adminEddie Chikamhi Senior Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE Under-19 cricket team coach Stephen Mangongo has heaped praises on all-rounder Wesley Madhevere for his match-winning performances during the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup which ends this week in New Zealand. Madhevere produced another man-of-the-match performance yesterday when Zimbabwe beat Canada by 138 runs to sign off from this year’s edition with a consolation.
The all-rounder missed out on a hundred against Canada by seven runs, but set his team up to make a strong total of 272/8 on a tricky pitch, before taking four wickets to ensure Canada never got close. As his teammates struggled to score freely, he seemed to be playing almost on another surface as he struck eight boundaries on his way to 93 from 84 balls.
Despite getting bogged down, the other batsmen did manage to provide decent support, with Milton Shumba’s 18 the lowest score from among the top seven. After inflicting the damage with the bat, Madhevere took the ball and led Zimbabwe to a comfortable win as the target proved too tough for Canada who only managed 134 runs in 37.5 overs.
Zimbabwe Under-19 coach Mangongo described the teenager as a class act after winning three man-of-the-match awards in the six games he played. “It has been a good ending for the boys. They kept improving as the tournament progressed and I’m very happy with the progress we made generally as a team. We have seen some very good cricket all round.
“Wesley has really been the shining star among the boys and as a team which is still growing there is definitely light at the end of the tunnel.
“If I have to rate him, I think he is one of the most explosive youth cricketers in the world and in this particular World Cup he probably operated at 40 percent.
“And operating at 40 percent, winning three man of the match awards, averaging nearly 50 and being the highest wicket taker in our team it just shows how talents this boy is.
“He is showing competence at this level but we still have a long way to go, just like Rome was not built in a day. He has been in this Under-19 project for four years. We started with him in 2013, basically,” said Mangongo.
“Patience is the key. This is exactly what we are reaping now with Wesley. He is showing maturity, he is showing stability and a lot of confidence because he has been playing at this level enough, not to withstand the hours he has spent hitting the balls and learning how to play the game. Now you can see he is now off the blocks to say he belongs at the top.
“He is really a class act. For a 16-year-old he plays the game like a 24-year old, it’s truly amazing. One or two things still needs to be polished because he is ultra-aggressive. We are definitely very happy with the way Wesley has been progressing.”
The win yesterday meant Zimbabwe finished in 11th place at the tournament after they had failed to make it among the top eight in the Super League quarterfinals.
Online Reporter