Rocks, Rhinos storm into Pro50 Championship final

Eagles – 170 all out in 33.5 overs (Ashley Mufandauya 47, Malcolm Chikuwa 35, Elton Chigumbura 16; Brian Mudzinganyama 4/18, Patrick Mambo 2/30, Nkosilathi Nungu 2/33)

Southern Rocks – 172-6 in 25.1 overs (Brian Mudzinganyama 66, Tadiwanashe Marumani 41, Cephas Zhuwao 31; Tadiwanashe Nyangani 3/43, Malcolm Chikuwa 2/33, Ashley Mufandauya 1/18)

Southern Rocks won by four wickets

A fine all-round performance by Brian Mudzinganyama powered Southern Rocks to a four-wicket victory over Eagles at Old Hararians today and effectively sealed their place in the Pro50 Championship final against Rhinos on Wednesday.

Eagles were unable to put up much of a challenge with the bat, and Mudzinganyama finished off their innings with four wickets before scoring a dynamic 66 with the bat as Rocks chased down a not-too-difficult target.

Eagles, who usually put their opponents in to bat on winning the toss, decided to bat first this time round, but it did not work out too well for them.

They lost Gareth Chirawu (4) in the fourth over, followed by Rodney Mupfudza for a brisk 13 when the total was 24, both to Nkosilathi Nungu.

Ashley Mufandauya, the other opening batsman, stayed in while he had a succession of partners at the other end, but six wickets fell for only 68 runs, including Elton Chigumbura for 16 and Brad Evans for six.

At last Malcolm Chikuwa proved to be a reliable partner, and the pair almost doubled the score, adding 59 for the seventh wicket before Mufandauya was finally caught by William Mashinge off the bowling of Mudzinganyama for 47; 127 for seven.

Chikuwa went on to make 35, helped by Honest Ziwira (15), but the innings closed for 170 after only 33.5 overs.

Mudzinganyama wrapped up the last four wickets and finished with figures of four for 18 off 6.5 overs.

There were two wickets each for Nungu, Patrick Mambo and Dylan Hondo.

There was plenty of time for Rocks to start their innings before lunch.

Cephas Zhuwao began the innings in his usual manner – the first over, bowled by Evans, yielded 14 runs to him, including a six and a four.

Mudzinganyama was also in aggressive mood, hitting the third ball he faced, from Chikuwa, for six, and by the time Zhuwao was caught off Chikuwa in the fourth over for 31 (13 balls, three sixes, two fours) the score had already reached 39.

Mudzinganyama continued the assault and after 10 overs the score had reached 86 for one wicket.

Tadiwanashe Marumani played himself in and then joined the party, the two taking the bowling apart as if it was a T20 match.

With victory virtually certain, both batsmen fell in quick succession.

The score was on 142 when Tadiwanashe Nyangani bowled Mudzinganyama for 66 off 42 balls (four sixes, six fours).

In the next over, without addition, Mufandauya bowled Marumani for 41 off 29 balls (three sixes, two fours).

This gave the bowlers some relief, although it was too late to change the result.

The innings was continued at a more humane pace by Mashinge and Marshal Takodza, who scored only two before being stumped off Nyangani.

Remarkably, the batsmen – Mashinge and Tafadzwa Tsiga – suddenly stopped scoring and 20 dot balls followed, including a wide that scored three, before Nyangani bowled Tsiga for an eight-ball duck.

Another six balls passed before Mashinge scored a single, and then Larvet Masunda scored a single, the only runs scored in 18 balls.

Seven runs in four balls suddenly came, and then Chikuwa bowled Masunda for four off 17 balls.

The sudden inability of the batsmen to score was remarkable after the dynamic earlier batting.

Finally a boundary to Mashinge and a boundary to Nungu saw Rocks limp home by four wickets.

Nyangani took three wickets for 43 and Chikuwa two for 33.

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Rhinos – 335-6 in 50 overs (Tashinga Musekiwa 61*, Carl Mumba 54*, Johnathan Campbell 51; Akshay Patel 2/54, Clive Chitumba 2/80, John Masara 1/36)

Mountaineers – 153 all out in 35.2 overs (Baxon Gopito 49, Clive Chitumba 17, Gary Chirimuuta 14; Brandon Mavuta 5/37, Tashinga Musekiwa 2/27, Johnathan Campbell 2/30)

Rhinos won by 182 runs

Devastating fifties from Carl Mumba and Tashinga Musekwa topped a powerful Rhinos innings at Takashinga Sports Club today as the Kwekwe-based team roared into Wednesday’s Pro50 Championship final with a crushing 182-run victory over the hapless Mountaineers.

Rhinos batted like a team determined to let nothing stop them from reaching that final, which they hope will result in the first trophy win in their history.

They made a steady start after being put in to bat, 15 runs in five overs, and then Takudzwanashe Kaitano was lbw to Clive Chitumba for 11.

In the next 11 overs Bright Matsiwe (37) and Charles Kunje (43) put on 56 for the second wicket, and throughout the innings the scoring rate rose steadily as the team sought a match-winning innings.

Remembrance Nyathi went for five, and Kunje was out for 43 at 25 overs with the score at 118 for four.

Nyasha Mayavo (49 off 61 balls) and Johnathan Campbell (51 off 45) now kept the board ticking over at the rate of about a run a ball.

When Campbell was out the score was 234 for six, with almost eight overs to go.

Then followed the killer partnership as far as Mountaineers were concerned.

In the time left Musekiwa and Mumba took the bowling apart with an unbroken partnership of 101 runs – almost 13 runs an over.

Musekiwa finished with 61 off 40 balls (a six and six fours), but Mumba, who is now looking like a genuine all-rounder, thrashed 54 off only 23 balls, and he hit five sixes and three fours.

The total was the highest of the tournament, 335 for six wickets in the 50 overs.

Tendai Chatara went for 26 runs in the 47th over, including three successive sixes by Mumba, although that total also included two wides and a no-ball.

Mountaineers, having lost all their previous matches in this competition, now had to go in to face an almost impregnable total.

They could do little more than aim to score a presentable total and lessen the margin of defeat.

Baxon Gopito did well, but three wickets went down for 57, as Tashinga Musekiwa removed Nigel Bonyongwe for 12 and Dion Myers for three, while Chris Mpofu had Joylord Gumbie lbw for one.

Gary Chirimuuta again played a useful innings of 14, but at 94 Gopito was caught for 49 off Brandon Mavuta, who then caught and bowled Shingi Masakadza for six.

A useful seventh-wicket partnership of 25 followed between Clive Chitumba and Akshay Patel, until the latter was caught off Campbell for 13.

After that Mountaineers had little to offer: Chitumba made 17, Chatara 12 and the team was all out in the 36th over for 153.

Mavuta’s bowling was too much for their middle order, and he finished with the excellent figures of five wickets for 37, while Musekiwa and Campbell took two each.

2020/21 PRO50 CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS TABLE