Tuskers staring at innings defeat

Mountaineers – 497 all out in 146.5 overs (Timycen Maruma 165, Tafadzwa Tsiga 124, Donald Tiripano 71; Chris Mpofu 5/116, Brian Chari 3/25, Stephen Chimhamiwa 1/80)

Tuskers – 127 and 178-4 (following on) in 45 overs (Brian Chari 85, Craig Ervine 30, Taffy Mupariwa 29; Tendai Chatara 2/22, William Mashinge 1/31, Donald Tiripano 1/32)

Day 3 – Stumps: Tuskers trail by 192 runs with six wickets remaining

Fine bowling by Tendai Chatara, back from injury, has brought him five cheap wickets so far in this match at Harare Sports Club where Tuskers are staring down the barrel of an innings defeat at the hands of the reigning Logan Cup champions Mountaineers.

Tuskers put up a disappointing batting performance in their first innings, being rolled over for 127, but, thanks largely to a fine 85 from Brian Chari, they finished the day on 178 for four wickets when following on.

However, they are still 192 runs behind and, given their long tail, they will have to do remarkably well if they are to avoid an innings defeat on the final day.

At the start of play today, Tuskers were 58 for two wickets, the incumbent batsmen being the opener Taffy Mupariwa with 22 and Craig Ervine with 12, with a long journey ahead of them facing Mountaineers’ total of 497.

The day began dramatically: Roy Kaia bowled the first ball to Ervine, who decided to sweep it, missed, was struck on the pad and given out lbw after a long deliberation by the umpire, to the great jubilation of the fielding side.

Nkosana Mpofu, in next, with a fine record in past years but badly out of form now, was grimly defensive, scoring one run off the first 36 balls he faced.

He did slowly gain in confidence and went to 10 off 51 balls, but then lost Mupariwa, adjudged lbw to Victor Nyauchi for 34, making the score 84 for four.

Shoun Handirisi made four before he failed to get over a rising ball from Donald Tiripano and edged it into the gully; 92 for five.

Two balls later the new man, Thamsanqa Nunu, sliced a much lower and harder catch to the same fielder, Innocent Kaia, in the same position off the same bowler, and departure without scoring.

At 92 for six Tuskers were in deep trouble, but at least Nkosana Mpofu was still there, and he has done his greatest deeds in the past in company with the tail.

Twice, a few years ago in Bulawayo, he batted through the innings to take Tuskers to unexpected one-wicket victories over Southern Rocks and Rhinos.

He was joined by the unrelated Chris Mpofu, who is best known as a batsman for using his long arms to strike massive blows — or attempting to.

On this occasion he played for his team and took 18 balls before he got off the mark, in support of Nkosana, who had now gone back on the defensive.

The hundred came up just before lunch, when Tuskers were on 106 for six wickets, Nkosana on 16 (97 balls) and Chris on seven off 33.

Chris did not add to his score after lunch, being bowled in rather ungainly fashion around his legs by William Mashinge; 112 for seven.

Stephen Chimhamhiwa is a more talented batsman than his figures show, and they failed to show it again today, as he was beaten and bowled by a good ball from Mashinge for two; 120 for eight.

The procession continued, as John Nyumbu (0) tried to turn a straight ball from Tendai Chatara to leg and was lbw at 121.

The innings came to a sad end at 127, when Sheunopa Musekwa became the fourth lbw dismissal of the innings, Chatara again being the bowler.

Nkosana Mpofu, who went in at number five, was left stranded on 34 not out, off 123 balls, fighting nobly but failed by the long Tuskers tail (the last six batsmen contributed just 13 runs between them), but at least he showed strong signs of returning to his best form.

Chatara, bowling in short spells as a precaution after his injury, returned the best bowling figures of three for 15 in 12 overs, while Mashinge took three for 31 and Tiripano two for 15.

With a lead of 370 runs, Mountaineers could hardly decline to enforce the follow-on, and this they did.

Nkosana was promoted to open the second innings with Taffy Mupariwa, and it was a difficult job for them with Mountaineers up for the kill.

Nkosana this time started his innings as if he hadn’t batted before today, and was returning to square one.

He scraped together just three runs off 22 balls before Chatara dismissed him lbw; the score was 15 for one in the ninth over.

At tea Mupariwa and Chari had taken the score to 29 for one wicket off 14 overs, their own scores being 18 and five respectively.

After tea they took the score to 58 before Mupariwa fell to another lbw decision, Tiripano being the bowler, for 29.

At this stage Tuskers were shaping so feebly that a humiliating three-day defeat looked very possible.

Ervine, in next, looked much more confident and positive than he had done in his first innings and was soon playing some handsome drives.

In partnership with Chari, he pushed the score along at an enterprising pace so that the hundred came up in the 28th over.

Chari showed increasing aggression and at one stage hit Roy Kaia for three fours in four balls.

Batting at his best now, Chari ran to his fifty off 81 balls, but then Ervine, seeming to lose his balance when playing a ball from Chatara, was given out lbw for the second time in the day, this time for 30 off 48 balls; 140 for three wickets.

With 85 off 105 balls he was looking good for a century, but he chose the wrong ball to attack, a fast yorker from Mashinge; he drove over the top of it and had his middle stump knocked out.

He hit 12 fours in his innings and left with the score 173 for four wickets.

This left the last two recognised batsmen, Cunningham Ncube and Shoun Handirisi, holding the fort at the close, when they were not out with nine and one respectively of a score of 178 for four wickets.