Mavuta clips Eagles wings, another Zhuwao fifty rocks Mountaineers

Rhinos – 171-8 in 20 overs (Johnathan Campbell 46, Ryan Burl 35, Brandon Mavuta 26*; Tawanda Dzikiti 3/16, Matt Parkinson 2/22, Alex Falao 2/32)

Eagles – 153-8 in 20 overs (Nick Welch 68, Tanaka Chivanga 32*, Alex Falao 12*; Brandon Mavuta 4/28, Neville Madziva 2/25, Carl Mumba 1/12)

Rhinos won by 18 runs 

Another magical spell of bowling by Brandon Mavuta badly undermined the Eagles batting and led to their defeat at the hands of Rhinos by a margin of 18 runs in a Domestic Twenty20 Competition match at Old Hararians Sports Club on Friday.

Rhinos, put in to bat, quickly lost two wickets to Alex Falao, and despite 21 from their opener Eddie Byrom were in deep trouble when their fifth wicket went down for only 53 runs on the board in the ninth over.

The situation was saved by some daring hitting from Johnathan Campbell (46 off 32 balls) and Ryan Burl (35 off 20), who put on 56 for the sixth wicket, more than doubling the score in less than five overs.

Mavuta also played his part with the bat, scoring 26 not out off 17 balls, and thanks to these three Rhinos were able to finish with a very presentable 171 for eight wickets.

Tawanda Dzikiti did well to take three wickets for 16 runs in three overs, while Falao after his valuable early wickets took some stick and was hit for 32.

Eagles began their chase with Nick Welch and Tadiwanashe Marumani, who raced to 23 in the third over, when Mavuta came on and bowled Marumani for nine off five balls, and had Wessly Madhevere caught without addition two balls later.

There followed a steady collapse of the Eagles middle order, with seven successive batters dismissed for single-figure scores.

Mavuta returned in the middle of the innings to take two more cheap wickets, and when he removed Faraz Akram for three Eagles had six wickets down for 91.

Welch was the only batter who could resist him, and he was batting brilliantly at one end, a lone act.

But when he was eventually caught off Neville Madziva for 68 (59 balls, a six and eight fours) to make the score 108 for seven in the 16th over, Eagles were doomed.

In the last 3.3 overs Tanaka Chivanga (32 not out off 15 balls) and Falao (12 not out) hit out desperately to add 41 runs, but the task was too great.

Mavuta with four wickets for 28 had turned the match, while Madziva with two for 25 played his part well.

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Tuskers – 170 all out in 19.1 overs (Clive Madande 42, Taffy Mupariwa 30, Nkosana Mpofu 26; Kudakwashe Macheka 4/30, Tendekai Mataranyika 3/34, Marshal Takodza 1/11)

Lions – 155-8 in 20 overs (Christopher Masike 42, Hamid Ali 40, Trevor Gwandu 21; Ernest Masuku 3/38, Ainsley Ndlovu 2/23, Milton Shumba 1/7)

Tuskers won by 15 runs

Despite gallant innings from Hamid Ali with 40 and Christopher Masike with 42, Lions went down by 15 runs to Tuskers at Harare Sports Club on Friday.

They put Tuskers in to bat, but the latter were given a good start by Nkosana Mpofu (26 off 16 balls) and Clive Madande (42 off 27), who took the score to 51 before the second wicket fell in the sixth over.

Madande then found another fine partner in Taffy Mupariwa, who hit 30 off 24, and they added 62 for the fourth wicket in less than seven overs.

Luke Jongwe scored 22 off 13 balls, but three quick wickets at the end for Kuda Macheka brought Lions the distinction of bowling their opponents out for 170 with five balls left unbowled.

Macheka finished with four for 30, while Tendekai Mataranyika had three for 34.

Ali gave Lions a good start, his 40 coming off 38 balls, but when Masike reached the crease the score was 64 for two in the 11th over, which meant that the required run rate was now more than 10 an over, a difficult task for their talented but inexperienced team.

There was a useful 15 by Alistair Frost and 21 from Trevor Gwandu, but the young Lions were never quite able to make up the difference, and their worthy attempt finished 16 runs short of victory.

Ernest Masuku took three valuable middle-order wickets for 38 to finish as the best bowler.

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Mega Market Mountaineers – 209-7 in 20 overs (PJ Moor 45, Shingi Masakadza 42, Timycen Maruma 24; Nick Gubbins 3/27, Keith Jaure 3/41, Dylan Hondo 1/43)

Southern Rocks – 210-4 in 18.2 overs (Nick Gubbins 57*, Cephas Zhuwao 55, Roy Kaia 45; Wellington Masakadza 2/42, Brian Bennett 1/21, Victor Nyauchi 1/43)

Southern Rocks won by six wickets

A sensational innings of 55 off 22 balls by the legendary Cephas Zhuwao paved the way for Southern Rocks to record a remarkable six-wicket victory over Mega Market Mountaineers, who totalled 209, at Harare Sports Club on Friday afternoon.

Mountaineers, put in to bat, had a very good innings with most of their batters contributing usefully.

PJ Moor dominated the early part of the innings, scoring 45 off 31 balls, with four sixes and three fours.

He received help from Kevin Kasuza, who hit out to score 22 off 12 balls, with two sixes and two fours.

At 143 for six in the 16th over, though, it seemed as if a good innings might be fading away, only for Shingi Masakadza to play one of his devastating knocks, as he thrashed the bowling for 42 off only 16 balls, with four sixes and three fours.

This was the necessary impetus to push the score over the 200 mark, and Mountaineers finished on 209 for seven wickets, a daunting target for Rocks.

Keith Jaure took three wickets for 41, while Nick Gubbins did particularly well amid the carnage to take three for only 27 in four overs, which proved to be by far the most economical bowling of the day.

It was a job for Zhuwao now, and he did not disappoint his admirers.

Tony Munyonga bowled the first over of the Rocks innings, and it went for an amazing 26 runs – including a four and two sixes from Zhuwao as well as a wide that gave away five runs.

In the second over Brian Mudzinganyama was out for one, but Roy Kaia gave Zhuwao good support and after only four overs 63 runs were on the board.

Zhuwao reached his brilliant fifty off only 20 balls, including six sixes and four fours, and brought up the team hundred in the seventh over, but at this point he was caught and bowled by Wellington Masakadza for 55.

However, he had left Rocks a manageable 109 runs to score off 13.2 overs, and his team, inspired by his innings, did not let him down.

The two men who continued the good work were Kaia with 45 off 28 balls and Gubbins, 57 not out off 37, as they took Rocks home with all of 10 deliveries to spare.

All of the bowlers suffered severe punishment, but at least Wellington Masakadza had two wickets as compensation.

2022/23 DOMESTIC T20 COMPETITION POINTS TABLE