Online Reporter
Brandon Moyo, Zimpapers Sports Hub
ZIMBABWE Women’s High Performance Centre (HPC) team head coach Steve Mangongo says there is still room for improvement following his side’s hard-fought six-run victory over Nigeria in their opening match of the 2025 Kwibuka Women’s T20 Tournament on Tuesday.
Speaking to Zimpapers Sports Hub from Rwanda, Mangongo acknowledged areas that need refining but expressed satisfaction with several individual performances that helped Zimbabwe start their campaign on a positive note.
“I’m not happy with how we negotiated the powerplay, even though it was a slow pitch. We were too cautious early on. However, Loreen Tshuma’s cameo of 23 at a strike rate of 100 gave us some momentum. Defending a total of 105 was always going to be tough, but the young sensation, Passionate Munorwei was outstanding.
“Perhaps the quickest bowler in the tournament, she tore through the Nigerian batting line-up with impressive figures of 3/20. Overall, it’s always good to start a tournament with a win. We’re up and running. We just need to improve our powerplay approach by batting with more intent,” said Mangongo.
Zimbabwe HPC were sent in to bat first and posted 104/8 in their 20 overs. Christabel Chatonzwa top-scored, while Munorwei delivered a match-winning bowling performance to restrict Nigeria to 98/7 in reply.
Zimbabwe’s innings began cautiously, with the opening partnership between Chiedza Dhururu and Chatonzwa ending in the seventh over when Dhururu was bowled for 11 off 27 balls, leaving the side at 20/1 after 6.1 overs.
Chatonzwa then partnered with Tshuma in a steady 50-run stand for the second wicket. The momentum shifted in the 14th over when Chatonzwa, who had anchored the innings, was caught for a team-best 28 off 37 balls.
At 70/2, Zimbabwe looked poised for a competitive total, but a middle-order collapse followed. Tshuma contributed 23 from as many deliveries, while Salem Museka remained unbeaten on 11 off 11. Only four batters — Chatonzwa, Tshuma, Museka, and Dhururu — reached double figures.
Nigeria’s Rachel Samson was the pick of the bowlers, finishing with 3/24 in three overs. Lillian Udeh and Kehinde Amusa took two wickets apiece to stall Zimbabwe’s momentum. Defending a modest total, Zimbabwe made an ideal start, reducing Nigeria to 9/2 inside three overs.
Full story on www.chronicle.co.zw
