Record-breaking Eagles crush Tuskers, Rhinos gore Mountaineers
Eagles – 386-9 in 50 overs (Craig Ervine 88, Wessly Madhevere 79, Tony Munyonga 72; Luke Jongwe 3/40, Prince Kaunda 3/62, Brandon James 1/52)
Tuskers – 140 all out in 30.1 overs (Tafara Mupariwa 33, Tanu Makoni 18, Luke Jongwe 18; Dion Myers 5/36, Faraz Akram 2/24, Tapiwa Mufudza 1/14)
Eagles won by 246 runs
Tony Munyonga was the most brilliant in a record-breaking Eagles score against Tuskers, who were overwhelmed by 246 runs in their Pro50 Championship match at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo this Tuesday.
Tuskers were always to regret their decision to bowl first as the Harare-based team ran up a score of 386 for nine wickets in their 50 overs.
This is the highest team score ever made in a domestic List A match in Zimbabwean cricket, the only higher score by any Zimbabwean team remaining the 408 for six wickets by the national side against the United States of America at Harare Sports Club in 2023.
Eagles did not begin too well when they lost the wicket of Tinashe Kamunhukamwe for seven, but after that the scoring rate was always more than six runs an over.
Tadiwanashe Marumani warmed things up with 48 off 48 balls, while Dion Myers scored 34 off 32.
Then the heat increased as Craig Ervine (88 off 80) and Wessly Madhevere (79 off 76) added 159 for the fourth wicket off 23 overs.
After this came Munyonga’s brilliant display of hitting, 72 off 39 balls, with seven sixes and two fours, out of 94 scored while he was at the wicket, to take Eagles to the record score.
All the Tuskers bowlers went at more than a run a ball, although Prince Kaunda and Luke Jongwe took three wickets each.
Even the normally economical Sean Williams went for 65 off his seven overs without a wicket.
When Tuskers batted, they had virtually a hopeless task, especially when Faraz Akram removed their openers with 45 runs on the board.
Tafara Mupariwa did his best with 33 runs, the only home batter to reach 20 runs.
Myers proved to be the demon bowler as he whipped through the middle order to take five wickets for 36 runs off only 5.1 overs.
Tuskers were dismissed for 140 in 30.1 overs, with Ernest Masuku absent hurt, giving Eagles a huge victory.
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Mountaineers – 192 all out in 41.3 overs (Timycen Maruma 51, Joylord Gumbie 47, Khaif Patel 27; Brandon Mavuta 4/53, Brad Evans 2/18, Trevor Gwandu 2/19)
Rhinos – 195-5 in 41.1 overs (Takudzwanashe Kaitano 88, Ben Curran 56, Solomon Mire 11; Nkosilathi Nungu 2/51, Khaif Patel 1/23, Owen Muzondo 1/29)
Rhinos won by five wickets
A fine 88 from Takudzwanashe Kaitano was the main factor in Rhinos’ five-wicket victory over Mountaineers in their Pro50 Championship match at Kwekwe Sports Club this Tuesday.
Mountaineers, put in to bat, struggled for most of their innings after making a bad start, their first three wickets going down, two of them to Trevor Gwandu, for 18 runs.
Joylord Gumbie led a revival with a very good innings of 47, helped by the cautious Khaif Patel in a fourth-wicket partnership of 77.
After they were dismissed, Timycen Maruma held the rest of the innings together with 51 off 56 balls, but wickets fell steadily at the other end until the team was dismissed for 192 off 41.3 overs.
Brandon Mavuta bowled well to remove most of the middle order, taking four wickets for 52 runs.
Rhinos lost Solomon Mire for 11, but there followed the match-winning partnership between Ben Curran, who scored 56 off 77 balls, and Kaitano, who added 103 for the second wicket.
The middle order did not come through strongly, but Kaitano stayed almost to the end for his 88 off 120 balls, with two sixes and eight fours.
Tashinga Musekiwa hit Tinashe Muchawaya for four to clinch victory, Rhinos having scored their runs in just two fewer deliveries than Mountaineers needed for their total.
The spinners Wellington Masakadza and Owen Muzondo bowled accurately and well for 18 overs between them and only 58 runs, but Mountaineers had not scored enough runs to be able to exert enough pressure on the batters.
