The ManicaPost
Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
MANICALAND cricket franchise, Mountaineers find themselves once again on the cusp of Pro50 Championship glory, thanks to their tenacity which resulted in a tie in a nail biting finish in the last round of matches against Alliance Health Eagles at Mutare Sports Club last week.
The result meant that the Mountain Goats finish second on the table behind leaders, Rhinos and the two sides will now meet in the Pro50 Championship final pencilled for Saturday (tomorrow).
An amazing hat-trick by specialist batsman, Baxon Gopito derailed Alliance Health Eagles when they were on the verge of victory and forced a tie that gave Mountaineers a place in the Pro50 Championship.
Until that point, a closely fought match played at Mutare Sports Club last Sunday, seemed to be going the way of the Harare-based team.
Mountaineers’ coach, Njabulo Ncube said his team is looking forward to retaining the Pro50 Championship Cup.
“Everyone in the squad is looking forward to the final which is a good thing. We do not complicate the game by trying too many theories. We are looking to keep it simple and continue playing fearless positive cricket.
“It is a big plus that every player in the squad has performed in some of the games. It gives us confidence that everyone can contribute to our victory. We are looking forward to retaining the cup which will mean a lot to our loyal local fans who have been with us in this journey,” he said.
Going into the final encounter of the competition, The Mountaineers’ coach ruled out any chances of experimenting with new combinations, saying: “We are using the same squad that featured in our last four games.”
Their opponents in tomorrow’s final, Rhinos, sealed their place in the Pro50 Championship final after defeating early tournament leaders, Tuskers by 50 runs in their last round-robin match at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo last Sunday.
The main architects of the victory were their opening batsman, Takudzwanashe Kaitano, without whose 93 runs they would probably not have won, and the leg-spinner, Brandon Mavuta, who broke a dangerous partnership and finished off the Tuskers innings.
