Ben Curran's unbeaten 118 leads Zimbabwe to series win over Ireland

An unbeaten 118 from Ben Curran helped Zimbabwe cruise to a nine-wicket victory over Ireland, clinching the three-match One Day International series at the Harare Sports Club on Tuesday.

Curran, whose two brothers play for England, steered Zimbabwe to a winning tally of 246-1 in 39.3 overs, comfortably surpassing Ireland’s 50-over total of 240-6.

The Irish were put into bat first, with opener Andy Balbirnie top-scoring with 61 runs. He formed an 86-run partnership with Harry Tector for the third wicket, setting a solid foundation. However, Zimbabwe’s response was swift and strong.

Ben Curran and fellow opener Brian Bennett quickly put Zimbabwe on track, scoring 77 runs off the first 10 overs. By the 17th over, they were 109-0 when play was delayed for 30 minutes due to a passing rain shower.

Once play resumed, Bennett was harshly adjudged leg before wicket for 48, with no available technology for him to review the decision. Despite this setback, Zimbabwe remained on course for victory, with Captain Craig Ervine joining Curran. Ervine contributed 69 runs off 59 balls to secure Zimbabwe’s victory. With this win, Zimbabwe sealed the series.