Vusumuzi Dube
Brandon Moyo, Sports Reporter
TUSKERS fast bowler Ernest Masuku was once again at his level best as he delivered a five-star performance that led his team’s victory over Rhinos in their opening match of the 2024/25 Pro50 Championship on Friday at Kwekwe Sports Club.
The Tuskers talisman took a fifer, the first of the season, as the Bulawayo side opened their campaign on a high note with a three wickets win.
After winning the toss and electing to field first, Tuskers bowled out their opponents for 160 runs in 31,4 overs courtesy of Masuku’s five-star display and a handy spell from Ainsley Ndlovu.
They went on to chase down the target in 34 overs, finishing on 160/7 with Luke Jongwe scoring a brilliant unbeaten half century to help the Bulawayo side collect maximum points.
The victory was welcomed by coach Chris Mpofu, who prior to the game, had emphasised the importance of a good start.
Mpofu was pleased with the fight that his team displayed in difficult situations.
“I thought we really did well. We managed to win the toss and bowl them out for 160 runs. I loved the fight that the boys had because after winning the toss, at one stage they were on 47 without loss and to come back the way we did and bowl them out for 160 was an amazing effort.
“Ernest Masuku was the pick of the bowlers, getting five for 60 in his 10 overs. He bowled well. But, there is always one of those things where you feel like we could have killed the game a bit earlier because at one stage we had them on 90/8 and they ended up getting to 160. So it’s one of those things that we need to polish up for us to be competitive in this competition,” said Mpofu.
Having done well with the ball, Tuskers had the going tough in the early stages of their chase but managed to sail through and get the much needed maximum points. For Mpofu, his players’ positive attitude was a plus.
“Also when we were on 15/3. In the afternoon the wicket got a bit tricky to bat on so we were put under pressure. But I’m proud of how the guys continued being positive, credit to Luke Jongwe who batted really well, he reversed the pressure.
“Like I had said, we have youngsters who are coming up. We had Adrien Mupembe, he really did well and for me that was a positive to see a young man getting in a tricky situation and doing well.
“At the end of the day, I was happy but there are a lot of things that we need to polish especially going into the four-day game but as a coach I am very happy to get a win, the first of the season. It’s something that we have been longing for,” he said.
Masuku finished with figures of 5/62 in 8,4 overs while Ndlovu registered figures of 3/22 in his 10 over spell. The other two wickets that fell were taken by Jongwe (1/15) and Sean Williams (1/27).
Solomon Mire top scored for Rhinos with 44 runs off 37 deliveries. Jongwe went on to pull Tuskers out of a tricky situation with a fighting 63 runs not out off 70 deliveries while Williams chipped in with 29 runs from 22 balls. Mupembe made 21 runs from 26 deliveries.
Bradley Evans finished with figures of 3/32 in 10 overs for Rhinos. The two teams face off in a four-day Logan Cup encounter starting today. – @brandon_malvin
Online Reporter
Bongani Ndlovu