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Sports Reporter
ALL-ROUNDER Sikandar Raza played a captain’s knock and registered the first half ton of the Zim Afro T10 tournament on an evening of mixed fortunes for his team Bulawayo Braves.
Braves warmed up the stage with a dominant 49 runs win over Harare Hurricanes, thanks to captain Raza’s unbeaten 62 runs from 30 balls.
The night, however, was spoiled by the 10 runs defeat by Joburg Lions in the last match of the night. Fans were treated to some exciting fast-paced cricket entertainment with three matches played on the opening night of the week-long festival.
Crain Ervine’s Durban Qalandars beat Cape Town Samp Army by eight runs in the second match of the evening.
But Braves had made the first impressions after posting 128/9 in their allotted 10 overs before restricting Hurricanes to 79/9.
For hurricanes, leg spinner Brandon Mavuta claimed 3-25 while there were also two wickets apiece for South African Nandre Burger and Tinotenda Maposa, a product of the Player Development talent hunt conducted by the organisers of the tournament in the last two weeks.
Batting first, the Bulawayo Braves were off to a good start with Ben McDermott (18) taking the attack to the bowling. However, McDermott and Kobe Herft (5) could not keep the opening stand going and departed within the first three overs, which saw the local hero Raza take centre stage.
While Raza held forte at one end, the Harare Hurricanes’ Maposa was causing havoc with the ball at the other end. He dismissed Ashton Turner (5) and Ryan Burl (0) before Mavuta also got into the act, packing off the likes of Thisara Perera (4), Timycen Maruma (12) and Faraz Akram (0) in quick succession. The Bulawayo Braves had been reduced to 78/7 in seven overs, with Raza soldiering on at one end.
The Zimbabwean star was in fine form but did not have enough support from the rest of the batters. Bangladesh’s Taskin Ahmed (4) fell soon after as well, having put on a 26-run stand with Raza.
While skipper Raza was dealing in boundaries at his end, Tymal Mills (0) could not hang in and was cleaned up by Burger in the ninth over.
Raza, who smashed five sixes and four boundaries, helped propel the Braves to 128/9 in 10 overs, finishing with an unbeaten 62 on his own.
In response, the Harare Hurricanes had a slow start, losing the experienced Indian batter Robin Uthappa for a duck as Taskin Ahmed struck in the first over.
In the next over Donovan Ferreira (2) was castled by Tymal Mills, while former England captain Eoin Morgan was doing his best to steady the ship.
With the Braves keeping things very tight, Morgan (7) tried to break the shackles but cut it straight into the hands of the third man fielder in the fifth over. At the half-way stage, the Hurricanes, were behind the run-rate with the score at 32/3. Mohammad Nabi was the next to be dismissed for 22, with the score at 33/4 in the sixth over.
After that Irfan Pathan picked the gaps and helped the team over the 50-run mark in the seventh over, but at the other end Samit Patel (3) was packed off by Patrick Dooley, which put Braves in control of proceedings.
In the very next over, Pathan (15) chopped it onto his stumps as Raza got into the act with the ball.
Raza struck off the very next delivery as well, trapping Tashinga Musekiwa lbw for a duck and had the Hurricanes in trouble.
Luke Jongwe looked to finish off the innings with a couple of big hits, but fell in the final over for 20, as the Hurricanes lost on the day.
Online Reporter