The ManicaPost
MANICALAND Mountaineers might have lost their opening two Pro50 Championship matches, but their coach, Shepherd Makunura, believes he has a good side that is capable of bouncing back to its winning ways.
Mountaineers will found the bitter irony in their narrow defeat by Harare Metropolitan Eagles by the margin of three runs in this Pro50 Championship match played at Harare Sports Club last Sunday.
“We had a good game on Sunday, but I think we were only disturbed in our rhythm by the rains. We have a fairly decent team that is capable to bounce back and we actually have quite a number of experienced guys that I do not doubt will stand the heat,” said Makunura.
According to Zimbabwe Cricket online match report, when rain stopped play at 4.15pm, Mountaineers had just lost the wicket of Vusi Sibanda in the 32nd over of their innings.
Had the rain come at the start of that over, with Sibanda still at the crease, Mountaineers would have won by eight runs.
In a close match like this, it is inevitable that one side should feel short-changed by the result, but a way of arriving at a result has to be found somehow, and this is the system in operation.
In light cloudy morning weather, Mountaineers won the toss and put Eagles, last season’s champions, in to bat.
The Manicaland international seam bowlers, Tendai Chatara and Donald Tiripano could find little assistance from the pitch, and the Mashonaland openers, Regis Chakabva and Chamu Chibhabha scored steadily almost from the start.
Both batsmen were eager to build a large score to boost their claims for a return to the national side.
Morning drinks came at 60 without loss after 15 overs, Chakabva on 32 and a restrained Chibhabha 21.
Afterwards they stepped up the scoring rate, and Shingi Masakadza in particular suffered, conceding 28 runs in his first spell of four overs.
The pair put on 93 together until, in the 22nd over, Chibhabha in driving off the back foot miscued his stroke and gave Wellington Masakadza a fairly simple return catch; he scored 36 off 65 balls.
Chakabva went on to reach 50 off 76 balls, while Ryan Burl played another of his typical innings, quietly working the ball around the field and picking up runs smoothly and steadily.
However, with 34 off 42 balls, Burl uncharacteristically tried to force a straight ball through the covers off the back foot and had his off stump knocked back by Innocent Kaia.
Chakabva, despite his runs, never looked quite in his best form, and was finally dismissed for 76, miscuing a pull off Kaia and holing out at long-leg.
He faced 107 balls, and the total was now 177 for three in the 39th over.
The 200 came up after 41 overs, with Elton Chigumbura having joined Sikandar Raza.
Raza (33) fell at 202, the long-suffering Shingi Masakadza picking up a return catch, in the 42nd over.
This was an important innings for Chigumbura, but he was unable to time the ball well or find the gaps easily.
He lost Tino Mutombodzi for nine, holing out on the midwicket boundary at 222 for five in the 46th over.
Chigumbura eventually fell to a fine low catch near the midwicket boundary by Hamilton Masakadza in the 49th over, making 21 off 24 balls, his only boundary being an edge over the keeper; 242 for six.
Trevor Garwe, trying his best for his side, holed out on the long-on boundary, and Cuthbert Musoko was bowled having a swing, but Nathan Waller scored 24 not out and Eagles finished on 257 for eight wickets. There were two wickets each for Chatara, Kaia and Shingi Masakadza.
When Mountaineers batted, Kaia and Kevin Kasuza put on 11 together in three overs by some nifty running, but then Kasuza flashed at a ball from Garwe outside his off stump and was caught at the wicket for six. Kaia almost followed in the next over, bowled by Taurai Muzarabani, but an edge to slip, about head-height, went down and Eagles had lost a chance.
Tight bowling kept Kaia and Hamilton Masakadza tied down, and in five overs only 10 runs were scored.
Kaia grew impatient and played a few frustrated swishes before one of them found the edge of the bat and he was caught at slip for 20 off 51 balls; 48 for two in the 16th over.
The bowler was Jalat Ali, a Pakistani left-arm spinner, who was Eagles’ overseas player for this match.
The experienced Sibanda joined Hamilton Masakadza, and the two started to place the ball for well-judged singles, getting the scoring moving again.
They did the job so well that the scoring rate was better than a run a ball, and Hamilton Masakadza reached his fifty off 50 balls, the team hundred coming soon afterwards in the 23rd over.
They put on 78 in less than 12 overs before Hamilton Masakadza, 59 off 61 balls, swept Raza straight to backward square leg; 127 for three in the 28th over.
Sibanda was playing a sound, fluent innings, and he was not happy to be given out lbw to Raza as he missed an intended sweep stroke on 45 (56 balls); at 142 for four in the 32nd over, the match was in the balance.
Foster Mutizwa had just come in to join Timycen Maruma, on four not out, when a sudden heavy downpour of rain took the players from the field, Mutizwa having scored two runs off what proved to be the final delivery of the match.
A mat was put over the pitch, but the main covers stuck as the ground staff brought them on, leaving all the surrounding area to suffer a serious drenching.
An hour later it was still raining, but the state of the ground meant that the match had already been abandoned and decided by Duckworth-Lewis, much to the disadvantage of the visiting team.— Senior Sports Reporter/Zim Cric
