Chesa, Kaia stifle Tuskers charge on day one
Tuskers – 366 all out in 72.4 overs (Sean Williams 99, Milton Shumba 87, Clive Madande 65; Priviledge Chesa 5/70, Innocent Kaia 4/67, Keith Jaure 1/53)
Southern Rocks – 64-0 in 14 overs (Cephas Zhuwao 34*, Innocent Kaia 29*)
Day 1 – Stumps: Southern Rocks trail by 302 runs
Good bowling by Priviledge Chesa and Innocent Kaia brought Southern Rocks back into their Logan Cup match against Tuskers at Old Hararians Sports Club in Harare on Thursday just when they looked likely to be in serious trouble.
Tuskers won the toss and, deciding to bat first, immediately went on the assault.
Tanu Makoni and Nkosana Mpofu soon had the scoreboard ticking over quickly as they put on 87 runs in less than 21 overs for the first wicket.
Mpofu was then out lbw for 39, and Taffy Mupariwa quickly followed, lbw to Kaia without scoring.
Makoni was caught at the wicket off Keith Jaure for 63, scored off 93 balls, but then Milton Shumba and Sean Williams came together and for a while they made mincemeat of the bowlers.
Williams in particular hit out at almost every delivery, as the pair added 156 for the fourth wicket in only 24 overs, more than a run a ball.
Williams reached the verge of a very fast century, but on 99 he found himself given out lbw to Chesa, to make the score 272 for four wickets.
He faced only 62 balls and hit three sixes and 11 fours.
Clive Madande now joined Shumba and the pair added 59 for the fifth wicket in 12 overs before Shumba became another lbw victim, to Chesa, having scored 87 off 130 balls – two sixes, eight fours.
At 331 for five Tuskers were still looking set for a big total, but now the wheels came off very suddenly, as the incoming batters were perhaps rather too eager to hit out without playing themselves in.
Luke Jongwe, the South African Jordan Morris and Ainsley Ndlovu were all bustled out in quick succession, without a run among them, as four wickets fell in two overs to Chesa and Kaia – eight down for 332.
Madande was still there, and he put on a few runs with the last two batters before his was the last wicket to fall at 366, a much smaller total than had been anticipated.
He scored 65 off 73 balls with 10 fours, becoming Chesa’s fifth wicket of the innings.
Chesa took five wickets for 70 runs in the innings, and Kaia four for 67.
Having finished off the Tuskers innings so quickly, Rocks now built on their recovery as they put on 64 runs off 14 overs without being separated before the close.
Kaia was not out with 29, while Cephas Zhuwao, perhaps rather more restrained than usual, had 34 off 35 balls, having already hit two sixes.
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Rhinos – 325-7 in 89 overs (Ryan Burl 128, Nyasha Mayavo 77, Eddie Byrom 51; Tanaka Chivanga 2/47, Brad Evans 2/61, Wessly Madhevere 2/83)
Eagles –
Day – Stumps
A fine century from Ryan Burl was the backbone of the Rhinos innings on the first day of their Logan Cup match against Eagles at Harare Sports Club on Thursday, after his team had batted on winning the toss.
Takudzwanashe Kaitano and Eddie Byrom made a cautious start to the Rhinos innings, especially Kaitano, who laboured to 10 off 53 balls before he was caught at the wicket off Faraz Akram, with the score on 30.
Byrom then speeded up and reached his fifty, before both he and Kiran Carlson were out, lbw to Brad Evans, in successive overs, for 51 and 23 respectively.
At the other end Wessly Madhevere stepped in with the wickets of Remembrance Nyathi (7) and Johnathan Campbell (2), and with five wickets down for 129 Rhinos were in some trouble.
But now Nyasha Mayavo joined Burl at the crease and the two of them saved their team with a superb sixth-wicket partnership that eventually raised 177 runs.
Burl was the more aggressive, running to his first first-class century in more than four years as he applied himself well to his task and kept the runs coming at a good pace.
Mayavo played the ideal supporting role, and when the stand was broken, it was Burl to go, caught by Craig Ervine off Tanaka Chivanga for 128.
He faced 160 balls and hit five sixes and 15 fours.
Mayavo was out in the final over of the day, bowled by Chivanga for 77, scored off 135 balls with 14 fours.
Brandon Mavuta is not out overnight with nine.
Evans, Chivanga and Madhevere have all taken two wickets to date, with Evans being the most economical.
