Tuskers shift focus to Pro-50 cup

AFTER a disappointing First Class cricket season, Matabeleland Tuskers have now shifted their focus to the Pro-50 One Day cup.

Bottom of the table Tuskers registered their first victory of the season in the last fixture of the 2016-17 Logan Cup season when they beat Midwest Rhinos by 103 runs on Saturday.

That win came in too late for the former champions, who went into the last round of matches with just five points from eight outings, which include four defeats, three draws and one abandoned game.

Tuskers gave First Class debuts to 24-year-old allrounder Ernest Masuku, who took five wickets in two innings and 30-year-old right-hand batsman Mduduzi Fuzwayo.

Brian Chari, the Tuskers captain, said the win against MidWest Rhinos had brought a sense of belief to the squad and they were now gunning for the Pro-50 One Day title.

“We didn’t have the best of starts and that badly affected us in the Logan Cup. Some of the key members of our squad like Craig Ervine, Sean Williams and Brian Vitori were out because of injuries.

“We just lacked depth and most of the senior players were just off form,” said Chari.

“However, we’re working hard to win the shorter version (Pro-50 One Day Cup) so that we don’t have a disastrous season in all versions. Ervine is back and so is Williams, which gives us a slight edge going into Thursday’s game against Mashonaland Eagles,” Chari said.

Chari feels failure to complement their bowlers contributed to the Bulawayo side’s uninspiring season in the Logan Cup.

The skipper was expected to lead Tuskers’ batting attack, but failed to live up to the billing together with Nkosana Mpofu.

Tuskers also lost Keith Dabengwa after just one game when the all-rounder decided to relocate to Scotland.

Another letdown at Tuskers was Richmund Mutumbami who was expected to use the domestic competition to force his way back into the national team.

Charles Kunje, who joined from Mutare, was their best performer.

Among experienced cricketers at Tuskers are Christopher Mpofu, John Nymbu, Njabulo Ncube and Luke Jongwe.

“I think winning against Rhinos is a better way of ending the season. It also gives us confidence going forward.

“As players we also spoke about working on our batting so that we complement the good work done by our bowlers. I think next season we will bounce back strongly,” Chari said.

The 2017-18 Logan Cup season is expected to start in September.