Andrew
Online Reporter
Southern Rocks suffered their first Pro50 defeat of the season in a match played at Harare Sports Club on Tuesday.
Southern Rocks had been unbeaten in eight matches until yesterday when they suffered an eight-wicket defeat at the hands of Mountaineers.
The team was bowled out for 131 in 37 overs, before Mountaineers chased the target in 22.1 overs to hand them their first defeat of the season in a 50-limited-overs matches.
Rocks won the toss and elected to bat, and all seemed to be going according plan as openers, Tadiwanashe Marumani and Brian Mudzinganyama, took 34 runs off the first six overs from the international bowlers, Tendai Chatara and Victor Nyauchi.
Chatara, led the Mountaineers bowling attack claiming three wickets for 43 runs in his opening spell, rocking the top order of Southern Rocks team.
Ben Curran and Roy Kaia took the score past 50, but then Timycen Maruma caught Curran off Chatara for nine, and in his next over Chatara had Sikandar Raza caught by Kevin Kasuza for two. At that point it was 58 for four.
Wickets continued to fall in pairs. At 68 Kaia was caught at the wicket, off Wellington Masakadza, as Chatara finished his opening spell, and in the following over the keeper, Kudzai Sauramba, held another chance to remove Tafadzwa Tsiga (9) off Tiripano.
At 72 for six in the 18th over, Rocks were now in considerable trouble.
They needed a major partnership, but never found it, although William Mashinge played a fire-fighting lone innings, as the tail collapsed around him.
The loss of Tendai Chisoro to Tiripano for six, removed the last of the other recognised batsmen with the score at 90 for seven.
Blessing Muzarabani went for five and Travor Mutsamba for zero – 109 for nine – before the last man, Dylan Hondo, played a gallant defensive innings to support Mashinge, facing 24 balls before Tony Munyonga ended the innings by bowling him for five.
This left the Rocks’ total at 131 all out, off only 37 overs, with Mashinge unbeaten on 41 off 61 balls.
Mountaineers had done a wonderful job to bowl out the hitherto dominant Rocks team for only 131, and now it was up to their batters to finish the job and hand their opponents to their first defeat.
Mountaineers captain, Kevin Kasuza, led the victory charge in fine style: In the first four overs he raced to 31 out of a score of 40, with Mutsamba going for 30 runs off his two overs.
Kasuza was not able to complete the job himself, though, as, having scored 43 off 35 balls, including seven fours and a six, he was bowled by Mashinge, with the score on 64 in the ninth over.
His opening partner, Compton, had given him his head, playing a sound game, and he continued to do so with Sauramba as his partner.
They continued to keep the score moving at about a run a ball, and Mountaineers never looked like losing their grip.
Compton was stumped off Raza, when he had scored 45, the team total at this stage being 125, just before victory was completed.
Maruma came in and scored a single, while Sauramba took Mountaineers through to victory with 31 not out.
Online Reporter