ZC bans two players for recreational drug use

Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) has suspended two emerging players for three months for using a recreational drug in an out-of-competition case.

 

The two players were summoned to appear for a disciplinary hearing after they were reported to ZC by a concerned citizen who caught them red-handed partaking in suspected substance abuse within the premises of a private residential complex.

 

They admitted to using a social drug on the day in question, resulting in each one of them receiving a three-month ban from cricket activities for breaching the ZC Code of Conduct for Players and Team Officials under which they were charged.

 

The Disciplinary Committee noted that had they committed the offence in competition, they would have been charged under ZC’s anti-doping rules and attracted stiffer sanctions, including a ban of up to two years.

 

The two players are first-time offenders and ZC has opted to keep their identities confidential in order to give them the best chance of rehabilitation.

Northerns fail to capitalise after derailing Durham innings

Durham – 216 all out in 42.2 overs (Alex Lees 83, David Bedingham 32, Graham Clark 29; Wellington Masakadza 3/38, Wessly Madhevere 3/42, Ryan Burl 1/28)

Northerns – 174 all out in 34.4 overs (Craig Ervine 50, Ryan Burl 40, Innocent Kaia 29; Liam Trevaskis 5/29, Ben Raine 2/11, George Drissell 2/39)

Durham won by 42 runs

Despite some good bowling and valuable innings of 50 and 40 by Craig Ervine and Ryan Burl respectively, Northerns were unable to prevent another Durham victory in their one-day match at Harare Sports Club on Tuesday, going down in the end by 42 runs.

The county team’s match-winners were opening batters Alex Lees, yet again, with the bat and the leg-spinner Liam Trevaskis with the ball.

Durham batted first on winning the toss and got off to their usual good start with an opening stand of 65 in 12.3 overs between Graham Clark and Lees.

Clark was then caught off Wellington Masakadza for 29, and the new man, Scott Borthwick, also caught off the next delivery.

This was only a temporary hiccup, though, as Lees continued to bat in superb form, and David Bedingham joined him in a third-wicket partnership of 66.

A very large total seemed to be in prospect as Durham reached 187 for four in the 34th over, with Lees now approaching his century.

However, the Northerns bowlers now fought back and wickets began to tumble to a varied attack.

Lees himself went at 193 for seven, caught at the wicket off Brad Evans for 83 – he faced 98 balls and hit 10 fours.

For the first time Durham were bowled out, a fine recovery by the home side, the total being 216 in the 43rd over.

The spinners Masakadza and Wessly Madhevere were the most successful with three wickets each.

When Northerns went in to begin their chase, they quickly lost Tadiwanashe Marumani to the third ball of the innings without scoring.

However, Innocent Kaia and Ervine put them back on track with a good second-wicket partnership of 56 in 10 overs before Kaia was caught for a fluent 29.

The innings shuddered as Gary Ballance went for one and Madhevere for six – 76 for four in the 15th over.

Burl joined Ervine and they took the score past hundred until at 107 Ervine, soon after reaching his smoothly hit fifty, was bowled by George Drissell having faced 52 balls.

All was not lost yet, as Clive Madande joined Burl and the pair took charge of the bowling, bringing their team back into the game as the score mounted.

But at 151 Burl was out lbw to Ben Raine for 40 off 39 balls, and that proved to be the end of the Northerns fight.

Madande went for 14 and the tail had little to offer, with Trevaskis doing most of the damage.

After such a promising start, Northerners had lost their last five wickets for 23 runs and Durham therefore completed a clean sweep, having won all their games on the pre-season tour.

Trevaskis finished with the excellent figures of five wickets for 29 runs off 8.4 overs.

Trio hits fifties as Southerns put up gallant fight in loss to Glamorgan

Glamorgan – 321 all out in 49.5 overs (Dan Douthwaite 70, Thomas Bevan 60, Kiran Carlson 59; Ainsley Ndlovu 3/49, Tanaka Chivanga 2/49, Brandon Mavuta 2/56)

Southerns – 262 all out in 46.2 overs (Gary Ballance 62, Chamu Chibhabha 54, Johnathan Campbell 52; Prem Sisodiya 3/54, Jamie McIlroy 2/30, David Lloyd 2/30)

 

Glamorgan won by 59 runs

 

Chamu Chibhabha, Gary Ballance and Johnathan Campbell all scored gallant fifties for Southerns as they tried to chase down a Glamorgan score of 321 at Harare Sports Club on Sunday, but in the end it was in vain, as the tourists won a good match by 59 runs.

The county team decided to bat on winning the toss, and immediately Thomas Bevan and Sam Northeast gave them a fine start.

They put on 62 in less than 13 overs, but then Ainsley Ndlovu came on to bowl and took three wickets, so that after 24 overs Glamorgan were 123 for four, with Bevan out for a fine 60 off 63 balls, and their innings could go either way.

Glamorgan it was who took command, though, with a series of good partnerships and two fine fifties.

Their captain Kiran Carlson led the revival with a knock of 59 off 58 balls, before Dan Douthwaite came in to play the most spectacular innings of the day.

Douthwaite raced to 70 off 39 balls, an innings that contained no fewer than eight sixes and two fours.

He was finally caught and bowled by Brandon Mavuta after 46 overs, at 293 for nine, whereupon the last pair took the score to 321 before the final wicket fell with one ball in hand.

Ndlovu was the most successful bowler, with three wickets for 49 in his 10 overs.

Blessing Muzarabani, returning after injury, opened the bowling, but bowled only five overs without a wicket for 24 runs.

 

It was a tough task for Southerns, especially when Jamie McIlroy took two wickets in his opening spell, removing Innocent Kaia for one and Nkosana Mpofu for 12.

Chibhabha and Ballance worked hard to rebuild the innings, putting on 111 together in exactly 20 overs, and as long as they stayed in Southerns had a genuine hope of victory.

But then at 132 Ballance was caught off David Lloyd for 62, scored off 62 balls with a six and eight fours, and six balls later Andrew Salter had Chibhabha out lbw for 54 (72 balls, five fours).

Campbell and Clive Madande kept Southerns’ hopes alive with a good partnership of 50 in 10 overs before the latter went for 23.

Campbell hit a fine 52 off 41 balls, with eight fours, before he was sixth out at 218 in the 40th over – both were out to the left-arm spinner Prem Sisodiya.

Luke Jongwe went for 10, and after that only Ndlovu was able to put up much of a fight, scoring a good 25 not out off 18 balls before the last wicket went down in the 47th over with the total at 262.

Five Glamorgan bowlers took wickets, with Sisodiya, three for 54 in 10 overs, the most successful.

 

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Northerns – 127 all out in 29.3 overs (Wellington Masakadza 28, Ryan Burl 27, Tadiwanashe Marumani 21; Liam Trevaskis 4/1, Paul Coughlin 2/13, Oliver Gibson 2/28)

Durham – 128-3 in 18.3 overs (Ollie Robinson 54*, David Bedingham 33*, Scott Borthwick 14; Victor Nyauchi 2/13, Faraz Akram 1/16)

 

Durham won by seven wickets

The bowling of Liam Trevaskis and the big hitting of Ollie Robinson were too much for Northerns at Old Hararians Sports Club on Sunday, as Durham raced to victory in their 50-over match by seven wickets.

Durham won the toss and put Northerns in to bat.

The Northerns innings consisted of three good partnerships amid a number of failures.

Brydon Carse struck with his third delivery, having Joylord Gumbie caught without a run on the board.

Tanu Makoni and Tadiwanashe Marumani then made a good stand of 41 for the second wicket, scoring 12 and 21 respectively before Marumani was out, and at the same score Makoni had to retire hurt.

The new man, Wessly Madhevere, was bowled by Paul Coughlin without scoring, but then Ryan Burl and Nyasha Mayavo added 33 for the fourth wicket.

Burl scored 27 in 28 balls, and then Mayavo and Wellington Masakadza took the score to 116 for four in the 25th over.

At this point Northerns were poised to make a good score, but instead a collapse occurred after Mayavo was bowled for 21.

The left-arm spinner Trevaskis was responsible for this, as after bowling Mayavo he removed in quick succession Masakadza for 28 – the highest score of the innings – the returning Makoni and Faraz Akram.

When Oliver Gibson had the last man Victor Nyauchi caught, the score had gone from 123 for five to 127 all out in 14 balls, and Durham were presented with a simple target.

Trevaskis had the remarkable bowling figures of four wickets for one run in three overs.

Nyauchi in his first three overs caused Durham some trouble, bowling Michael Jones first ball and having captain Scott Borthwick caught for 14 – 25 for two.

At 31 Akram removed the opener Graham Clark for 10 and Durham had three down for 31 runs.

However, after this it was all one-way traffic, as David Bedingham (33 not out off 34 balls) and Robinson swept Durham to victory in only 18.3 overs.

Robinson smashed 54 not out off 33 balls, with three sixes and seven fours.

Zimbabwe to host two English county teams

Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) will host two English county cricket teams, Durham and Glamorgan, in Harare this March.

The visitors will play against local select sides across three formats.

The pre-season tour will start off with Durham facing Southerns and Glamorgan taking on Northerns in three-day action scheduled for 4-6 March at Harare Sports Club and Old Hararians Sports Club respectively.

This will be followed by six T20 matches set for 8, 9 and 10 March at Harare Sports Club, with two matches being played per day.

Four 50-over games pencilled in for 12 and 14 March will then wrap up the tour.

Durham last visited Zimbabwe together with Derbyshire in March 2020, but that tour had to be cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, while Glamorgan will be in the country for the first time since 1995.

Commenting on the significance of the tour by the county teams, ZC Managing Director Givemore Makoni said: “We are thrilled to be welcoming Durham and Glamorgan county teams to our country for a very important tour that will go a long way in exposing especially our young and upcoming players to the rigours of high-level cricket.”

Ball-by-ball coverage of all the matches will be available on the Zimbabwe Cricket app, which is free to download across both iOS and Android mobile devices.

MATCH SCHEDULE: DURHAM AND GLAMORGAN IN ZIMBABWE 2023

DATE

FORMAT

MATCH

VENUE

TIME

4-6 March 2023

Three-Day

Durham v Southerns

Harare Sports Club

10.00

Glamorgan v Northerns

Old Hararians

10.00

8 March 2023

T20

Glamorgan v Southerns

Harare Sports Club

09.30

Durham v Northerns

Harare Sports Club

13.30

9 March 2023

T20

Durham v Southerns

Harare Sports Club

09.30

Glamorgan v Northerns

Harare Sports Club

13.30

10 March 2023

T20

Glamorgan v Southerns

Harare Sports Club

09.30

Durham v Northerns

Harare Sports Club

13.30

12 March 2023

One-Day

Durham v Northerns

Old Hararians

09.15

Glamorgan v Southerns

Harare Sports Club

09.15

14 March 2023

One-Day

Durham v Southerns

Harare Sports Club

09.15

Glamorgan v Northerns

Old Hararians

09.15

Northerns claim regional series after Southerns fluff golden chance

Northerns – 273-9 in 50 overs (Nkosana Mpofu 88, Chamu Chibhabha 50, Tarisai Musakanda 35; Victor Nyauchi 3/42, Ernest Masuku 3/60, Tafadzwa Tsiga 2/18)

Southerns – 270 all out in 47.4 overs (Johnathan Campbell 46, Tashinga Musekiwa 43, Kevin Kasuza 38; Ainsley Ndlovu 4/27, William Mashinge 4/34, Tanaka Chivanga 1/50)

Northerns won by three runs

Nkosana Mpofu struck his second consecutive half-century as his Northerns team pipped Southerns by three runs in an exciting finish to decide the three-match regional Pro50 Championship series at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo on Wednesday.

On the other hand, Brandon Mavuta was both hero and villain for Southerns – he had scored a valiant 29 at a vital time to take his side to the brink of victory, only to lose his wicket to an unnecessary stroke that in the end cost them the match.

Richmond Mutumbami as captain of Southerns won the toss and decided to bowl first.

Much depended, for both teams, on how the in-form Tadiwanashe Marumani performed, but this time round it was not his day.

Against the opening attack of Ernest Masuku and Victor Nyauchi he could not get going and in the eighth over, having scored 11 off 22 balls, he was caught by Mutumbami behind the wicket off Nyauchi.

Later in the same over his partner, Brian Mudzinganyama, also fell for 11, beaten by Nyauchi’s pace and trapped lbw.

Nkosana Mpofu began his innings more fluently than either opener, and scored freely while the Northerns captain Chamu Chibhabha settled into what proved to be a major partnership with him.

They put on 124 in 25 overs before Chibhabha, just having reached 50, was beaten and bowled by the spin of Johnathan Campbell, with their team in the advantageous position of 151 for three.

Mpofu stayed until the 39th over when, trying to speed up the scoring, he was surprisingly lbw to Tafadzwa Tsiga, who is better known as a wicket-keeper and very rarely bowls.

He departed having made a brilliant 88, with one six and nine fours, off 104 deliveries.

Perhaps unfamiliarity with his bowling gave Tsiga an advantage, as in his next over he also removed Tanaka Chivanga (4) lbw with a googly – 195 for five.

The wickets were a setback for Northerns, but Shingi Masakadza is always a good man for such a situation, as he joined Tarisai Musakanda at the wicket.

Masakadza launched three sixes on his way to 27 off only 13 balls to give his team a welcome boost before Masuku had him lbw on returning for his final spell.

At 249, Musakanda was caught at mid-off from Nyauchi after scoring 35 off 38 balls – 249 for seven in the 47th over.

In the remaining overs, Spencer Magodo (21 not out off 14 balls) and William Mashinge (10) had a clout, before Masuku had Mashinge caught in the gully and Ainsley Ndlovu bowled first ball with the last two deliveries of the innings, giving a total of 273 for nine.

This improved Masuku’s figures to three wickets for 60, but Nyauchi had the best record of three for 42 in eight overs, while the surprise package Tsiga had two for 18.

Kevin Kasuza may have missed out in the second match on Monday, but he regained his sparkling form of the first match when Southerns batted.

He and Takudzwanashe Kaitano put on 46 for the first wicket in eight overs, of which Kaitano scored just nine before Chivanga trapped him lbw.

Kasuza was looking set for another big score when on 38 he was also out lbw to a fine delivery from Ndlovu, having faced 41 balls and hit two sixes and four fours.

Mutumbami drove a catch to point and left without scoring three balls later, but Tsiga and Timycen Maruma took the score past 100, when both were out for 27 in quick succession.

At 109 for five in the 22nd over, Southerns were now in some trouble as Campbell and Tashinga Musekiwa came together.

Scoring well, they kept their team in with a chance as they added 84 together in 15 overs, of which Musekiwa scored 43 off 56 balls before at 193 for six he was caught at deep midwicket.

Carl Mumba played his usual big-hitting game, and was looking dangerous with 18 off 12 balls before he skyed a catch to long-on in trying to hit what would have been his third six – 222 for seven.

All this time Campbell was holding the innings together, but when he had made 46 off 53 balls he was beaten and bowled by Mashinge, and at 233 for eight after 41 overs Southerns were in trouble again.

Mavuta was now the leading batter remaining, and the policy seemed to be for him to make the strokes while Masuku kept his end up.

With five overs left, they needed 23 runs to win.

In the 47th over, Masuku hit off-spinner Mudzinganyama for four and then Mavuta for six, taking the score to 270 for eight, four more runs needed.

Off the final delivery of that over, however, in a situation where safe singles would have brought Southerns the match, Mavuta decided to go for glory, opened his shoulders and drove a catch to long-off.

He had made 29 in a very fine innings of 27 balls.

The score was 270 for nine.

Mashinge then bowled to Masuku, who also seemed to lose his head as he slogged the fourth ball to deep midwicket, where it was fumbled and then caught by Mudzinganyama to end the match.

Masuku had scored nine, while the last man, Nyauchi, had not faced a ball.

The score was 270, and there were still 14 balls to be bowled, leaving Southerns to rue the big lofted shots in a situation where only four more runs were needed for victory.

Ndlovu was the pick of the bowlers, with four top-order wickets for only 27 runs in his 10 overs, while Mashinge had four for 34.

Marumani stars as Northerns level regional series

Southerns – 244-8 in 41 overs (Timycen Maruma 54, Richmond Mutumbami 48, Carl Mumba 47*; Faraz Akram 3/32, Nkosana Mpofu 3/58, Ainsley Ndlovu 1/35) 

Northerns – 245-5 in 38.2 overs (Tadiwanashe Marumani 71, Nkosana Mpofu 55, Spencer Magodo 41*; Tashinga Musekiwa 3/42, Victor Nyauchi 1/44, Keith Jaure 1/54)

Northerns won by five wickets

Tadiwanashe Marumani once again showed his one-day batting skills, playing a destructive innings of 71 off 41 balls to lead the way for Northerns as they beat Southerns by five wickets in the second match of this regional Pro50 Championship series at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo on Monday.

Again, a wet outfield delayed the start of play and this time the match was reduced to 41 overs a side.

Richmond Mutumbami, captaining Southerns, decided to bat on winning the toss.

In contrast to his brilliant form in the first match, Kevin Kasuza struggled this time round for 17 balls to score only two runs before he was lbw to a swinging ball from Faraz Akram.

He opened with Tafadzwa Tsiga, who scored 16 before being bowled by Tawanda Dzikiti in the 10th over at 36 for two.

Timycen Maruma, promoted to number three, was in fine form and shared a vital partnership with Mutumbami which took the score to 118 before the third wicket fell in the 27th over.

He scored 54 off 65 balls, while Mutumbami soon followed for 48 off 57, both to the left-arm spin of Nkosana Mpofu.

There was rather a slump in the middle order at this point, and after 33 overs the innings was in danger of melting away at 147 for six.

Johnathan Campbell was batting well to make 36 off 31 balls, but once again the main figure in the lower order was Carl Mumba, who smote the ball in his usual powerful style and in less than six overs, when Campbell was out, the score had shot up to 205 for seven.

Mumba finished the innings with 47 not out off only 23 balls, with four sixes and two fours, the final total being 244 for eight when the 41 overs were completed.

Akram was the most successful bowler with three for 32 off seven overs, while Mpofu also took three wickets, but they cost him 58 runs off eight overs after he had received some unwanted attention from Mumba’s bat.

In reply Northerns got off to a flying start, which is always possible when Marumani strikes form.

His partner Brian Mudzinganyama was first out for 20 after seven overs, the score at this stage being 71 for no wicket, with Marumani now on 43 off only 18 balls.

Marumani went on to reach his fifty off only 22 balls, but then seemed to lose a little steam – he was finally caught at long-off for 71 off 41 balls.

He had hit a six and 12 fours, and the score at this point was 128 for two in the 16th over, having built an excellent platform for the later batters to achieve victory.

The bowler was Tashinga Musekiwa, who proceeded to take the next two wickets to fall, those of Chamu Chibhabha for 17 and Brian Chari for three – 162 for four in the 22nd over.

Mpofu was still there batting steadily and Spencer Magodo supported him well to take the score past 200 in the 32nd over, before Mpofu was bowled by Keith Jaure for 55 after facing 73 balls and hitting two sixes and four fours.

William Mashinge joined Magodo, and these two played steady cricket without the pressure of a high required run rate, thanks to Marumani’s trail-blazing innings at the start.

Magodo finished with 41 off 46 balls, Mashinge with 15 off 26, both not out, as the two saw Northerns home in the 39th over quite comfortably.

Musekiwa with three for 42 was the most successful of the bowlers.

Both teams have now won a match, so the stage is set for the series decider on Wednesday.

Kasuza, Mutumbami power Southerns to victory in regional clash

Northerns – 160-6 in 24 overs (Chamu Chibhabha 47, Spencer Magodo 30, Shingi Masakadza 29*; Keith Jaure 1/9, Tinashe Muchawaya 1/26, Brandon Mavuta 1/27)

Southerns – 164-2 in 22.3 overs (Kevin Kasuza 80*, Richmond Mutumbami 51*, Prince Masvaure 12; Faraz Akram 1/16, Tawanda Dzikiti 1/26)

Southerns won by eight wickets

Kevin Kasuza found his best one-day form as his excellent innings of 80 not out, in partnership most of the time with Richmond Mutumbami, brought an eight-wicket victory to Southerns over Northerns in the first regional Pro50 Championship match at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo on Saturday.

A wet outfield delayed play for so long that this match had to be reduced to 24 overs per side, making it little more than a T20 game.

Northerns won the toss and decided to bat, but got off to a bad start, which was to eventually cost them dearly.

They lost Tadiwanashe Marumani, who scored eight runs and was then caught at the wicket, all in the first over from Victor Nyauchi.

Tanu Makoni scored 14, but Tafara Mupariwa became badly bogged down, scoring only a single in 15 balls before he was out at 30 for three in the eighth over.

Chamu Chibhabha and Brian Chari improved matters, with Chari scoring 18 off 17 balls and Chibhabha, the Northerns captain, going on to make 47 off 36 balls.

His dismissal made the score 117 for five in the 20th over.

Spencer Magodo and Shingi Masakadza then took over, with Masakadza as so often being the most destructive batter on his team, scoring 29 not out off 17 balls with a six and three fours.

Magodo was run out off the last ball of the innings for 30 off 33 balls, giving Northerns a total of 160 for six wickets.

Five bowlers took one wicket each, with Keith Jaure the most economical, taking the wicket of Mupariwa for nine runs off his four overs.

Southerns quickly lost the wicket of Takudzwanashe Kaitano for three, as he slogged a catch to midwicket off Faraz Akram.

Prince Masvaure scored 12 off 22 balls before he was out after nine overs with the score 43 for two.

Kasuza, who opened with Kaitano, had sometimes struggled recently in limited-overs cricket, but this time round he was in superb form.

He formed a vital partnership with Mutumbami as the two batters mastered the bowling, pace and spin alike, and soon the only question was whether they would still be together when victory was achieved.

They were indeed, with Mutumbami scoring the winning runs with a big six over cow corner off Magodo, to bring up his fifty at the same time, scored off 42 balls (three sixes, three fours).

Kasuza was deservedly unbeaten with 80, taking only 67 balls for it, and he hit a six and eight fours.

The unbroken third-wicket partnership between the pair was worth 121 runs, and they won the match with nine balls to spare.

Akram was the most economical of the bowlers, taking one for 16 off four overs.

Mountaineers edge Rhinos to retain Pro50 Championship title

Mountaineers – 277-7 in 50 overs (Definate Mawadzi 70, Timycen Maruma 51, Peter Moor 44; Brandon Mavuta 3/34, Carl Mumba 3/50, Michael Chinouya 1/44)

Rhinos – 276-8 in 50 overs (Johnathan Campbell 57, Carl Mumba 44*, Prince Masvaure 43; Tinashe Muchawaya 2/33, Clive Chitumba 1/25, Victor Nyauchi 1/39)

Mountaineers won by one run

Mountaineers have retained the Pro50 Championship trophy after defeating Rhinos by a single run in a thrilling final that went down to the last delivery at Kwekwe Sports Club on Saturday.

Rhinos won the toss and put Mountaineers in to bat.

Kevin Kasuza, opening the batting, struggled for runs before he was finally caught off the bowling of Mike Chinouya for four, which took him 34 balls and came out of a total of 26.

His partner, Clive Chitumba, made 26 before he was bowled by Carl Mumba to make the score 44 for two.

Then came the partnership that put the team on course for a good total, as PJ Moor joined the Definate Mawadzi at the crease.

They wisely played themselves in and began to dominate the bowling, adding 82 together before Brandon Mavuta, as so often in this tournament, broke the stand by having Moor caught for 44, which came off 42 deliveries.

The captain, Timycen Maruma, came in next and he continued the good work, adding 91 with his young partner before Mawadzi was caught by Mavuta off Mumba for a very praiseworthy innings of 70 – he faced 90 balls and hit three sixes and four fours.

The score was now 217 for four after 41 overs, but Maruma himself went in the next over, bowled by Mavuta, having scored 51 off 45 balls (four sixes, three fours).

Tinashe Muchawaya fell first ball to Mavuta, and Mumba removed Spencer Magodo for one, so from 217 for three the score eight balls later was 219 for seven.

Fortunately for Mountaineers, Donald Tiripano joined Shingi Masakadza and the pair made a fine recovery, batting out the 50 overs together undefeated.

They added 58, both finishing not out with 27, and the final score was 277 for seven, no easy task for Rhinos.

Their best bowlers had been Mumba, with three for 50 in nine overs, and once again Mavuta, three for 34 in 10.

Madziva also did a very economical job, taking no wickets but bowling his nine overs for only 33 runs.

Rhinos made a bad start when Victor Nyauchi had their opening batter, Takudzwanashe Kaitano, caught at the wicket in the first over with only a wide to their score.

Then came a good partnership between Prince Masvaure and Tarisai Musakanda, who put on 71 together in 12 overs, until Musakanda holed out off Muchawaya for 37.

Eddie Byrom quickly fell for four, but Masvaure batted on well until Chitumba had him caught for 43 when the total was 126 for four in the 25th over.

Johnathan Campbell batted well and shared useful stands with Nyasha Mayavo (9) and Tashinga Musekiwa (31), but Rhinos were in trouble when the seventh wicket fell at 209 after 42 overs.

Sixty-nine runs were needed off the last eight overs, with just three wickets left, but Madziva with his skilful batting and Mumba with his big hitting went for the runs and kept within sight of victory.

Twelve runs were needed off the final over, with Tiripano to bowl.

Madziva hit the second ball for six, and off the final delivery two runs were needed to tie and three to win.

Mumba’s big hit again failed, but he got bat to the ball – the batters ran one and came back for the second that would have given them a tie, but the return from Nyauchi was too good and Madziva was run out for a heroic 25.

Mumba was not out with 44 off only 26 deliveries, including three sixes and three fours.

Mountaineers thus won the trophy and did well to keep their heads in that dramatic final over.

Muchawaya was the most successful bowler with two wickets for 33, but Nyauchi was the most economical with one for 39 in nine overs.

*******************************************************

Alliance Health Eagles – 286 all out in 49.4 overs (Tinashe Kamunhukamwe 85, Tadiwanashe Marumani 51, Faraz Akram 34; Nkosana Mpofu 3/40, Panashe Maphosa 2/43, Charlton Tshuma 2/53)

Tuskers – 256 all out in 47.2 overs (Taffy Mupariwa 85, Ainsley Ndlovu 37, Nkosana Mpofu 34; Kadeem Alleyne 4/50, Cunningham Ncube 3/43, Tanaka Chivanga 1/20)

Alliance Health Eagles won by 30 runs

A good all-round performance by Cunningham Ncube was a leading factor in Alliance Health Eagles’ 30-run victory over Tuskers in the Pro50 Championship third-place playoff match at Queens Sports Club on Saturday.

He scored an invaluable 34 with the bat when his team was in difficulty, and was equally well-timed in his bowling with three vital wickets as Tuskers seemed to be on course for victory.

Tuskers put Eagles in to bat on winning the toss, and the prolific opening pair of Nick Welch and Tadiwanashe Marumani went into action.

They made a good stand of 85 in less than 17 overs before they were separated by a run-out, Marumani going just after reaching his fifty – he made 51 off 60 balls, with six fours.

Two overs later Welch was caught and bowled by Nkosana Mpofu for 34, scored off 47 balls, and a small collapse began, as Kudzai Maunze went without scoring, followed by Chamu Chibhabha for two and Kadeem Alleyne for seven.

The Eagles score was now suddenly 100 for five and Tuskers were on top.

They were saved by a superb sixth-wicket partnership between Ncube and Tinashe Kamunhukamwe, who put on 127 runs in 21 overs to swing the balance again.

Ncube made a steady 34, while Kamunhukamwe, batting surprisingly low at number seven, hit out powerfully with five sixes and eight fours, before both were out in quick succession to make the score 230 for seven after 42 overs.

There was life in the Eagles innings still, with Faraz Akram scoring 34 off 26 balls, helped by Tanaka Chivanga with 14, and the innings closed at 286 all out in the 50th over.

Mpofu with three for 40 was the most successful bowler, while there were two wickets each for Charlton Tshuma and Ainsley Ndlovu.

Tuskers for the first 40 overs of their innings looked likely winners.

Tanu Makoni (28) and Mpofu (34) made a good brisk opening partnership of 53 in less than nine overs, and then Taffy Mupariwa batted brilliantly.

He attacked all the bowlers in fine style, and after 40 overs the score was 191 for only two wickets, with Tuskers apparently poised for victory.

Then came a disastrous collapse against the part-time bowling of Ncube and the medium-pace of Alleyne.

Four wickets went down in the space of 13 balls, the last of them being that of Mupariwa, perhaps allowing his concentration to be disturbed.

He was beaten by the spin of Ncube and stumped for 85 as he went down the pitch to him, having faced 100 balls and hit nine fours.

Tuskers were now 204 for six in the 43rd over and the match was transformed.

The only remaining batter to make a stand was Ndlovu, who hit out admirably to score 37 off 23 balls, and was eventually last man out as his partners withered at the other end.

The total was only 256, and there were still 16 balls left when the innings was completed.

Alleyne had taken quite a beating before his burst of wickets, and so had the unusual figures of four for 50 off only 5.2 overs, while Ncube took three wickets for 43 in seven overs.

These were the men who changed the match, although Tuskers have themselves to blame for their collapse after setting themselves up for victory.

Eagles therefore claim third place over Tuskers, who had begun the tournament so well.

Rhinos, Mountaineers to meet in Pro50 Championship final

Rhinos – 214 all out in 47.4 overs (Takudzwanashe Kaitano 93, Brandon Mavuta 36, Neville Madziva 36; Nkosana Mpofu 3/28, Ainsley Ndlovu 2/24, Allan Chigoma 2/37)

Tuskers – 164 all out in 42.3 overs (Brian Chari 61, Ainsley Ndlovu 34, Tanunurwa Makoni 23; Brandon Mavuta 4/29, Johnathan Campbell 2/29, Prince Masvaure 2/38)

Rhinos won by 50 runs

Rhinos sealed their place in the Pro50 Championship final after defeating the early tournament leaders, Tuskers, by 50 runs in their last round-robin match at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo on Sunday.

The main architects of the victory were their opening batter Takudzwanashe Kaitano, without whose 93 runs they would probably not have won, and the leg-spinner Brandon Mavuta, who broke a dangerous partnership and finished off the Tuskers innings.

Tuskers put Rhinos in to bat on winning the toss, and immediately found Kaitano in brilliant batting form.

Prince Masvaure gave him good support as the pair plundered 68 runs off the first eight overs before Masvaure, trying to give his aggressive partner the strike, called for a quick single to extra cover and was run out by Ainsley Ndlovu.

This began a middle-order slide, as Kaitano held firm but his next four partners scored only 11 runs between them so that the fifth wicket fell at 96.

Neville Madziva, as in Friday’s match, stopped the rot and proved a sound partner for Kaitano as he swept towards a century.

Unfortunately, it was not to be, as with 93 to his credit off 102 balls, he miscued a scoop to fine leg and popped a simple catch, having hit two sixes and 12 fours.

The score was then 145 for six wickets in the 34th over, and the innings would have faded away had Mavuta not stood firm with Madziva, the pair adding 56 for the eighth wicket in 11 overs.

Both batters then went for 36, with Madziva, having supported Kaitano well, taking 61 balls without a single boundary, while Mavuta, free to be more aggressive, took only 43.

Rhinos were all out in the 48th over for 214.

The pace bowlers had been ineffective, taking not a wicket between them, but Nkosana Mpofu had figures of three for 28 and there were two wickets each for Ndlovu and Allan Chigoma.

Now Tuskers had their chance to chase down the target in the knowledge that, should they succeed, they would book their place in the Pro50 Championship final.

They began well enough, with a steady opening partnership of 35 in seven overs between Mpofu and Tanu Makoni before Wallace Mubaiwa dismissed Mpofu (19) and James McCollum (4) in quick succession.

Makoni was out for 23, and there continued a steady slide of wickets and of Tuskers’ hopes, until six men were out for 102 after 29 overs.

Brian Chari however was still there, and Ndlovu, nowadays quite an all-round force in his team, joined him to make a determined partnership.

Tuskers’ hopes slowly returned and grew as the runs came, and the fifty partnership was left behind.

But then came the vital blow, struck by Mavuta, whose bowling has been such a match-winning factor for Rhinos in this provincial one-day tournament.

He spun the ball past the groping bat of Ndlovu and had him out lbw for 34, scored off 40 balls, and Tuskers were 161 for seven.

In his next over Mavuta hammered two more nails into Tuskers’ coffin, sending back Ernest Masuku and Sheu Musekwa – 164 for nine.

Chari at the other end had no option now but to hit out with the last man at the crease, and when he did so against Campbell he skyed a big hit to cow corner where, most appropriately, the catch was held by Mavuta.

Tuskers were thus dismissed for 164 runs, with Rhinos sealing victory and a place in the final by 50 runs.

Mavuta completed his 10 overs – so he picked up the final three wickets just in time – and took four for 29, while there were two wickets each for Mubaiwa, Masvaure and Johnathan Campbell.

******************************************

Mountaineers – 239 all out in 44.1 overs (Peter Moor 66, Kevin Kasuza 43, Spencer Magodo 29; Tanaka Chivanga 4/35, Tapiwa Mufudza 3/54, Kadeem Alleyne 2/57)

Alliance Health Eagles – 239 all out in 39.4 overs (Kadeem Alleyne 76, Chamu Chibhabha 65, Faraz Akram 13*; Baxon Gopito 3/0, Victor Nyauchi 3/28, Clive Chitumba 2/42)

Match tied 

An amazing hat-trick by a specialist batter Baxon Gopito derailed Alliance Health Eagles when they were on the verge of victory and forced a tie that gave Mountaineers a place in the Pro50 Championship.

Until that point a closely fought match, played at Mutare Sports Club on Sunday, seemed to be going the way of the Harare-based team.

Eagles, successful in the toss, continued their usual policy of putting their opponents in to bat.

Gopito of Mountaineers scored a two off the first delivery, from Tawanda Dzikiti, but was bowled by the second.

Kevin Kasuza played a solid innings and Clive Chitumba (21) put on 47 with him in 10 overs for the second wicket.

There followed the major partnership of the innings, as PJ Moor regained his best form, played himself in carefully and then unleashed his powerful attacking strokes on the bowling.

They put on 79 together in less than 14 overs before Kasuza was bowled by Tanaka Chivanga for a very useful 43, an anchor innings that came off 80 balls.

Timycen Maruma was out for one, and Moor soon followed for 66, caught off Chivanga having faced only 50 balls and hit five sixes and five fours.

With five wickets now down for 148, some of the advantage had been lost, but Spencer Magodo hit well for 29 and Shingi Masakadza again came good with 23, so the total passed 200 with seven wickets down.

Tapiwa Mufudza, tossing the ball up, did a good job in luring the batters to destruction, taking three wickets for 54 runs in his 10 overs.

It was Chivanga who finished off the innings by having Masakadza caught, and his figures were four wickets for only 35 runs, while Kadeem Alleyne took a rather expensive two for 57.

The innings closed at 239, a total that Eagles no doubt felt confident they could chase down.

Their confidence was soon shaken, however, by the early loss of their prolific opening pair, Nick Welch and Tadiwanashe Marumani.

Marumani’s innings was short and sweet, as he slammed two fours and was then caught off Tinashe Muchawaya off the fourth ball he faced.

Welch lasted until the score was 24 in the fourth over, when Nyauchi trapped him lbw, also for eight.

Kudzai Maunze was the next to go, caught off Chitumba for 12 with the score at 51.

Fortunately for Eagles, Chamu Chibhabha was still in fine form after his brilliant innings on Friday, and he soon got after the bowling, supported by the West Indian Alleyne.

They both got right on top of the bowling, boundaries flowing from their bats, and as long as they were together Eagles seemed to be racing to victory.

They added 112 for the fourth wicket in 15 overs before Chitumba returned and had Chibhabha caught for 65, scored off 68 balls, with two sixes and seven fours – the score was 163 for four in the 26th over.

Alleyne was even more aggressive, receiving less of the bowling, but thrashing five sixes and five fours.

The 200 went up with only five men out, but at 205 Alleyne was out lbw to Vincent Masekesa for 76, scored off only 63 balls.

Cunningham Ncube went for eight, but Faraz Akram was batting well with Chivanga as the scores were levelled.

The news had no doubt now reached Mountaineers that Rhinos had won in Bulawayo and therefore claimed the Pro50 trophy.

At this point Mountaineers threw the ball to Gopito, who is a non-bowler at provincial level.

There followed the greatest surprise of the match, and some might say the whole tournament.

Chivanga did not score off Gopito’s first ball, but he hit a catch off the second.

From the third Mufudza popped a return catch to the bowler, who promptly bowled Dzikiti with his fourth.

Gopito had taken a hat-trick and the match was a tie!

His remarkable bowling figures therefore were 0.4 overs for no runs and three wickets.

Of the other bowlers Nyauchi had bowled well to take three wickets for 28 in 10 overs, escaping punishment from Chibhabha and Alleyne, while Chitumba had two for 42.

Mountaineers finished second behind Rhinos and the two sides will now meet in the Pro50 Championship final pencilled in for Saturday.

2022/23 PRO50 CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS TABLE

TEAM

M

W

L

T

N/R

PT

NRR

Rhinos

8

5

2

1

0

55

0.269

Mountaineers

8

4

2

2

0

49

-0.070

Tuskers

8

4

4

0

0

40

-0.105

Eagles

8

3

4

1

0

35

0.244

Rocks

8

2

6

0

0

20

-0.374

Rhinos topple Tuskers, as Eagles fall despite Chibhabha’s big ton

Tuskers – 167 all out in 47.2 overs (Nkosana Mpofu 51, Ainsley Ndlovu 32, Alvin Chiradza 20; Johnathan Campbell 4/40, Michael Chinouya 1/15, Prince Masvaure 1/20)

Rhinos – 168-6 in 40.5 overs (Eddie Byrom 71*, Takudzwanashe Kaitano 22, Neville Madziva 22*; Shane Getkate 2/33, Ainsley Ndlovu 2/34)

Rhinos won by four wickets

A fine fighting innings by Eddie Byrom saw Rhinos through a difficult run-chase to record a tense four-wicket win over Tuskers at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo on Friday.

This victory has taken Rhinos ahead of Tuskers to top the Pro50 Championship table after seven matches each.

Tuskers were put in to bat and their innings never really looked like prospering as they struggled all the way.

Their Irish professional James McCollum, who opened their batting with Nkosana Mpofu, was caught at the wicket in the second over off the bowling of Neville Madziva without scoring.

Taffy Mupariwa and Brian Chari both struggled for runs, scoring three and eight respectively.

Shane Getkate was more fluent but did not last long, quickly falling lbw to Brandon Mavuta when he came on to bowl for 14, which made them 69 for four in the 21st over.

Mpofu was batting steadily and well, though, and a good partnership looked to be developing between him and Alvin Chiradza.

However, Johnathan Campbell came on to dismiss them both.

Mpofu made a good 51 off 83 balls, while Chiradza, out at 116 for five, scored 20 off 37.

Of the later batters, only Ainsley Ndlovu made much of a contribution, and his was the most aggressive innings of the day, 32 off 40 balls before Campbell removed him too.

The innings steadily declined until Tuskers were all out in the 48th over for a total of 167.

Campbell in his 10 overs took four wickets for 40 runs, while five other bowlers took one wicket each.

Mike Chinouya’s figures were the most economical, one for 15 off six overs.

Tuskers fought hard to preserve their position at the top of the table.

Rhinos began their chase quite well as Takudzwanashe Kaitano and Prince Masvaure put on 34 for the first wicket.

The first two wickets actually fell through run-outs by Mpofu, first Kaitano for 22 and then Kiran Carlson for four.

When Masvaure, who played an anchor role, was bowled by Ndlovu for a cautious 18 off 53 balls, Rhinos were still quite well placed at 86 for three.

But the middle order started to slide, as Getkate removed Campbell for four and Nyasha Mayavo for six, while Ndlovu bowled out Tashinga Musekiwa for 4.

Rhinos were in trouble at 106 for six, but Byrom was still there, playing superbly.

At last he found a man to stay with him in Madziva, and they always had overs in hand, so the scoring rate never put pressure on them.

Runs came steadily and despite all the efforts of the Tuskers players they batted through 17 overs between them to complete a fine victory for Rhinos that took them to the top of the table.

Byrom’s 71 came off 92 balls, and he hit three sixes and six fours, while Madziva finished with 22 off 47 balls, a superb supporting innings.

Only four wickets fell to the bowlers, with Ndlovu taking two for 34 and Getkate two for 33.

*******************************************

Alliance Health Eagles – 322-6 in 50 overs (Chamu Chibhabha 155*, Cunningham Ncube 50, Nick Welch 40; Shingi Masakadza 2/39, Victor Nyauchi 2/78, Vincent Masekesa 1/46)

Mountaineers – 307-8 in 45.1 overs (Spencer Magodo 93, Shingi Masakadza 64*, Donald Tiripano 37; Faraz Akram 5/58, Tawanda Dzikiti 2/30, Kadeem Alleyne 1/86)

Mountaineers won by 15 runs (Duckworth-Lewis method)

An amazing eighth-wicket partnership of 112 between Spencer Magodo and Shingi Masakadza turned a Pro50 Championship match that had until then looked like a dead duck into a magnificent 15-run victory, according to Duckworth-Lewis, for Mountaineers over Alliance Health Eagles at Mutare Sports Club on Friday.

After a brilliant century from Chamu Chibhabha in the morning made Eagles, the loss of their first five wickets for 59 in reply seemed to point to an overwhelming victory for the visitors – until Magodo and Masakadza turned the tables when all seemed lost.

Mountaineers must have soon regretted their decision to put Eagles in to bat.

The visitors were given a brisk start by Nick Welch and Tadiwanashe Marumani, who put on 38 for the first wicket before Marumani in the seventh over was caught at the wicket off Victor Nyauchi, having scored 24 off 19 balls.

Kudzai Maunze was out for 13 with the score at 56 in the 11th over, which brought Chibhabha to the wicket.

Welch kept him company until going out for 40, at 94 for three, while Marshall Takodza made seven before departing.

Then came the partnership that stabilised the innings, as Cunningham Ncube joined Chibhabha at the wicket and the pair proceeded to hammer the bowling, adding 158 together in 23 overs.

Chibhabha played steadily to reach 50 off 73 balls, but then began to open up, at one stage hitting the occasional bowling of Kevin Kasuza for a four and two sixes off successive deliveries to reach 80.

He approached his first century in provincial cricket since April 2018 cautiously, and reached it neatly enough off 100 balls in the 46th over.

He then hit at everything, with Nyauchi in particular bearing the full fury of his assault.

In Nyauchi’s ninth over he hit him for two sixes and a four off successive deliveries, and his final over cost 28 runs, including two no-balls – Chibhabha scored the rest, including three sixes and a four.

In the meantime, Nyauchi had bowled Ncube for an invaluable 50 off 72 balls, Donald Tiripano bowled Kadeem Alleyne for 12 and the final total was a huge 322 for six wickets.

Nyauchi’s final figures were two for 78 off 10 overs, while Shingi Masakadza, who did not have to bowl to Chibhabha after his century, took two for 39 in eight overs.

Mountaineers were soon in trouble when they responded, losing Baxton Gopito for seven.

When Faraz Akram dismissed Joylord Gumbie (7) and PJ Moor first ball they were three wickets down for 24 in the fifth over.

Then Kasuza (21) and Timycen Maruma (11) went in quick succession, making it 59 for five in the ninth over.

Magodo kept up the attack, while Tiripano gave him good support with 37 off 56 balls, before he was out at 137 for six.

Tinashe Muchawaya also hit out to make 29 off 27 balls before he was out at 194 for seven, a scoring rate of almost six an over.

Until now probably nobody had doubted that, despite their attacking spirit, Mountaineers would lose the match, but the eighth wicket changed that idea.

That great fighter, Masakadza, now joined Magodo, and the pair went after the bowling hammer and tongs.

To their alarm the Eagles bowlers found they could not separate them, and runs came at a faster rate than ever.

They soon passed 200 and raced on towards 300, setting Eagles right back on their heels.

The 300 was passed, and then finally Akram, who had been kept back for the death bowling, returned and in his final over had Magodo caught by Alleyne to break the stand at 306 in the 45th over.

They had added 112 for the eighth wicket in just 11 overs and turned the match on its head.

Magodo, who richly deserved a century, was out for 93 off 96 balls, with two sixes and nine fours.

Nyauchi joined Masakadza, but a few balls later the light became so bad that the umpires took the players from the field and the match had to be decided by Duckworth-Lewis – which awarded victory to the gallant Mountaineers team.

Masakadza finished with 64 not out off only 45 balls, with three sixes and six fours.

Akram’s superb bowling brought him five wickets for 58 runs, while his new-ball partner Tawanda Dzikiti, who only bowled four overs, took two for 30.

2022/23 PRO50 CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS TABLE

TEAM

M

W

L

T

N/R

PT

NRR

Rhinos

7

4

2

1

0

45

0.157

Mountaineers

7

4

2

1

0

45

-0.081

Tuskers

7

4

3

0

0

40

0.028

Eagles

7

3

4

0

0

30

0.284

Rocks

8

2

6

0

0

20

-0.374