adminRicky Zililo Senior Sports Reporter
MATABELELAND Tuskers Cricket Franchise captain John Nyumbu believes the future of the game in this region is bright despite them finishing the 2015/2016 season trophy-less.
A lot was expected from Tuskers, who have won the Logan Cup four times since the inception of franchise cricket in the 2009/2010 season.
Tuskers won the Logan Cup in three consecutive seasons from 2010-2013 and in the 2014/2015 season.
In the just-ended 2015/2016 season, Tuskers finished at the basement of the table with a single win out of four matches. Their victory was over Mountaineers in December .
Tuskers emerged third in the Pro-50 One-Day competition following back-to-back wins over MidWest Rhinos. They went on to lose home and away to champions Mashonaland Eagles and runners-up Mountaineers.
Jumbo attributed their poor season’s run to a depleted squad.
“It was a bit tough because we didn’t have a full strength squad for the better part of the season. We had to use fringe players as some of the guys were on duty with the national team or Zimbabwe A. Our player base is not as big as that of other franchises, but on a positive note, some of our guys got game time,” said Nyumbu.
“We failed to retain the Logan Cup and also didn’t do well in the shorter format of the game, but I’m confident that we now have a bigger player base. What one can’t deny is that Matabeleland has got talent and even schools’ cricket, which is a feeder to the provincial league, has been active”.
Some Tuskers’ players in the national team and Zimbabwe A include Richmond Mutumbami, Nyumbu, Brian Vitori, Christopher Mpofu, Tawanda Mupariwa and Luke Jongwe.
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