Bongani Ndlovu, [email protected]
Tuskers head coach Walter Chawaguta has set his sights on a top-two finish in the 2026/27 Pro50 Championship after the Bulawayo-based cricket side endured a difficult campaign last season.
Tuskers finished fourth out of five teams in the 2025/26 competition, winning only two of their eight matches, and Chawaguta is determined to guide the side into the final this time around.
The coach believes his charges have the resources to challenge for the title, but has urged them to maintain high standards of professionalism, discipline and consistency throughout the campaign.
“For me, a successful Pro50 Championship will end up with us being in the finals. So we want to finish top two this season,” Chawaguta said in an interview.
“And then I do think if we get ourselves into that position, I do think that we can go on to win the Pro50 Championship. But we’re going to take it one step at a time.”
Tuskers made a positive start to their campaign on Friday, beating Mountaineers by three wickets at Mutare Sports Club after chasing down a target of 235 runs.
Half-centuries from Ali Akbar Hamid and Tafara Mupariwa laid the foundation for the victory, while Milton Shumba’s unbeaten 39 helped the side reach 235 for seven in 48 overs.
However, Chawaguta said the team still needed to improve its batting, particularly by converting promising starts into big scores.
“The win against Mountaineers was pleasing. I think we were particularly good with the ball and in the field, but we sort of let ourselves down with the bat,” he said.
“We were a little disappointed that we didn’t get 100 today, which is something that we’ve been speaking about, that we want to try and convert the 50s into 100s.
“That’s what will get us into good winning positions. It will get us to put competitive scores on the board.”
Tuskers face stiff competition from the country’s other provincial franchises, including defending champions Southern Rocks, who won last season’s title after beating Mountaineers by eight wickets in the final.
Chawaguta acknowledged that every opponent would present a different challenge, depending on their strengths in batting and bowling, but expressed confidence in his squad’s ability to respond.
He described Southern Rocks as a consistent side with a strong winning mentality, but said Tuskers would look to exploit their weaknesses when the two teams meet.
“They’re not invincible. We are aware of their flaws. We are aware of where the weak areas are going to be,” he said.
“We’ll be looking to exploit those when we do play them.”
Chawaguta said Tuskers would focus on scoring hundreds, maintaining disciplined bowling lines and lengths, taking early wickets with the new ball and backing their bowlers with aggressive fielding.
The coach also identified player availability as a potential challenge, with some members of the squad likely to be called up for the upcoming Zimbabwe A series against Ireland.
To minimise the impact, the franchise has established a reserve programme to ensure replacements are ready to step in when required.
“We’ve got players that are currently working hard and practising, so that when we do have openings as a result of players being called up to the national team, being called up to the A side, then we’ve got credible replacements stepping up to carry on the campaign,” he said.
The coach said the squad also had exciting young players who would be given opportunities to develop alongside more experienced teammates, without being burdened with excessive expectations.
Tuskers face Mashonaland Eagles in back-to-back matches at Takashinga Cricket Club on October 30 and November 1.
They will also meet Southern Rocks twice at the Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium in Victoria Falls on November 20 and 22, in what is expected to be a significant assignment against the reigning champions.
