Rocks bullish ahead of Pro50 final

Sports Reporter

SINCE marking their return to domestic cricket after a six-year hiatus, Southern Rocks have been turning heads at every chance they get.

In the two years, the Masvingo-based franchise has managed to scoop almost every trophy available, and could capture the one piece of silverware that has eluded then this Tuesday.

Rocks were the first team to book their ticket into the Pro50 Championship final, their second consecutive since their return, and did so with the only blemish on their record being last week’s eightwicket loss to Mountaineers.

Coach, Shepherd Makunura, believes the rise of his side into the formidable team that exists today has been due to the commitment of the players.

In fact, the only thing that matches their commitment is their hunger for success.“We have indeed come back strong, over the last two years, and the players are committed and hungry for success.

“We obviously wanted to show that we belong, and didn’t want our return to be short lived.

“The players bought into what we needed to achieve as a Franchise, and their hard work and commitment has been phenomenal,” said Makunura.

With his charges set for their second consecutive final in two years, Makunura has credited the success story to the consistency of his charges.

“It’s obviously a good feeling to book yet another ticket into the final, and to do so for the second year running,” he said.

“It obviously means a lot to me and the team, but it also shows that we are actually doing something right for us to be this consistent”.

Rocks tasted their first defeat of the season last Tuesday at the hands of Mountaineers, a loss Makunura believes will work to his charges’ advantage as they prepare for the final.

“That (Tuesday) defeat was one bad game out of our system, and we have taken some lessons out of it.

“Hopefully we will correct the little things that we didn’t quite get right, and cap it off with a win on Tuesday,” said the Rocks coach.