Tuskers Under-19s in commanding start

TUSKERS’ Under-19s have made it three out of three against Botswana Under-19s following their eight-wicket win at Queens Sports Club on Saturday afternoon.

The two emerging sides are also scheduled to play four one-day games and the Tuskers Under-19 have managed to win three opening matches of the tour. On Sunday, Botswana Under-19 won the toss and elected to bat first and were bowled out for 139 runs in 33,4 overs and Tuskers Under-19 managed to chase it down in 22,4 overs, finishing on 142/2. For both teams, the development of youngsters is the goal.

Tuskers Under-19 head coach, Farai “Slim” Gunda was impressed with the way his side has played so far and believes there is more coming from the group. “The boys have done well, they have played according to our plans. We were very unlucky not to get the hundreds as Botswana gave us a good fight. We are looking to improve and we expect a better showing tomorrow.

“The positives are there, what we have done is that the guys have managed to bat out the 50 overs, seeing our batters applying themselves to every situation, especially in the first two games, we found ourselves in a bit of a tricky situation, but we managed to stick it out, the guys are learning,” said Gunda.

The Botswana Under-19 side is under the tutelage of a decorated gaffer in Stanley Timoni who said they are grateful for the opportunity to come to Bulawayo and play against Tuskers Under-19s. He was impressed with the dedication and commitment his boys have shown in the matches they have played.

For Timoni and his side, the tour is for learning and they are also preparing for the ICC Men’s under-19 World Cup regional qualifiers, which are scheduled for Tanzania.”To be honest, we are here to learn, our boys have been playing T20s and T10s back home and this is their first 50-over matches and with what we have done so far, I am happy with their performances, lots of positives. Our fielding has improved and in our batting, we have managed to bat 50-overs, which is a plus to me and we are playing a better side, we need to play hard cricket, so we are been shown how to play cricket and if they get more game time, sooner or later they will improve.

“We are preparing for our World Cup Qualifiers in two weeks’ time in Tanzania and if they maintain this spirit and stay positive, I think we are in the right direction, we will go and qualify. We are getting experience from Tuskers and we thank the organisers for allowing us to come and learn,” said Timoni.

In the previous match on Sunday, Naweji Mutumwa stood out with the ball for the home side, finishing with impressive figures of 4/44 in nine overs while Pilate Ndlovu and Shelton Mumvuri took two wickets apiece. Ayaan Chand top-scored for Botswana with 71 runs off 75 deliveries while Panashe Mukoma fell for 24 runs from 33 balls.

In Tuskers’ chase, Samuel Muyambo played a captain’s knock of 57 runs off 42 balls to help his side secure victory. Petros Sithole finished unbeaten on 29 runs off 24 balls while Marcus Mpofu was run out on 27 runs after facing 47 balls.

Tanyaradzwa Takura remained unbeaten on 24 runs from 23 deliveries. The last match of the tour is scheduled for today at Queens Sports Club, starting at 9.30am and is free of charge. — @brandon_malvin