Duo gives Zimbabwe A great start before innings falls apart
Zimbabwe A – 163 all out in 56.4 overs (Tadiwanashe Marumani 66, Dion Myers 50, Nyasha Mayavo 17; Mohammad Ali 4/36, Mehran Mumtaz 3/36, Aamer Jamal 3/51)
Pakistan Shaheens – 115-1 in 24 overs (Muhammad Hurraira 60*, Imran Butt 27, Omair Yousuf 19*; Dion Myers 1/17)
Day 1 – Stumps: Pakistan Shaheens trail by 48 runs
Two excellent fifties from Tadiwanashe Marumani and Dion Myers gave Zimbabwe A a fine start before they suffered a batting collapse in their second four-day match against Pakistan Shaheens at Mutare Sports Club on Wednesday.
They were dismissed for 163 and by the close the tourists had put themselves in a strong position by scoring 115 for one wicket.
Pakistan Shaheens won the toss and put Zimbabwe A in to bat.
The home team suffered an early blow when their main batting hero of the first match, Joylord Gumbie, was caught off the bowling of paceman Mohammad Ali for seven, with the score at 12.
There followed a fine partnership of 110 for the second wicket as Myers joined Marumani at the crease, and the pair batted superbly against a mixed bowling attack, scoring at a good pace and putting their side in a very promising position.
Unfortunately, such a good start was wasted as once the partnership was broken the middle order fell apart.
The dismissal that started the collapse was that of Myers, who reached his 50 and was then bowled out at that mark by the left-arm spinner Mehran Mumtaz with the score now reading 122 for two wickets.
Myers faced 108 deliveries and hit a six and nine fours.
At 130 Marumani followed him back to the pavilion after scoring an aggressive 66 off 100 balls – he was caught at the wicket off the pace bowler Aamer Jamil.
Marumani hit a six and eight fours in his dominating innings.
Without addition Tony Munyonga was out without scoring, and then Johnathan Campbell went for four – all three wickets fell in nine balls bowled by Jamil, and all were caught behind the wicket.
When Roy Kaia was caught off Mumtaz for 12, the score had gone to 140 for six wickets, five wickets having gone down in six overs.
Nyasha Mayavo did his best to improve the situation by scoring 17, but then he was bowled by Ali and the later batters all failed.
The last four wickets fell for the addition of only two runs, and Zimbabwe A were all out for 163, a poor total after such a good second-wicket partnership.
Ali, who removed the last two batters in three balls, finished with four wickets for 36 runs, while there were three scalps each for Jamal and Mumtaz.
Pakistan Shaheens began their innings briskly, the openers Muhammad Hurraira and Imran Butt making light of the Zimbabwe A bowling.
The home side were not helped by Tanaka Chivanga breaking down in his fourth over and being unable to bowl again.
Butt fancied the bowling of Myers and hit him for three successive fours, but the next delivery found him out lbw for 27, the score then being 63 for one in the 11th over.
Omair Yousuf quickly found his touch, and with Hurraira took the score to 115 for one wicket in 24 overs by the close.
Hurraira was looking ominously good with 60, while Yousuf had 19.
