BAC secures NPL spot after thumping Mosi Titans

BULAWAYO Athletic Club (BAC) secured their ticket to the 2023/24 season of the National Premier League (NPL) after winning their play-off match against Mosi Titans by nine wickets at Emakhandeni Cricket Club on Saturday.

AC showed no mercy to the Matabeleland North representatives, Mosi Titans as they bowled them out for just 61 runs in 22,5 overs after the visitors had opted to bat first. BAC went on to finish 63/1 in 8,5 overs to secure their spot in the country’s top-flight club cricket competition.

Saturday’s victory meant that BAC became the third team from the Bulawayo Metropolitan Cricket Association (BMCA) League One to secure a place in the national championship. The other two sides are Amakhosi Cricket Club and Queens Sports Club who finished on position one and two respectively in the BMCA First League, thus gaining automatic entry.

Bowling first, Flemming Nkomo and Isiah Musarerevhu put up brilliant performances with the ball, both taking four wickets for BAC. Nkomo, bowling overs, gave away just eight runs in his spell while Musarerevhu conceded 17 runs in 7,5 overs.

Charlton Tshuma took one wicket in four overs and gave away just nine runs while the other wicket that fell was a run out. The only two Mosi Titans batters who managed to cross double figures were Sean Phiri (15 runs) and MacDonald Kawara (13 runs).

In their chase, BAC lost the wicket of Bright Phiri who fell for two runs off 11 deliveries before Gift Mavhaire and captain Nkosana Mpofu saw the team through. Mavhaire top scored with 33 runs off 27 deliveries while Mpofu finished on 17 runs from 15 balls.

In other matches played on Saturday, Golden Bulls (Matabeleland South), made light work of Lowveld Warthogs Cricket Club (Masvingo), beating them by 230 runs to progress to the NPL.

Batting first, Tinotenda Maposa scored a brilliant double century as they finished on 358 all out in 47 overs. Maposa fell for 213 runs off 140 balls while Ashley Phiri scored 43 runs from 57 deliveries.

In their defence, Maposa went on to put up yet another good performance with the ball, taking a fifer to finish with figures of 5/44 in 8,1 overs while Misheck Gwizi took two scalps for 18 runs in six overs as they bowled out the Warthogs for 128 runs in 28,1 overs.

The last match played on Saturday saw Mutare Sports Club edge Masters Cricket Club by five wickets. Mutare Sports Club bowled out their opponents for 155 runs in 34,1 overs before going on to finish 156/5 in 35,5 overs to progress to the NPL.

Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) expanded the NPL from 10 teams to 14 in order to open up the topflight competition to all 10 provinces in the country. The commencement dates for the league are yet to be released by ZC.