Durham run amok, Glamorgan pluck victory from jaws of defeat

Durham – 246-5 in 20 overs (Graham Clark 77, Alex Lees 52, Ollie Robinson 44*; Tanaka Chivanga 2/43, Brandon Mavuta 1/38, Alex Falao 1/38)

Southerns – 117 all out in 17.1 overs (Clive Madande 28, Roy Kaia 18, Cephas Zhuwao 17; Brandon Glover 2/9, George Drissell 2/27, Matthew Potts 1/7)

Durham won by 129 runs

A brilliant opening partnership of 140 in 10.3 overs between the Durham openers, Alex Lees and Graham Clark, virtually decided their T20 match against Southerns at Harare Sports Club on Thursday morning, which they went on to win by 129 runs.

Right from the start, after deciding to bat, they attacked the bowling in full measure, and in the second over, from Alex Falao, Clark hit five fours – with five wides also included, the over cost 27 runs.

After four overs the score was 62 and they brought up the team hundred in the eighth over.

In the 11th over Brandon Mavuta finally broke the stand by having Clark caught for 77, scored off 37 balls with a six and 13 fours.

In the following over Tanaka Chivanga bowled out Lees for 52 off 33 balls, having hit eight fours.

As the whole team followed this full attacking policy five wickets were down for 181 in the 16th over, but just when it seemed that Southerns were pulling back to an extent, the Durham wicket-keeper Ollie Robinson was joined by Ben Raine.

This pair put the final nails in the Southerns coffin by adding 65 in the last four overs and two balls, to take the score to 246 for five wickets after 20 overs.

Robinson’s 44 not out came from 22 balls, while Raine, also not out, made 35 off 17.

Remarkably for such a high total, only four sixes were registered, but the bowlers went for 32 fours.

All the main bowlers used went for nine or more runs an over, but Chivanga had two wickets as compensation for 43 runs off his four overs.

Perhaps only a stupendous innings from Cephas Zhuwao could have taken Southerns close to such a remarkable total, and he did briefly threaten, hitting two sixes and a four in making 17 off nine balls before being caught at the wicket off Brandon Glover.

Clive Madande did best of the batters in scoring 28 off 19 balls, while Roy Kaia’s 18 off 29 balls did at least prevent a bad collapse.

Mavuta with 11 was the only other batter to reach double figures before the team was dismissed for 117 in 17.1 overs, unable to reach half the colossal Durham score.

Glover was the most successful bowler with two for nine in three overs.

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Northerns – 122 all out in 19.1 overs (Tony Munyonga 31, Shingi Masakadza 19, Tadiwanashe Marumani 14; Timm van der Gugten 4/14, Andrew Salter 2/15, Zain-ul-Hassan 2/28)

Glamorgan – 124-7 in 20 overs (Zain-ul-Hassan 39*, Callum Taylor 21, Andrew Salter 15; Wessly Madhevere 2/16, Shingi Masakadza 2/27, Carl Mumba 1/6)

Glamorgan won by three wickets

Pakistan-born all-rounder Zain-ul-Hasan was Glamorgan’s hero as he steered the county side from apparent disaster, coming in to bat when they looked doomed to defeat at 58 for five wickets chasing 123 to win against Northerns in the second T20 match at Harare Sports Club on Thursday.

Batting with superb skill and temperament, he scored 39 not out, hitting a six off the last delivery of the match to complete a victory over a spirited Northerns team by three wickets in a thrilling finish.

Northerns decided to bat on winning the toss, but their innings never really got off the ground.

The first few batters all tried to get after the bowling in aggressive fashion, but lost their wickets cheaply.

Tadiwanashe Marumani briefly gave hope of a good innings, scoring 14 off 10 balls with three fours, but he was then stumped by Andrew Salter.

The top five batter were all gone with the score on 45 within seven overs, but there followed the only real stand of the innings, as Tony Munyonga and Shingi Masakadza, two players well known for rescuing their teams, came together.

They added 39 runs in seven overs before Munyonga was caught for 31 off 34 balls, the only batter in the team to pass 20.

Masakadza was out for 19, and the tail did not add very much, so Northerns were dismissed for 122 in the final over.

Timm van der Gugten was the most successful of the tourists’ bowlers with four wickets for 14 runs off 3.1 overs.

When Glamorgan batted, they lost their star batter Sam Northeast, caught off Richard Ngarava for 10, in the third over, the score being 21.

Callum Taylor scored 21, but he was highest scorer of the top six as wickets began to tumble.

In four overs the score went from 41 for two wickets to 58 for six, and Glamorgan were now in serious trouble in the ninth over.

Zain-ul-Hassan and Salter now fought hard to recover the situation, and with four overs left they were still together, but needed another 30 runs.

At this point Salter fell to a catch off Masakadza, having made a valuable 15 off 25 balls, and James Harris came in.

Masakadza was given the final over, with Glamorgan needing nine runs to win.

With great skill he kept the scoring down to four runs off the first five balls, only for ul-Hassan to hit the last ball for six to win the match for Glamorgan in the most dramatic way possible.

Ul-Hasan finished with 39 not out off 37 balls – the highest individual score of the match – while Harris had 10 off eight.

Madhevere was the best of the bowlers, taking two wickets for 16 runs off his four overs.