BULAWAYO: Zimbabwe batsman Charles Coventry equaled the highest one-day international score on Sunday, hitting 194 not out to lead his team to 312-8 in the fourth match against Bangladesh.
Coventry smashed 16 boundaries and seven sixes in 156 balls to record his maiden ODI hundred and match the score made by Saeed Anwar for Pakistan against India in Chennai in 1997. Playing in his first series since 2006, the 26-year-old Coventry also surpassed the highest ODI score by a Zimbabwean. He eclipsed Craig Wishart, who hit 172 not out against Namibia in Harare at the 2003 World Cup.
Bangladesh leads 2-1 in the five-match series. Coventry was dropped on 13 by Syed Rasel on the boundary but then started timing the ball superbly, hitting powerfully on the backfoot and picking the half volleys with relative ease. He was dropped once more on 137 by Mahmudullah at square leg.
Zimbabwe's players erected a guard of honor for Coventry as he left the field at the Queens Sports Club. Stuart Matsikenyeri (37), Hamilton Masakadza (21) and Elton Chigumbura (15) were the only other batsmen to reach double figures.
Zimbabwe lost opener Mark Vermeulen for 5 on the ninth ball of the innings, caught by Junaid Siddique at short mid-wicket from a short ball by Mahbubul Alam.
Masakadza and Coventry put on 82 before the former was caught by Raqbul Hassan on the boundary off Mohammad Ashraful. Brendan Taylor (9) and Sean Williams (4) had gone cheaply by the 24th over, but Matsikenyeri and Coventry added 107 in less than 18 overs to help take Zimbabwe to its fifth highest ODI total.