Ryan Burl engineered a stunning collapse from Australia in the third ODI with five wickets for 10 off just three overs to roll the hosts for 141 in Townsville on Saturday.
An inch-perfect decision of bowling first by Zimbabwe captain Regis Chakabva was followed by his bowlers bundling out Australia for 141 in 31 overs.
Had it not been for opening batter David Warner’s 26th ODI half-century, Australia might have even failed to cross the 100-run mark as only Warner (94) and all-rounder Glenn Maxwell (19) were able to enter the double digits.
Zimbabwe pacer-trio comprising of Richard Ngarava,Victor Nyauchi and Brad Evans picked wickets with the new ball to reduce Australia to 31/3 in the ninth over.
Captain Aaron Finch (5), former captain Steven Smith (1) and wicket-keeper batter Alex Carey (4) were the three Australian casualties in the first powerplay.
While Warner continued to play his shots hitting 14 fours and two sixes at a strike rate of 97.91, Australian middle-order replicated the batters above it by failing to show any sort of resistance at the Riverway Stadium.
Former West Indies pacer Ian Bishop was quick to notice the shocking series of events at a completely opposite part of the world as Zimbabwe part-time spinner Ryan Burl picked bowling figures of five for 10 in three overs.
5 for 10😱😱
— Ian Raphael Bishop (@irbishi) September 3, 2022
In what is Burl’s maiden five-wicket haul in international cricket, he has also become the first Zimbabwean bowler to pick an ODI five-fer against Australia.
Burl, 28, was introduced into the attack as a sixth bowler in the 27th over. With Australia not losing a wicket for 52 deliveries on the back of a 57-run sixth-wicket partnership between Warner and Maxwell, Burl picking five wickets within 15 deliveries to run through the hosts’ lower-order summed up a terrible batting effort from them.