Australia won the first ODI of three in Zimbabwe by a 59-run margin, but the result could have been different had it not been for a superb century from Baggy Green left-hander Matt Renshaw.
Renshaw, who is making the most of a second chance on the international stage, made 109 from 94 balls - hitting seven four and three sixes - before pacer Nathan Ellis starred with the ball in taking 5-31 to cut short the hosts' chase.
Next up is a Friday repeat at the Harare Sports Club, with the Baggy Green hoping to wrap up a series victory and give themselves a confidence boost ahead of them moving on to neighbouring South Africa.
Zimbabwe v Australia Tips Summary
Best Bet - Cooper Connolly most match sixes @ 5.00
Alternative Bet - Craig Ervine top Zimbabwe batter @ 6.00
Bet Builder - Travis Head 30+ runs, Nathan Ellis 2+ wickets & Over 9.5 wickets caught @ 4.75
Zimbabwe v Australia Prediction
Best Bet: Cooper Connolly most match sixes @ 5.00
All-rounder Cooper Connolly has adapted well to a move up the Aussie batting order in the ODI arena, making 35, 0 and 149 when opening the batting in Bangladesh in June and backing that up with 51 against Zimbabwe on Tuesday.
The 23-year-old left-hander has cleared the ropes 10 times across those four knocks since being shifted from a middle-order role and was joint leading six-hitter alongside Renshaw in the series opener, striking three maximums.
Connolly had previously only hit one six in his first six ODI innings, so has clearly found his way and can go big once against in Harare on Friday.
Alternative Bet: Craig Ervine top Zimbabwe batter @ 6.00
Chevron veteran Craig Ervine returned to the 50-over fold in July, but the left-hander struggled as he made 0, 9 and 5 against Bangladesh in Harare, before showing his quality by compiling a fluent 59 in the series opener against the Baggy Green.
Overall, he now has three half-centuries from his last seven knocks, although backing him does come with some risk as his other four innings were single-figure scores.
Ervine averages 33.90 on home soil across 67 innings in ODI cricket, with three of his four career one-day international centuries having come in home conditions, so he can get amongst the runs again on Friday.
Zimbabwe v Australia Bet Builder Tip
Travis Head 30+ runs
Nathan Ellis 2+ wickets
Over 9.5 wickets caught
Pays 4.75
While Connolly is the lead tip to hit the most match sixes, Travis Head is the starting point for this Bet Builder and is supported to make at least 30, despite having not reached that mark in his last eight innings across all formats.
He reached 28 and 29 against India prior to being dismissed for four in the series opener in Harare, but he can find some better form on Friday.
Next up is seamer Ellis to take 2+ wickets, with the right-armer having used his variations on Tuesday to register career-best figures and take three or more wickets for the third time in his last five one-day international appearances.
Finally, add in over 9.5 wickets caught in the match, with the series opener having seen 10 wickets fall to catches, while Australia's three ODIs in Bangladesh in June saw match totals of 12, 10 and 10 respectively.
Learn more about how Bet Builders work in our Bet Builder guide.
Key Match Stats
Australia have won their last two ODIs, having previously lost three in a row against Pakistan and Bangladesh
Cooper Connolly has struck 10 sixes across his last four ODI innings
Nathan Ellis has taken three wickets or more in three of his last five one-day internationals
Zimbabwe have played their last 11 ODIs in Harare, but have lost seven of those matches
Chevron seamer Newman Nyamhuri took career-best figures of 5-62 in the series opener
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
