adminThe two sides will meet in a mouthwatering encounter set for Queens Sports Club on Saturday.
Gavin Ewing, Matabeleland Tuskers skipper who was disappointed that their weekend match against MidWest Rhinos in Kwekwe was rained off said they have braced for a tough week.
“This is going to be a tough week for us as we prepare for the final. We have not played in the final of the limited overs since the start of Franchise Cricket. What makes the week tough is that we would have wanted to have played in Kwekwe so that we keep the momentum going but now we just have to train hard.
“Remember, we used to underperform in the limited overs but now that has changed as we want to show everyone that we are capable of playing well in all the versions of the game,” said Ewing.
Rains saw 50 over matches that were lined up in Kwekwe and Triangle not being completed. The contest between Southern Rocks and Mountaineers was abandoned without a ball being sent down at Triangle Sports Club.
At Kwekwe Sports Club, the encounter between Rhinos and Matabeleland Tuskers did get underway after a rain delay but only 11.2 overs were bowled with Tuskers on 53 for the loss of two wickets before rains forced the match to be called off.
Matabeleland Tuskers who have won the last two editions of the most coveted domestic silverware, the Castle Logan Cup are hoping to add the Pro-50 cup to their cabinet.
Pro-50 championship expectant Ewing who saw his charges end on top of the five team log with five wins, one no result and two losses from eight matches said they have to stick to basics if they are to beat Eagles.
In their last meeting, Matabeleland Tuskers beat Eagles by seven wickets with 104 balls remaining.
“Eagles have a good side and when we beat them they were not at their best. Obviously their approach to the final will be different and I believe they will raise their game. What we just have to do is to stick to the basics like we have always done.
“We have to make as few mistakes as we can because a mistake in One-Day game can cost you a lot unlike in the Logan Cup you have time to recover from mistakes. Hopefully, since we are playing at home, in front of our fans we can win this trophy and defend the Castle Logan Cup as well,” Ewing said.
Ewing spoke highly about his teammates who he said were driven by the desire to win trophies.
“We are a lucky franchise in the sense that all the players are home grown and we are a close squad that understands each other very well. The level of competition is great and everyone is kept on their toes.
“At the end of the day we are just match winners and that desire to win trophies is what has carried us through,” said Ewing.
Some of the players that have been vital cogs at Matabeleland Tuskers in their 2012-12 campaign include top order batsman Brian Chari who was the team’s top scorer with 54 runs when they beat Southern Rocks by five wickets in a Pro-50 One-Day a fortnight ago.
In that game, Southern Rocks had batted first and were bowled out for 131 runs in 36 overs. Matabeleland Tuskers made 136 runs in 27,4 overs to surpass Rocks’ target.
Ewing, Terrence Duffin, Graig Ervine, Sean Williams and Keith Dabengwa have also been good with the bat.
Matabeleland Tuskers’ strength has been in bowling where they have national team seamer Christopher Mpofu, Glen Querl, Njabulo Ncube, John Nyumbu, Ewing, Keegan Meth and Dabengwa.
Log
P W L D N/R Pts Net RR
Mat Tuskers 8 5 2 0 1 24 +0.858
Mash Eagles 8 3 2 0 3 19 -0.010
*Rhinos 8 4 2 0 2 18 +1.362
Mountaineers 8 3 3 0 2 16 -0.756
S. Rocks 8 0 6 0 2 4 -1.655
*Five points deducted for using an unregistered player
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter