Taibu helps Zimbabwe reach 298-9 against Canada

Zimbabwe's Tatenda Taibu hit 98 Monday to help his side overcame the early loss of both openers and reach 298-9 against Canada at the World Cup.

With both sides needing victory in the Group A match to have any chance of progressing to the quarterfinals, Zimbabwe slumped to 7-2 after winning the toss and choosing to bat at Nagpur's VCA Stadium.

Brendan Taylor fell lbw first ball to Khurram Chohan and Charles Coventry went the same way to Harvir Baidwan before Taibu hit nine fours in a 99-ball innings to add 181 for the third wicket with Craig Ervine (85).

But Indian-born legspinner Balaji Rao took 4-57 as Zimbabwe slipped from 188-2 to 240-7 to give Canada the faintest hope of a second win in 15 World Cup matches.

Canada's World Cup best total is the 249 it racked up against New Zealand four years ago, when it lost by 114 runs. With the ICC Associate side never having scored more than 265 in a one-day international against a test nation, the odds strongly favor Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe captain Elton Chigumbura said before the match he wanted to win the toss and bat first on what has been a good wicket in the two previous matches played on it. He got his wish but Zimbabwe's innings started disastrously.

Taylor, who scored 37 when Zimbabwe cruised to a 143-run win in the teams' only previous one-day international five years ago, was hit on the pad by an inswinger from Chohan that was hitting middle.

And Charles Coventry was back in the dressing room halfway through the fourth over, swinging across a delivery by Baidwan.

Zimbabwe hit back but Rao broke the partnership with a ball that spun back from outside off and took an inside edge before spooning up off Ervine's pads. Ashish Bagai, another of the wicketkeeper-captains at the World Cup, ran from behind the stumps in front of the batsman to take the catch.

Bagai did the same in the following over, diving to get rid of Chigumbura in exactly the same fashion _ this time off a delivery by Rao's fellow spinner, Rizwan Cheema.

Taibu had progressed serenely with Ervine alongside him, rotating the strike and selecting his shots well, but with the pressure back on and partners changing he slipped up and hit Rao straight to John Davison just inside the deep midwicket boundary.

Greg Lamb dragged Rao onto his stumps and the spinner got his fourth wicket when Bagai again sprang forward to take a catch off the back of Sean Williams' bat. Prosper Utseya holed out to Chohan for 22 and Baidwan bowled Graeme Cremer for 26, leaving Ray Price unbeaten on 10 and Chris Mpofu on 3.