Pro50: Rocks maintain unbeaten run

Southern Rocks – 185 all out in 42 overs (Cephas Zhuwao 42, Richmond Mutumbami 27, Ben Curran 24; Milton Shumba 3/18, Charlton Tshuma 2/28, Luke Jongwe 2/28)

Tuskers – 115 all out in 28.2/31 overs (target: 145) (Taffy Mupariwa 28, Nkosana Mpofu 20, Clive Madande 20; Blessing Muzarabani 3/18, Sikandar Raza 2/20, Tendai Chisoro 2/23)

Southern Rocks won by 29 runs (Duckworth-Lewis method)

Southern Rocks made three out of three as they beat Tuskers by 29 runs via DLS in a rai-affected Pro50 match at Masvingo Sports Club on Tuesday.

Rocks who were put in, made a modest 185 all out in 42 overs. Spinners did most of the damage for Tuskers as they took six of the wickets.

Player coach Cephas Zhuwao was destructive again with the bat, blasting 42 off just 35 balls. Captain Richmond Mutumbami scored 27, with Ben Curran, making his return to Rocks pitching in with 24. Tadiwanashe Marumani, pushed down the order to number six, made 21. The next highest score was the extras column which yielded 19.

Tuskers, who had chased down a mammoth score against Eagles on Match Day 2, got off to the worst possible start, when captain Brian Chari fell to Blessing Muzarabani for a first ball duck.

Rain interrupted play with the score on 29 for the loss of one wicket.

When it resumed, the revised target was 145 in 31 overs and it seems as if that affected Tuskers as they lost wickets regularly before being bowled out for 115 after 28.2 overs.

Raza came on and had Nkosana Mpofu caught by Kaia for 20, and then followed two vital blows, as Travor Mutsamba had Sean Williams caught at the wicket for seven and Raza bowled Shumba for one to reduce Tuskers to 45 for four in the 11th over.

Taffy Mupariwa held the innings together with 28 off 55 balls before being run out by Kaia, but Rocks had taken a grip on the innings which they never relaxed.

Briefly, Clive Madande (20) and Jongwe (10) took the score past 100, but when both were out the tail had nothing to offer and Rocks finished off the innings for 115 all out in only 28.2 overs.

Muzarabani took the last two wickets to finish with three for 18, while Raza and Tendai Chisoro took two each.