Fifties from Nick Welch, Tafadzwa Tsiga can’t prevent PCC XI recording 138-run win

ESPNcricinfo staff18-May-2025

Nick Welch top-scored in Zimbabwe’s second innings•AFP/Getty Images

PCC Select XI 330 (De Caires 79, Morgan 66*, Chohan 56, Ngarava 3-42) and 464 for 7 dec (Mousley 154, Rew 103*) beat Zimbabweans 403 (Madhevere 93, Williams 76, Tsiga 66, Bennett 65, Killeen 3-52) and 253 (Welch 87, Tsiga 66, Jack 3-40) by 138 runsZimbabwe will go into next week’s one-off Test against England on the back of a 138-run defeat to an unheralded Professional County Club Select XI after they failed to bat out the final day in Leicester.Set a target of 392 after the PCC XI declared on 464 for 7 an hour into the final day, Zimbabwe slipped to 51 for 4 shortly after lunch, Hampshire’s Eddie Jack knocking over three of the top four. Nick Welch counterpunched, adding 47 with Wessly Madhevere, whose 93 had steered Zimbabwe to a first-innings total of 403, and 70 with Tafadzwa Tsiga, as the tourists reached tea five down.But Welch couldn’t convert his innings to three figures as Essex allrounder Jamal Richards struck twice during the evening session, and although Tsiga went past 50 for the second time in the match, spinners Dan Mousley and Jafar Chohan plucked out the last three wickets to condemn Zimbabwe to defeat.Mousley had earlier scored a second-innings 154, putting on a stand of 179 with captain Josh De Caires as the PCC XI swiftly overcame a first-innings deficit of 73. De Caires, who top-scored with 79 after electing to bat on day one, added 84 before being stumped by Tsiga off Wellington Masakadza. Mousley was later joined in reaching a hundred by Thomas Rew, as the PCC XI accelerated towards their declaration.The Zimbabweans, who used 13 players in the match, had to be content with a solid four-day workout, which also saw opener Brian Bennett and veteran No. 4 Sean Williams notch first-innings fifties, and left-armer Newman Nyamhuri claim five wickets.