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Descent Dube, Sports Reporter
THE Spar Bonsa T20 League first round of play-offs saw Christopher Mpofu scoring the first century of the tournament, while Blazers posted the biggest score ever at the Old Mutual Heath Streak Cricket Academy on Sunday.
Mpofu inspired Blazers to a 38-run win over Tigers.
Blazers started slowly and had lost three wickets with just 37 runs on the board. National team player Mpofu, however, went about smashing the Tigers attack to all parts of the ground, blitzing 103 runs off 49 balls.
Butijilo Ncube (25) and Thabo Mboyi (31) helped Blazers post a massive 223 in their 20 overs.
Senyo Nyakutse (19) and then Bright Phiri (59) scored quickly to keep Tigers in the hunt. When Nyakutse and Phiri fell, Tinashe Mujuru weighed in with 27, but they only managed 185 for the loss of seven wickets in their 20 overs.
Mpofu’s ton was the first in the Spar Bonsa T20 League and was a spectacle to behold, as he earned his team two batting bonus points and was named man-of-the-match.
In the top versus bottom clash, a strong batting display saw Badgers posting 137, with skipper Thamsanqa Nunu top scoring with 57.
Sabres’ reply looked measured, as Dalu Mboyi and Gift Mavhaire coasted to 77 before Anele Ngwenya uprooted Mavhaire’s middles stump in the 12th over.
Despite a fine opening stand, Sabres couldn’t consolidate and lost four wickets for just 15 runs.
Sabres’ tail didn’t wag and were bundled out for 111 runs to hand Badgers a 26-run victory.
Hawks entered the second match of the day desperate to win to keep their semi-final hopes alive by adding national team and Tuskers all-rounder Sean Williams to their bowling attack.
Clive Thebe led the way with 3-15 in three overs. He was ably assisted by Melford Mpofu and Ernest Masuku, who took wickets each.
Raptors never recovered from the early loss of wickets and only Mthandazo Moyo was able to stave off the Hawks’ attack to post 36 against his personal account and help Raptors to a small total of 70.
Knowledge Mpala said he was happy they had performed well despite having poor outings in their past four matches.
“For us bowling hasn’t been a problem. It has been good, but luck wasn’t on our side and we were hoping to nail it as soon as possible. I guess our zeal to win and the inspiration from William is the reason we were victorious against a talented Raptors side,” said Mpala.
Williams said the Spar Bonsa T20 League is the most organised cricket tournament in Zimbabwe.
“It is a fantastic experience playing with these young cricketers because the more they play, the more the future looks bright. This could possibly be the perfect platform to redeem our cricket as a nation. This is probably the most organised and competitive league I’ve played in,” said Williams.
The league takes a break next Sunday due to the Heroes holiday and resumes on the weekend of August 18 and 19.
Table
P W L T BP Pts N/R
Badgers 6 5 1 0 10 25 1.514
Blazers 6 4 2 0 7 19 0.634
Raptors 6 3 2 1 5 15 -0.295
Tigers 6 2 4 0 5 11 0.180
Hawks 6 2 4 0 4 10 -1.095
Sabres 5 1 3 1 1 5 -0.569
Online Reporter