Marumani smashes T10 tourney’s first fifty, as Raza shines again

Westside – 81-8 in 10 overs (Clive Chitumba 22, Kudzai Sauramba 15, Kevin Kasuza 10; Johnathan Campbell 2/7, Manson Chikowero 2/11, Sikandar Raza 2/19)

Harare Kings – 85-4 in 8.4 overs (Sikandar Raza 33, Cephas Zhuwao 22, Johnathan Campbell 9*; Prosper Mugeri 1/4, Frank Mazviita 1/8, Donald Tiripano 1/16)

 

Harare Kings won by six wickets

Once again, the batting of Sikandar Raza was to the fore with a fine 33 as Harare Kings beat Westside by six wickets in the first Zim Cyber-City Domestic T10, powered by AVR PAY, match played at Harare Sports Club on Sunday.

Westside were put in to bat and made quite a good start, as Clive Chitumba and Kevin Kasuza put on 32 runs for the first wicket inside four overs.

Most of this was Chitumba’s effort, though, as he hit a six and three fours in scoring 22 of those before he was bowled by Tawanda Maposa.

After his dismissal Kasuza was out for 10, which took him 16 balls, and none of the middle-order batters were able to get a good innings going.

Donald Tiripano was bowled by Manson Chikowero for six off three balls, and after eight overs the score was 62 for six.

Kudzai Sauramba came in surprisingly low at number eight and gave the innings a boost by scoring 15 off seven balls, including a six and a four, before he was caught by Raza off Johnathan Campbell from the penultimate ball of the innings.

The final score was 81 for eight wickets, not one that was likely to disturb Harare Kings.

Chikowero, Raza and Campbell took two wickets each.

Cephas Zhuwao opened the Kings’ batting in good aggressive form, scoring 22 off 16 balls with a six and three fours before he was caught off Tiripano.

Once again Raza was the outstanding batter, though, coming in at number three and smashing 33 runs off 16 balls, with two sixes and four fours.

By the time he was caught off the bowling of Frank Mwazviita in the eighth over, the score was 79 for three and Kings were virtually home.

Simbarashe Haukozi hit the winning four to take the total to 85 for four wickets with eight balls to spare.

Mwazviita was the best bowler with Raza’s wicket for only eight runs off two overs, remarkably good figures for the T10 format.

Harare Kings became the first team to win all their first three matches of the tournament.

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Great Zimbabwe Patriots – 131-3 in 10 overs (Tadiwanashe Marumani 69, Tony Munyonga 31, Richmond Mutumbami 12; Trevor Gwandu 2/20, Tashinga Musekiwa 1/14)

Lions – 97-9 in 10 overs (Tashinga Musekiwa 23, Bright Phiri 18, Marshall Takodza 16*; Tony Munyonga 4/17, Luke Jongwe 2/5, Sydney Murombo 1/16)

 

Great Zimbabwe Patriots won by 34 runs

A brilliant innings of 69 off just 30 balls from Tadiwanashe Marumani – the first fifty of the tournament – paved the way for Great Zimbabwe Patriots’ convincing victory by 34 runs over Lions in the second T10 match at Harare Sports Club.

This was a particularly interesting match as both teams won their first two tournament matches, and Great Zimbabwe backed their batters in again deciding to bat on winning the toss.

Marumani opened with Richmond Mutumbami, and was in dazzling form from the start, hitting the bowling all over the field.

Mutumbami scored only 12 of their opening partnership of 79, when he had to retire hurt.

Marumani was out soon after that, having hit four sixes and 10 fours, and at his departure the score was 83 for one off only seven overs.

Tony Munyonga came in, though, and he was even more aggressive than Marumani, taking only nine balls to hit 31, two of them going for six and four for four.

After 10 overs the total was 131 for three wickets, a very challenging total for their opponents to face.

Trevor Gwandu took two wickets for 20 runs in his two overs, and Tashinga Musekiwa one for 14 and was the only bowler to go for below 10 an over.

Lions could hardly have made a worse start, as Blessed Muzite, unable to score off the first two deliveries, lofted the third for a catch, and Elton Chigumbura was caught at the wicket off the fourth.

The bowler was Luke Jongwe, and two wickets were down in four balls without a run on the board.

However, Lions showed themselves to be a team of spirit by making a good fight down the order, although their task now was virtually impossible.

Bright Phiri (10), Christopher Masike (14) and Musekiwa (23 off 10 balls) all made useful contributions, followed by Marshall Takodza, with 16 not out off 12.

Lions were able to recover enough to reach 97 for nine wickets, and so reduced the deficit to 34 runs.

Munyonga dismissed four middle-order batters in his two overs for 17 runs to be the most successful bowler, but Jongwe’s two overs included the double-wicket maiden over that opened the innings, and only five runs scored off him altogether.

Harare Kings and Great Zimbabwe therefore now head the tournament table with three victories each in three matches.

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Bulawayo Athletic Club – 54-9 in 10 overs (Tanatswa Bechani 16*, Nkosana Mpofu 15, Allan Chigoma 8; Shingi Masakadza 4/6, Tanaka Chivanga 2/7, Tapiwa Mufudza 1/4)

Takashinga Patriots 1 – 58-1 in 6.1 overs (Baxon Gopito 32*, Tinashe Kamunhukamwe 19, Innocent Kaia 7*; Brandon Mavuta 1/26)

 

Takashinga Patriots 1 won by nine wickets

A brilliant spell of bowling from Shingi Masakadza, who took four wickets in his two overs, broke the back of the Bulawayo Athletic Club (BAC) innings in the third and final T10 match of the day, leading to Takashinga Patriots 1’s first victory of the tournament by a decisive nine wickets.

They put BAC in to bat on winning the toss, and Tanaka Chivanga bowled the first over.

Masakadza came on to bowl opposite him, and with the last two deliveries of his first over he bowled out Nyasha Mayavo (1) and Thamsanqa Nunu first ball.

The only early BAC batter to reach double figures was Nkosana Mpofu, who scored 15 off 15 balls before he was bowled by Privilege Chesa with the score 26 for three in the fifth over.

Masakadza was brought back for the eighth over and immediately struck gold again, having Brandon Mavuta caught by Takudzwanashe Kaitano for three and then Tinotenda Maposa caught at the wicket by Joylord Gumbie without scoring.

BAC were now 42 for seven and there was no way back for them, although Tanatswa Bechani fought a lone battle to score 16 not out off 14 balls.

The innings ended with the run-out of Chris Mpofu for one and the score at 54 for nine wickets.

Masakadza had the superb figures of four wickets for six runs in his two overs, while Chivanga had two for seven.

There was another remarkable aspect to the bowling figures, as these two bowlers, plus Chesa and Tapiwa Mufudza, bowled eight overs altogether for only 23 runs, while the other two overs, bowled by Cuthbert Musoko, cost 27 runs.

Takashinga Patriots 1 were now easily in line to record their first victory of the tournament.

Their opening batters, Tinashe Kamunhukamwe and Baxon Gopito, were determined that there would be no slip-ups this time.

They built the Takashinga innings at a good pace and took the score to 41 in the sixth over before Kamunhukamwe was trapped lbw by Mavuta for 19, scored off 14 balls with four fours.

Gopito hammered Mavuta for six and four by the time his over was completed, and then Innocent Kaia hit Chris Mpofu for six to bring the match to a close.

Gopito was 32 not out off 21 balls, with a six and three fours, while Kaia had seven not out off two balls – the total was 58 for one off 6.1 overs.

The only bowler to take a wicket, Mavuta, also conceded 26 runs in his two overs as BAC were quite outclassed in this match.

 

The two leading teams, Great Zimbabwe Patriots and Harare Kings, are playing each other at 2.20pm on Monday.

 

ZIM CYBER-CITY DOMESTIC T10 POINTS TABLE