LOGAN CUP: Kaia-inspired Rocks crush Tuskers, as Mountaineers earn draw

Southern Rocks – 282 and 295-8 declared in 110 overs (Richmond Mutumbami 71, Ben Curran 70, William Mashinge 64; Hamidullah Qadri 5/92, Milton Shumba 1/36)

Tuskers – 156 and 215 all out in 71.1 overs (Awad Naqvi 67*, Tanu Makoni 59, Ainsley Ndlovu 38; Roy Kaia 7/58, Sydney Murombo 1/21, Priviledge Chesa 1/94)

Southern Rocks won by 206 runs

Roy Kaia turned demon bowler at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo on Tuesday as he took seven wickets for only 58 runs off 35 overs as his Southern Rocks side sent Tuskers crashing to a 206-run defeat in their Logan Cup match.

Overnight Tuskers, set to score an unlikely 422 runs for victory, had lost two wickets for 109 runs, the not-out batters being Awad Naqvi on 30 and Milton Shumba on seven.

Kaia struck immediately in the morning, bowling Shumba at the overnight score, and proceeded to bowl throughout the innings, with only a brief break.

For a while Tuskers put up a fight, with Alvin Chiradza batting stubbornly for five in adding 27 for the fourth wicket with Naqvi, and then Ainsley Ndlovu biffed 38 off 35 balls with six fours – both were out caught at the wicket off Kaia.

Before Ndlovu was out the score reached 195 for five, but after he left the tail came and went without a whimper as Tuskers crashed to 215 all out.

Naqvi stayed in to fight it out as best he could, a solid defensive innings that ended on 67 not out, scored off 171 balls with six fours, but the last four batters came and went for only 10 runs between them, leaving him stranded.

Naqvi, who resides in Australia, scored 94 runs for once out on this his first-class début.

The last man, Charlton Tshuma, was run out after hitting a boundary, attempting a risky second run that would have allowed Naqvi to keep the bowling.

Priviledge Chesa, who had bowled so well in the first innings, was very expensive this time, going for 94 runs off 23 overs with only one wicket to show for it.

The honours belonged to Kaia, who has now taken 79 wickets in 79 first-class matches.

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Mega Market Mountaineers – 285 and 326-3 in 83 overs (Ben Compton 131, Joylord Gumbie 88, Timycen Maruma 70*; Johnathan Campbell 1/7, Mike Chinouya 1/47, Antum Naqvi 1/71)

Rhinos – 513 all out in 107.4 overs (Antum Naqvi 103*, Nyasha Mayavo 91, Kiran Carlson 87; Shingi Masakadza 4/71, Vincent Masekesa 3/162, Fortune Mhlanga 1/69)

Match drawn

Ben Compton scored another second-innings century for Mega Market Mountaineers at Old Hararians Sports Club on Tuesday to help earn them a creditable draw against Rhinos.

Mountaineers, 228 runs behind on the first innings, rallied superbly when they went in again, and would almost certainly have saved the match even without help from Jupiter Pluvius, as the British call the rain at cricket matches.

They had already scored 138 without loss when they continued in the morning, with Joylord Gumbie on 70 and Compton 51.

Gumbie took his score to 88 before he was caught off Mike Chinouya, the opening partnership having been worth 164 runs altogether.

Kevin Kasuza went for 21, lbw to Antum Naqvi at 201, and then Timycen Maruma came in to join Compton and see him through to his century.

Play went on in between showers of rain, and the match was safe for Mountaineers just before Compton was out lbw to Johnathan Campbell for 131 just before play was called off, the final score being 326 for three wickets.

He faced 229 balls and hit a six and 12 fours, while Maruma was not out with 70 off 96 balls (three sixes and six fours).

In four first-class matches for Mountaineers, Compton has scored centuries in the last three, all in the second innings.

None of the Rhinos bowlers were able to make any impression on the excellent Mountaineers batting in their second innings.

2022/23 LOGAN CUP POINTS TABLE