Raza’s double-century leaves opponents with Mountain to climb
Mountaineers – 258 and 68-1 in 19 overs (PJ Moor 27*, Ben Compton 25*, Joylord Gumbie 14; Roy Kaia 1/13)
Southern Rocks – 505-8 declared in 149.3 overs (Sikandar Raza 226, Roy Kaia 104, Tafadzwa Tsiga 52; Vincent Masekesa 4/115, Tony Munyonga 2/37, Donald Tiripano 1/73)
Day 3 – Stumps: Mountaineers trail by 179 runs
A brilliant double-century from Sikandar Raza, the second and the highest of his career, and well supported by Roy Kaia, put reigning Logan Cup champions Southern Rocks into a strong position against Mountaineers on the third day of their match at Old Hararians Sports Club on Friday.
Overnight, Rocks had scored 239 for three wickets, with Kaia on 64 and Raza 83, in reply to Mountaineers’ 258.
Raza had been the faster scorer yesterday in their large partnership, but today it was Kaia who showed the more enterprise.
Raza reached his century off 178 balls, but only two overs later Kaia joined him with three figures, having taken 215 balls altogether.
It was Kaia’s fourth first-class century, and Raza’s sixth.
They took their partnership to 213 altogether before Kaia was finally dismissed, a catch to Wellington Masakadza off Donald Tiripano for 104 – he faced 219 balls and hit 12 fours and a six.
This made the score 304 for four, and by lunch it had moved on to 310, with Raza on 106 and Richmond Mutumbami five.
After lunch Mutumbami was caught and bowled by Vincent Masekesa for 22, but Tafadzwa Tsiga soon hit two fours, while Raza sailed past 150, stepping up his assault on the bowlers.
Raza reached 200 off 271 deliveries, and at tea the score was 454 for five wickets, with Raza on 204 and Tsiga 28.
Raza was finally out for 226, caught off Tony Munyonga, and his partnership with Tsiga had put 127 for the sixth wicket.
Altogether he batted for just under seven hours and faced 299 deliveries, hitting three sixes and 22 fours.
Tsiga was then run out by Munyonga for 52, and soon afterwards the innings was declared at 505 with eight wickets down, a lead of 247 on the first innings for Rocks.
Mountaineers had a big job on their hands as they went in a second time, and at 25 they lost their first wicket, Joylord Gumbie, lbw to Kaia for 14.
Opening with Gumbie was Ben Compton, grandson of the famous English batsman Denis Compton and cousin of Patrick, who played Logan Cup in Zimbabwe several years ago.
At the close Compton had 25 and PJ Moor 27, the total being 68 for one wicket, but still 179 runs behind.
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Alliance Health Eagles – 329 and 85-2 in 23 overs (Kudzai Maunze 50*, Tinashe Kamunhukamwe 33, Chamu Chibhabha 1*; Ainsley Ndlovu 1/10, Ernest Masuku 1/35)
Tuskers – 439 all out in 146.3 overs (Craig Ervine 183, Clive Madande 117*, Nkosana Mpofu 46; Tanaka Chivanga 5/81, Wessly Madhevere 3/79, Tapiwa Mufudza 1/69)
Day 3 – Stumps: Eagles trail by 25 runs
A monumental century from Craig Ervine and a much more attractive one, his first, from the 21-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman Clive Madande gave Tuskers the advantage against Alliance Health Eagles on the third day of their Logan Cup match at Takashinga Sports Club on Friday.
Tuskers resumed their first innings this morning at 229 for four wickets, with Ervine on 121 and Taffy Mupariwa 26, after Eagles had made 329.
Mupariwa took his score to 30, a laborious innings lasting 127 balls, before Wessly Madhevere trapped him lbw to make the total 240 for five wickets.
Madande showed enterprise, reaching 35 at lunch, but Ervine continued to keep his head down and grind out the runs, being on 154 at the interval when the score was 306 for five wickets.
Soon afterwards Tuskers went ahead of the Eagles score, and the batsmen now began to accelerate to take advantage of their lead.
Madande reached an enterprising 50 off 75 balls, and the partnership realised 146 altogether before Ervine’s massive innings came to an end when he was bowled by Richard Ngarava for 183.
He batted for almost eight-and-a-half hours (505 minutes) and faced 397 balls, hitting 23 fours, a marathon innings but one that did put his side into a strong position.
Madande at this point had scored 82, and the tail gave him limited support, but he managed to reach his first career century in first-class cricket, in his third match, off 147 balls, just before the tea interval.
Tanaka Chivanga finished off the innings, bowling out the tail quickly with fast straight bowling – one bowled, three lbw – but Madande remained unconquered with 117 not out.
It was a very fine innings, off 162 balls altogether and containing two sixes and 12 fours.
Tuskers in the end led by 110 runs on the first innings, but Eagles were not daunted by this, and Tinashe Kamunhukamwe and Kudzai Maunze gave their team a brisk start second time round.
They put on 80 in 17 overs before Masuku removed Kamunhukamwe with a return catch for 33, and then Ainsley Ndlovu trapped Tanaka Chivanga lbw without scoring; 83 for two.
Maunze reached 50 by the close, off 73 balls, and with Chamu Chibhabha on one, the total was 85 for two wickets, 25 runs behind now.
