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Lawrence Moyo Head Zimpapers Sports
EAGLES made light work of defending champions, Mountaineers in their own backyard to maintain a 100 percent run in the Pro50 Championship cricket tournament yesterday.
The table-topping visitors needed just 21.2 overs to chase 169 and secure a nine-wicket win over Mountaineers, who have now lost five of their six matches to date, at Mutare Sports Club.
Eagles completed a double after beating Mountaineers by five wickets with 81 balls to spare after being asked to chase 206 at the same venue on Friday.
Mountaineers were 96/2 after 16 overs but were all out for 168 in the 36th other, losing eight wickets for 72 runs in just under 20 overs.
Brian Bennet was the top performer with 61 off 60 balls while opener Kevin Kasuza made 40 from 42 balls for the only meaningful contributions of the innings as man-of-the-match Tapiwa Mafudza claimed four for 36 off his 10 overs.
There were two wickets each for Tanaka Chivanga, Alex Russell and Wessly Madhevere.
Eagles got off to a flying start, reaching 84/0 after 11.2 overs and even the fall of Nicholas Welch, who hit four fours and three sixes, for 50 off 41 balls did not stop the visitors as Tinashe Kamunhukamwe was joined by Kudzai Maunze and they made an unbeaten 85-run stand for the second wicket in 9.5 overs.
Kamunhukamwe, who hit eight fours and three sixes, finished unbeaten on 71 off 55 balls while Maunze, with six fours and a six, was 41 not out in 34 balls and victory was secured with a huge 179 balls to spare.
Next up for Eagles will be back-to-back clashes with Rhinos at Kwekwe Sports Club this coming weekend while the Mountaineers take a break.
Across the country at Queens Sports Club, the Tuskers stunned Rhinos by three runs with 12 balls to spare defending 252.
Rhinos reached 235/8 in the 44th over, needing 18 more runs in six overs but the running out of Antum Navqi first ball of the 45th over earned the hosts a crucial victory.
Navqi looked destined to win the match for Rhinos with 100 runs off 103 batting at number three and the rush to get a single with so many balls in hand proved costly.
All-rounder Sean Williams was named man-of-the-match for taking three wickets for 33 in nine overs having made 23 off 34 balls at number three.
Tuskers’ total was built around a 98-run stand for the fourth wicket in 22 overs between captain Brian Chari and Milton Shumba.
They were to be the only half centurions in the innings with Chari making 63 off 97 balls and Shumba topscoring with 67 off 88 balls, hitting the only six of the innings.
A target of 253 proved too much for Rhinos who did not have any support for centurion Naqvi as the next best contributions came from opener Ben Curran (31 from 42 balls) and Tarisai Musakanda (31 from 48 balls).
With the narrow victory, Tuskers avenged a six-wicket defeat at the same venue on Friday as Rhinos successfully chased 238 to win in the 43rd over.
Rhinos will now host table toppers Eagles in back-to-back matches in Kwekwe while Tuskers face Southern Rocks at Masvingo Sports Club on Friday and Sunday.
Online Reporter