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Rising Stars – 276-8 in 50 overs (Tony Munyonga 74, Tinashe Kamunhukamwe 56, Ryan Burl 40; Brighton Zhawi 2/34, Cephas Zhuwao 2/35, Tapiwa Mufudza 2/54)
Harare Metropolitan Eagles – 273-6 in 46.3 overs, target 246 (Tino Mutombodzi 67, Elton Chigumbura 61, Cephas Zhuwao 56; Richard Ngarava 2/42, Tony Munyonga 1/29)
Harare Metropolitan Eagles won by 28 runs (Duckworth-Lewis method)
In a close Pro50 Championship match at Takashinga Sports Club on Tuesday, Harare Metropolitan Eagles staved off a gallant challenge from Rising Stars to beat them by 28 runs via the Duckworth-Lewis method.
A century partnership between Elton Chigumbura and Tino Mutombodzi played the major part in their win after they were set a challenging total.
On a warm dry morning, Eagles won the toss and put Rising Stars in to bat.
Seventeen runs came off the opening over of the innings, bowled by Taurai Muzarabani, as the Rising Stars captain, Tinashe Kamunhukamwe, hit the last three balls for four, four and six.
Kamunhukamwe continued his onslaught, and the first three overs yielded 42 runs, of which he scored 33, before Trevor Garwe found his rhythm and bowled a maiden over to Tafadzwa Tsiga.
The team fifty came up without loss in the sixth over.
Muzarabani paid dearly for bowling too many short deliveries, and his opening spell of four overs cost 43 runs.
The opening pair put on 80 in nine overs before hesitation over a risky single cost Tsiga his wicket, run out for 27 off 29 balls.
Soon afterwards Kamunhukamwe reached his fifty off 29 balls, but then lost Tarisai Musakanda (1), who lobbed a simple catch into the covers off the off-spinner Tapiwa Mufudza.
Kamunhukamwe now lost some of his energy and soon followed, well caught low down at mid-on for 56 off 39 balls.
He hit three sixes and six fours, and the score was now 99 for three in the 13th over.
The scoring slowed right down as Ryan Burl struggled to get going, in company with Tony Munyonga.
They took a long time to settle in, but eventually put on 79 together in 22 overs before Burl was caught off an arm ball from Cephas Zhuwao for 40; 178 for four.
Munyonga soon afterwards reached his fifty off 75 balls and, with Thamsanqa Nunu as his partner, the scoring rate improved considerably.
Munyonga added another 24 runs off 13 balls before holing out on the long-off boundary off the bowling of Tino Mutombodzi; 232 for five in the 44th over.
Nunu soon followed for 24, bowled by Zhuwao, and Brandon Mavuta hit hard for 19 off 11 balls.
The final total was 276 for eight wickets, with Faraz Akram 18 not out; there were two wickets apiece for Brighton Zhawi, Mufudza and Zhuwao.
Stuart Matsikenyeri, the Rising Stars coach, said his team had been bowling better than they had batted recently, so he was hopeful they could secure a victory today.
Richard Ngarava struck early for his team, as in his second over he had Chamu Chibhabha caught in the slips for a single; 11 for one.
Then Zhuwao got hold of Ngarava, driving him for two sixes in three balls, while Regis Chakabva took three fours off Ngarava’s next over; his four-over opening spell cost 37 runs.
Blessing Muzarabani at first commanded much more respect from the batsmen, although Zhuwao miscued a couple of boundaries off him before pulling him for six.
Zhuwao went to his fifty off 32 balls, three slower than that of Kamunhukamwe in the Rising Stars innings.
Coincidentally, Zhuwao was also out, skying a catch off Patrick Mambo, for 56, and also off 39 balls, but Zhuwao had the extra six to his credit — four sixes and six fours.
Off the first ball of the next over, Chakabva also fell to a skyed catch, Ngarava starting his second spell with immediate success; the score was now 87 for three in the 14th over.
Mutombodzi and Chigumbura now had to rebuild the innings.
The pair stayed, grew in confidence and began to master the attack, scoring at a good pace.
Chigumbura reached his fifty first, with a square drive for four off Musakanda; it took him 51 balls.
Mutombodzi soon followed, with his fifty off 75 balls, and a mighty pull for six by Chigumbura took the score past 200.
Muzarabani finally broke the 122-run partnership with a fine delivery that knocked out Chigumbura’s middle stump for 61.
He faced 61 balls and hit four sixes and three fours; the score was now 209 for four in the 36th over.
Mutombodzi continued well until he had scored 67 off 88 balls, and then skyed a ball from Mavuta to be caught at extra cover; 226 for five in the 39th over, and the match was in the balance again.
With the slow over rate, aided by stoppages for various reasons, the light was now fading as Kudzai Maunze and Gary Chirimuuta were at the crease.
They dug in with care, runs coming slowly but surely, and the match finished in half-darkness.
Just before the end, with four runs still needed, Chirimuuta was stumped for 18, at which point the umpires called a halt and awarded victory on Duckworth-Lewis.
Meanwhile, Manicaland Mountaineers defeated Midlands Rhinos by 104 runs in the other Pro50 Championship match played at Mutare Sports Club.
Mountaineers won the toss and elected to bat first, and they were bowled out for 226 in 47.4 overs, with Hamilton Masakadza top-scoring for them with 61.
Kudzai Sauramba and Tinashe Chimbambo chipped in with 30 and 27 respectively.
There were two wickets apiece for Tendai Chisoro, Trevor Gwandu and Michael Chinouya.
Rhinos were skittled for 122 runs in 35 overs, with only three of their players – Nyasha Mayavo (44), Chisoro (32) and Tendai Maruma (20) – reaching double-figure scores.
Natsai M’shangwe was the pick of the Mountaineers bowlers with three wickets, while Donald Tiripano, Wellington Masakadza and Victor Nyauchi each picked two.
ZC report
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