Akram triggers Rocks collapse, Madande leads Tuskers charge
Southern Rocks – 114 all out in 24.1 overs (Richmond Mutumbami 44, Cephas Zhuwao 39, Ben Curran 9; Matt Parkinson 5/26, Faraz Akram 3/18, Munashe Chipara 1/13)
Eagles – 198-4 in 47 overs (Larvet Masunda 76, Tadiwanashe Marumani 73, Tinashe Kamunhukamwe 21; William Mashinge 2/34, Sydney Murombo 1/27, Roy Kaia 1/49)
Day 1 – Stumps: Eagles lead by 84 runs
A superb opening spell of bowling by Faraz Akram for Eagles dealt the Southern Rocks top order a deadly blow from which they could never recover on the first day of their Logan Cup match at Old Hararians Sports Club on Friday.
Rocks decided to bat first with no idea of what a disastrous decision that would turn out to be.
In his first over, with two singles on the board, Akram trapped Blessed Muzite lbw for one, and in his second over he removed Brian Mudzinganyama (1) caught and Roy Kaia lbw first ball, to leave Rocks reeling at three runs for three wickets.
Although he took no further wickets, Akram had done such damage that Rocks were never able to recover.
Munashe Chipara then bowled out Ben Curran for nine to make the score 22 for four.
The captain, Richmond Mutumbami, counter-attacked in brilliant style, racing to 44 off 39 balls (two sixes and six fours), before he fell victim to the Lancashire leg-spinner, Matt Parkinson, at 77 for six.
The only other batter to reach double figures was Cephas Zhuwao, going in at number seven, and he alone had any answer to the mysteries of Parkinson until that bowler had him caught by Akram, last man out, for 39 off 36 balls, with four sixes and two fours.
The whole innings of 114 was over before lunch in 24.1 overs, with Akram taking his three wickets for 18 and Parkinson five for 26.
Eagles were to sweep past that score with only one wicket down.
Tinashe Kamunhukamwe gave his side a brisk start with 21 off 20 balls out of 25 for the first wicket, but then the second-wicket partnership of 145 between Larvet Masunda and Tadiwanashe Marumani took over.
Again, the inexperienced Rocks bowling attack struggled, and as usual they turned to Kaia to do the bulk of the bowling.
He finally broke that partnership by dismissing Masunda for 76 (125 balls), and then William Mashinge removed two men in succession, Marumani for 73 (107 balls) and Nick Welch for two.
By the early close through bad light the score had progressed to 198 for four, with Wessly Madhevere on 12 and Tinashe Nenhunzi 11.
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Tuskers – 288-8 in 71.3 overs (Clive Madande 115*, Nkosana Mpofu 45, Awad Naqvi 35; Mashford Shungu 2/38, Vincent Masekesa 2/55, Shingi Masakadza 1/25)
Mega Market Mountaineers –
Day 1 – Stumps
Clive Madande scored his second career first-class century in fine style at Harare Sports Club on Friday for Tuskers against Mega Market Mountaineers.
He was still there at the close with 115 not out, and his team were in quite a good position at 288 for eight wickets.
Tuskers, who decided to bat, made a sound start, with the score reaching 108 for one wicket at one stage, after Taffy Mupariwa was bowled by Shingi Masakadza for 14.
Nkosana Mpofu with 45 and Awad Naqvi, 35, took the score to 108, but then three wickets fell quickly.
But now Madande had arrived at the crease and faced the bowling positively from the start.
Although six were down for 153, Madande was in charge of the bowling, and Hamidullah Qadri (28) supported him soundly in a seventh-wicket partnership of 77.
Ernest Masuku, next in after Qadri went, played an aggressive innings of 18, but after he went the new man, Charlton Tshuma, had little to do as Madande farmed the bowling so well that he reached his century, and after an unbroken partnership of 27 Tshuma still hadn’t scored, or needed to.
Madande has so far faced 137 balls for his 115, with a six and 16 fours.
The pace bowler Mashford Shungu enjoyed quite a good first day in first-class cricket for Mountaineers, taking two wickets.
