Maruma, Kaia inspire Mountaineers to consolation win over Tuskers

Mountaineers – 331-6 in 50 overs (Timycen Maruma 122, Roy Kaia 113, Forster Mutizwa 39; Charlton Tshuma 2/64, Thabo Mboyi 2/74, Sean Williams 1/52)

Tuskers – 207 all out in 44.2 overs (Charles Kunje 51, Nkosana Mpofu 47, John Nyumbu 29*; Wellington Masakadza 4/25, Tendai Chatara 2/13, Natsai M’shangwe 2/50)

Mountaineers won by 124 runs

“Anything they can do, we can do better,” Roy Kaia and Timycen Maruma of Mountaineers may have said to each other as they batted together in the final preliminary match of the Pro50 Championship at Takashinga Sports Club on Tuesday.

On Sunday, Tuskers beat them, thanks to a partnership of exactly 200 between Brian Chari and Craig Ervine.

Kaia and Maruma, however, took their third-wicket stand to 215 out of a Mountaineers innings of 331 for six wickets that led to a payback victory by 124 runs.

Unfortunately it was too late for them to reach the final after that defeat in the Sunday match, but they were a team with a point to prove against a Tuskers team that had successfully achieved their object of reaching the Pro50 Championship final.

Tuskers had also decided to rest several of their team, including two key players in Ervine and fast bowler Chris Mpofu, ahead of Saturday’s final against Eagles at Harare Sports Club.

Mountaineers had not begun too well after winning the toss and deciding to bat, but Thabo Mboyi, also a man with a point to prove after being left out of the Tuskers team in recent matches, struck two early blows.

With the score at 16 he trapped Tafadzwa Tsiga lbw for three runs, and then removed his opening partner Kevin Kasuza (10) to make Mountaineers 32 for two wickets in the seventh over.

Now Maruma joined Kaia and the match-winning partnership began.

Their coach, Shepherd Makunura, had been emphasising to his leading batsmen the importance of batting through to the 40th over of the innings, and this pair was to do just that.

They both played themselves in with care at first, but when they decided they were ready to attack, they did so with a vengeance.

Maruma hit Ernest Masuku, who had taken six of their wickets on Sunday, for four fours in five balls, and the assault began.

They put the bad balls away with unerring skill and power, and also paid attention to rotating the strike with well-placed singles.

Maruma was the more aggressive of the two, as he finally managed to bring his Logan Cup form into the 50-over competition, and he hit 13 fours and five sixes as he hammered his way to a score of 122 off just 92 balls.

He was the first to go, caught in the deep off Sean Williams with the score at 247 for three after 42 overs, a magnificent innings that dominated the attack almost from start to finish.

After this the orders were to hit at almost anything, and Shingi Masakadza hit a four and was then caught after facing three balls.

Kaia was finally out, caught at the wicket off Masuku in the 46th over for 113, which took 144 balls and contained 11 fours and a six.

In just four overs after this, Forster Mutizwa, with 39 off 22 balls, and Natsai M’shangwe, 21 not out off 11, scored 60 runs together to take the score well past 300.

Mutizwa was out in the final over and the Mountaineers total was 331, the highest of the competition this season, beating the 302 for eight that Eagles scored against them in Mutare.

The only bowler who was able to keep any measure of control was the left-arm spinner, Ainsley Ndlovu, who did not take a wicket but conceded only 38 runs off his 10 overs.

Williams took one for 52, but the pace bowlers all suffered a severe hammering on a pitch that gave more help to spin.

Tuskers had an extremely difficult target, and soon lost their two international batsmen, the only players who might have enabled them to challenge it.

Chari was caught at the wicket in the first over, bowled by Tendai Chatara, for two, and then Williams (12) was caught off the same bowler to make the score 31 for two.

There followed a partnership of 78 between Nkosana Mpofu (47) and Charles Kunje (51), but they were not able to score at the run a ball necessary to keep up with the required run rate, although they were helped by some missed chances in the field.

Once Mpofu was out at 109, Tuskers did not have much less to offer, especially as the spinners were now taking advantage of the pitch.

The left-arm spinner Wellington Masakadza, who has been in and out of the Mountaineers team in this competition, enjoyed the opportunity and bowled particularly well to remove the middle order and returned the fine and deserved figures of four for 25 off his 10 overs.

Eight batsmen were out for 172, but at least there was a final flurry from Mboyi, with 27, and John Nyumbu, 29 not out, who played some good strokes in a losing cause to delay the finish.

They still could not stop Mountaineers from picking up a bonus point for their large victory — not that it makes any change to the positions on the final Pro50 Championship table.

Kaia had the honour of finishing the match by securing the wicket of Charlton Tshuma with the total of 207.

Tuskers were also handicapped in that Taffy Mupariwa had been injured while keeping wicket and was unable to bat.

Mountaineers have now finished their Pro50 Championship programme, while for Tuskers the final against Eagles at Harare Sports Club on Saturday lies ahead.

The powerful and unbeaten Eagles team will be favourites to win the final, but, as Tuskers showed on Sunday, they do have players capable of causing an upset.

2018/19 Pro50 Championship Points Table