Eagles edge rising stars
IN a close Pro50 Championship match at Takashinga Sports Club yesterday, Harare Metropolitan Eagles staved off a gallant challenge from Rising Stars to beat them by 28 runs via the Duckworth-Lewis method.
A century partnership between Elton Chigumbura and Tino Mutombodzi played the major part in their win after they were set a challenging total.
On a warm dry morning, Eagles won the toss and put Rising Stars in to bat.
Seventeen runs came off the opening over of the innings, bowled by Taurai Muzarabani, as the Rising Stars captain, Tinashe Kamunhukamwe, hit the last three balls for four, four and six.
Kamunhukamwe continued his onslaught, and the first three overs yielded 42 runs, of which he scored 33, before Trevor Garwe found his rhythm and bowled a maiden over to Tafadzwa Tsiga. The team fifty came up without loss in the sixth over.
Muzarabani paid dearly for bowling too many short deliveries, and his opening spell of four overs cost 43 runs.
The opening pair put on 80 in nine overs before hesitation over a risky single cost Tsiga his wicket, run out for 27 off 29 balls. Soon afterwards Kamunhukamwe reached his fifty off 29 balls, but then lost Tarisai Musakanda (1), who lobbed a simple catch into the covers off the off-spinner Tapiwa Mufudza.
Kamunhukamwe now lost some of his energy and soon followed, well caught low down at mid-on for 56 off 39 balls. He hit three sixes and six fours, and the score was now 99 for three in the 13th over.
The scoring slowed right down as Ryan Burl struggled to get going, in company with Tony Munyonga.
They took a long time to settle in, but eventually put on 79 together in 22 overs before Burl was caught off an arm ball from Cephas Zhuwao for 40; 178 for four.
Munyonga soon reached his fifty off 75 balls and, with Thamsanqa Nunu as his partner, the scoring rate improved considerably. He added another 24 runs off 13 balls before holing out on the longoff boundary off the bowling of Tino Mutombodzi; 232 for five in the 44th over. Nunu soon followed for 24, bowled by Zhuwao, and Brandon Mavuta hit hard for 19 off 11 balls.
The final total was 276 for eight wickets, with Faraz Akram 18 not out; there were two wickets apiece for Brighton Zhawi, Mufudza and Zhuwao.
Stuart Matsikenyeri, the Rising Stars coach, said his team had been bowling better than they had been batting recently. Richard Ngarava struck early for his team, as in his second over, he had Chamu Chibhabha caught in the slips for a single; 11 for one. Then Zhuwao got hold of Ngarava, driving him for two sixes in three balls, while Regis Chakabva took three fours off Ngarava’s next over; his four-over opening spell cost 37 runs.
Blessing Muzarabani at first commanded a lot of respect from the batsmen, although Zhuwao miscued a couple of boundaries off him before pulling him for six. Zhuwao went to his fifty off 32 balls, three slower than that of Kamunhukamwe in the Rising Stars innings.
Coincidentally, Zhuwao was also out, skying a catch off Patrick Mambo, for 56, and also off 39 balls, but Zhuwao had the extra six to his credit - four sixes and six fours. Meanwhile, Manicaland Mountaineers defeated Midlands Rhinos by 104 runs in the other Pro50 Championship match played at Mutare Sports Club.
SCORES
Rising Stars – 276-8 in 50 overs (Tony Munyonga 74, Tinashe Kamunhukamwe 56, Ryan Burl 40; Brighton Zhawi 2/34, Cephas Zhuwao 2/35, Tapiwa Mufudza 2/54) Harare Metropolitan Eagles – 273-6 in 46.3 overs, target 246 (Tino Mutombodzi 67, Elton Chigumbura 61, Cephas Zhuwao 56; Richard Ngarava 2/42, Tony Munyonga 1/29). Harare Metropolitan Eagles won by 28 runs (Duckworth-Lewis method)