admin
Sports Reporter
HOSTS Zimbabwe find themselves having to fight off a possible humiliation this afternoon when they face Namibia in the T20 decider at Queens Sports Club.
The five-match series is delicately balanced 2-2 after the Namibians twice had to come from behind and level the series. They will definitely be in high spirits following the thrilling six-wicket win in the previous match.
Namibia’s Zane Green hit Tendai Chatara for four with the last ball of the match and set up a potentially explosive contest in the final game.
Earlier on, Zimbabwe had ridden on Wessly Madhevere’s classy half century at the top, only for the usual batting woes to come and haunt them down the batting order.
Zimbabwe scored 157/8 after being sent in to bat first, with Madhevere leading the charge with 50 off 32 balls (5×4, 1×6).
But the visitors did well to chase down the target and keep the series alive, thanks to Michael van Lingen’s 51 and an unbeaten 59 from captain Gerhard Erasmus.
Today, the home team would need to avoid further slip-ups or Namibia will claim a new record by winning their first ever series over a Full Member, right on our shores.
Meanwhile, the 2021/22 National Premier League came to an end on Sunday when Gladiators were crowned champions.
The Chitungwiza-based side secured the coveted silverware after their decisive match against title rivals Westside was washed out at Mutare Sports Club on Sunday.
In a race that went all the way to the wire, a win for Westside would have given them the championship, provided Takashinga Patriots 1 failed to get maximum points elsewhere.
And if Takashinga Patriots 1 themselves were to successfully defend their NPL title, they also needed an outright victory and a defeat for Gladiators.
But in an anti-climax end to the season, the Gladiators-Westside match was abandoned, while Takashinga Patriots 1 suffered a 56-run loss at the hands of Lions at Old Hararians on Sunday.
This saw Gladiators finishing at the top of the standings with 81 points, followed by Westside in second place with 75 points and Takashinga Patriots 1 third with 70 points.
In the end, it was a well-deserved championship for Gladiators, the only side not to lose a match in the NPL this season — they won seven, tied one and shared the spoils in the last of their nine fixtures which could not be played due to rains.
Yet the battle was not just about the title. With the top six teams securing their places in the NPL T20 Blast and the top eight qualifying for the Zim Domestic T10, there was everything to play for elsewhere in the final round of matches over the weekend.
Harare Kings beat Amakhosi by 36 runs at Kwekwe Sports Club, Takashinga Patriots 2 thumped Great Zimbabwe Patriots by 66 runs at Old Hararians, while Bulawayo Athletic Club (BAC) defeated Nortonians by 58 runs at BAC.
There is only one more match to be played in the NPL, between Amakhosi and Nortonians, but the top eight places in the elite club competition are already decided after Sunday’s games.
Gladiators, Westside, Takashinga Patriots 1, Lions, BAC and Takashinga Patriots 2 will feature in the NPL T20 Blast scheduled to start next week.
They will then be joined in the Zimbabwe Domestic T10 tournament by Great Zimbabwe Patriots and Harare Kings.
Online Reporter