Online Reporter
Brandon Moyo, Zimpapers Sports Hub
THE curtain fell on Amakhosi Cricket Club 1’s fairy-tale odyssey in the 2025 National Premier League (NPL) T20 Blast this past Thursday evening, as they succumbed to a clinical seven-wicket defeat at the hands of Takashinga Patriots 1.
Under the daunting glow of the floodlights at Harare Sports Club — the nation’s ceremonial home of cricket — the Bulawayo-based outfit found the stakes of the first eliminator just out of reach. With a coveted spot in the second qualifier on the line, the Kings of Bulawayo were ultimately outmanoeuvred in a high-pressure environment that demanded perfection, marking the end of a campaign that has nonetheless captivated the local cricketing imagination.
Despite the sting of the exit, team manager Mzingaye Mdlongwa remained a figure of resolute pride, steadfastly defending a season that saw his side punch well above their weight to reach the final four of Zimbabwe’s elite club competition. In a tournament that whittled the nation’s best down to a quartet of contenders — Amakhosi 1, Takashinga 1, Rimuka, and Gladiators — the Bulawayo side proved they belonged in the conversation of the elite.
Reflecting on the journey, Mdlongwa noted: “I am very proud of this team, looking at how far they have come. Throughout the campaign, they worked in cohesion, everything that they did was a team effort, and we had different guys coming to the party all the time. Despite the loss on Thursday, it was a great tournament.”
The manager was candid about the hurdles that finally slowed his side’s momentum, citing a cocktail of seasoned opposition, ill-timed injuries, and the departure of key personnel at the business end of the season.
“We took a lot of lessons from the tournament and obviously the lights factor was at play but we just didn’t have our best games. The gap between us and the team we played against was evident, they are a more experienced team.
“We also had some injuries, and Pascal had to go back to Uganda. We lost some guys and our momentum. But I will never fault the players or take away the brilliant run they had due to this defeat. We are proud, one game can’t take away what we did throughout the season.
“We learnt more than before. Youngsters played their part, they had control, the seniors came in and it was a great effort. Kudos to everyone who was involved from the first game until now,” Mdlongwa said.
The match itself proved an uphill battle from the first delivery after Amakhosi were put in to bat on a surface that offered no easy escape from the Takashinga onslaught.
The Bulawayo men struggled to find their rhythm, finding themselves in dire straits at 42/4 as the top order crumbled under relentless pressure. Adrian Mupembe attempted to anchor the innings with a gritty 21, but the resistance was effectively quelled when Mufudza struck to leave them reeling at 69/5.
From there, Mufudza became a wrecking ball, tearing through the tail to finish with devastating figures of 4/20 in a mere 3.4 overs, as Amakhosi were bundled out for a modest 82 in the 18th over.
If Amakhosi’s innings was a struggle for survival, Takashinga’s response was a ruthless statement of intent. The chase was spearheaded by Tinashe Kamunhukamwe and Innocent Kaia, who dismantled the bowling attack with a 55-run opening stand that arrived in just over five overs, effectively sucking the life out of the contest before it had truly begun. Though Antum Naqvi provided a brief cameo of three boundaries before falling, and the duo of Nkosibongwe Gogodo and Tinotenda Maposa managed to claim late scalps for the pride of Bulawayo, the result was never in doubt. Kaia applied the final, emphatic flourish, dispatching Ainsley Ndlovu for a four and a six in consecutive balls to finish unbeaten on 29 and seal the victory in just 8.1 overs, leaving Amakhosi to reflect on a season of immense growth and hard-won lessons.
