Mutumbami stars as Great Zimbabwe’s perfect run continues

Great Zimbabwe Patriots – 126-3 in 10 overs (Richmond Mutumbami 73*, Luke Jongwe 27*, Tony Munyonga 10; Tinashe Muchawaya 1/14, Donald Tiripano 1/22, Vincent Masekesa 1/31)

Westside – 83 all out in 10 overs (Tinashe Muchawaya 30, Kudzai Sauramba 15, Clive Chitumba 14; Sydney Murombo 3/9, Tawanda Mhere 2/7, George Matanga 2/12)

 

Great Zimbabwe Patriots won by 43 runs

Richmond Mutumbami played the star role with a brilliant innings of 73 not out that effectively gave Great Zimbabwe Patriots a 43-run victory against Westside in the first Zim Cyber-City Domestic T10 match at Harare Sports Club on Thursday.

Westside, winning the toss, put Great Zimbabwe in to bat first, and rejoiced when in the first over Tinashe Muchawaya seized the invaluable wicket of the in-form Tadiwanashe Marumani, caught at point by Vincent Masekesa for only five.

In the second over the captain, Costa Zhou, was caught off Donald Tiripano without scoring, and then Tony Munyonga was bowled by Masekesa for 10, to make the score 28 for three in the fifth over.

They would have been sitting pretty except for the fact that they were unable to dismiss Mutumbami as well.

Luke Jongwe, also in good hitting form, joined him at the crease, and so brilliantly did they hit that in five overs and two balls they hammered 98 runs in partnership to take the Great Zimbabwe total to a huge 126 for three wickets.

Masekesa was to pay dearly for his catch of Marumani and bowling of Munyonga, for his second over cost 26 runs, as Mutumbami hit him for a four and two sixes and Jongwe for a six off a no-ball.

Mutumbami’s 73 came off only 30 balls, and he hit six sixes and seven fours, while Jongwe contributed 27 off 15 balls, with two sixes and two fours.

The end result was a score of 126 for three wickets, setting a total that Westside could scarcely hope to exceed.

Muchawaya emerged best of the bowlers from the slaughter, his two overs costing only 14 runs for his one wicket.

They could only try their best, but soon lost Kevin Kasuza for six, bowled by Sydney Murombo, who later on dismissed Kudzai Sauramba for 15 off 16 balls.

Clive Chitumba scored 14 off 10 balls, but none of the later batters could reach double figures, except for Muchawaya, who made a grand effort with four sixes in his innings that was worth 30 runs off 10 balls.

But the last five batters managed only four runs among them, and the innings closed with the final delivery of the 10 overs for 83.

Murombo was the pick of the bowlers, taking three wickets for only nine runs in his two overs, while George Matanga had two for 12 and Tawanda Mhere two for seven in his single over.

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Lions – 53 all out in 10 overs (Clive Madande 14, Marshall Takodza 11, Nkosilathi Nungu 8; Brad Evans 3/10, Sikandar Raza 2/7, Dylan Hondo 2/12)

Harare Kings – 56-0 in 3 overs (Sikandar Raza 35*, Cephas Zhuwao 11*)

 

Harare Kings won by 10 wickets

Once again Sikandar Raza took the headlines with a powerful 35 not out and two cheap wickets, as Harare Kings cruised to an easy 10-wicket victory over Lions.

 

Kings had to bat for only three overs to complete their win.

Lions were sent in to bat, and were immediately in trouble, losing in the first eight deliveries both their openers, Blessed Muzite and Aliakbar Hamid, for a single each, three runs on the board.

Marshall Takodza, the captain, hit up a quick 11 off seven balls, while Clive Madande made 14 off 14, but the last seven in the order were quite unable to make any progress – not one of them could reach double figures or even hit a boundary among them.

The innings petered out for 53, with the final wicket going down to the last ball of the 10th over.

All five bowlers returned good figures in their two-over limitation, with Brad Evans taking three wickets for 10 runs, and two each for Raza, Dylan Hondo and Manson Chikowero.

When Lions bowled, their first over was a disaster, for Kudakwashe Macheka conceded 20 runs, of which 10 were scored by Raza and the other 10 came from one no-ball and five wides, some of them too difficult for the wicket-keeper to stop.

Even this was cheaper, though, than the third over, from Nkosilathi Nungu, that went for 24 – four sixes to Raza, the final one ending the match.

Raza finished unbeaten with 35 off 15 balls, with the four sixes plus two fours, but his partner, although granted only four balls, did manage 11 runs with a six and a four – name of Cephas Zhuwao.

It could be said that Trevor Gwandu, whose one over cost 12 runs, was the most successful bowler in this innings.

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Gladiators – 69-5 in 10 overs (Tinashe Chimbambo 18, Ashley Mufandauya 17, Masimba Marovatsanga 14*; Brandon Mavuta 2/18, Prince Kaunda 1/10, Brandon James 1/13)

Bulawayo Athletic Club – 71-3 in 9 overs (Nkosana Mpofu 20, Thamsanqa Nunu 18*, Brandon Mavuta 12*; Ashley Mufandauya 1/6, Malcom Chikuhwa 1/11, Owen Muzondo 1/22)

 

Bulawayo Athletic Club won by seven wickets

 

In a rather tame final match of the day, the Bulawayo Athletic Club (BAC) captain, Nkosana Mpofu, made a confident 20 runs, the highest score of the game, to put his team on the path to an eventual seven-wicket victory over Gladiators.

Both teams entered this match with only one victory to their credit, and were desperate to taste another.

Gladiators, put in to bat, needed at least one batter to take charge of the bowling and play a major innings, but they never found him.

Wessly Madhevere took 12 balls to make five before being out in the third over.

There was one good stand, between Ashley Mufandauya (17 off 14 balls) and Tinashe Chimbambo (18 off 10 balls), and they took the score to 41 before the second wicket fell in the sixth over.

This should have been a suitable platform from which the middle order could attack the bowling vigorously, but that never happened.

The only later batter to shape was Masimba Marovatsanga, who scored 14 not out off 10 balls, but he could only take the score to 69 for five wickets after 10 overs.

Brandon Mavuta took two wickets, but he was the most expensive bowler, for they cost him 18 runs.

Charlton Tshuma (seven runs) and Tanatswa Bechani (eight runs) did a fine job for their side, bowling two overs each very economically.

BAC in contrast began their innings confidently, mainly in the person of Mpofu, who stroked 20 off 15 balls before being out after four overs with the score 32.

Then the innings began to falter, and after Nyasha Mayavo had been third out for nine at 43, Thamsanqa Nunu and Mavuta proceeded quite cautiously towards the target.

 

Eleven runs were needed off the last two overs, but a burst of hitting took them home safely in one.

Nunu finished unbeaten with 18 off 15 balls, while Mavuta had 12 off eight.

Of the bowlers, Malcom Chikuhwa did well to take one for 11 off two overs.

 

ZIM CYBER-CITY DOMESTIC T10 POINTS TABLE