Chigumbura rolls back the years as Eagles defeat Rhinos

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Rhinos – 232 all out in 45.4 overs (Bothwell Chapungu 54, Brendan Taylor 49, Malcolm Waller 44; Chamu Chibhabha 3/40, Keith Jaure 2/33, Tony Munyonga 2/52)

Eagles – 236-5 in 46 overs (Elton Chigumbura 76*, Tony Munyonga 53*, Richmond Mutumbami 27; Graeme Cremer 2/46, Mike Chinouya 2/46, Tendai Chisoro 1/37)

Eagles won by five wickets

Elton Chigumbura rolled back the years to play a superb match-winning innings of 76 not-out for Eagles against Rhinos in a Pro50 Championship match played at Harare Sports Club on Wednesday.

The match was a fascinating affair as both teams came back apparently from the dead after their batting collapsed.

First, Rhinos were reduced to 136 for eight wickets, before a fighting partnership between Malcolm Waller and Graeme Cremer enabled them eventually to total a much more respectable 232.When Eagles lost five wickets for 98 they seemed to have little hope of matching this, but Chigumbura, recalling his best days, and Tony Munyonga then produced a century partnership which took their team through to eventual victory against the odds.

Rhinos for once were able to play almost their strongest team, including 10 internationals plus their dynamic and experienced opening batsman Bothwell Chapungu, and could even afford to leave out players like Carl Mumba and Nyasha Mayavo, but this proved no guarantee of success.After Chapungu took a single off the second ball of the innings, Rhinos lost their captain, Tarisai Musakanda, bowled by Richard Ngarava with the first ball he faced.

Chapungu and Vusi Sibanda looked quite comfortable against the bowling of Ngarava and Keith Jaure, a former Under-19 left-arm seam bowler making his début for Eagles.They restrained themselves for a while, but when Sibanda (10) decided it was time to accelerate, he skyed a catch to mid-off to give Jaure his first wicket; 34 for two in the 10th over.

Brendan Taylor joined Chapungu and the pair worked hard to build a sound foundation for their team’s innings.In the 19th over, Taylor stepped up the tempo, swinging two balls from the left-arm spinner Rugare Magarira over the midwicket boundary for six.

In the following over, Chapungu brought up his fifty off 62 balls, a restrained effort for him, but the right one for his side in this situation.However, with his score of 54 he moved too far across his stumps to try to turn a ball from Chamu Chibhabha on the leg side, and was bowled behind his legs; 109 for three in the 23rd over.

The situation worsened two runs later, as PJ Moor was run out without scoring, stranded in mid-pitch after Taylor changed his call after playing a ball to midwicket.The score slumped to 121 for five when Prince Masvaure was beaten and trapped lbw by Chibhabha, and Rhinos were now in considerable difficulty, although their line-up did contain 10 capable batsmen.

Waller just managed to pop a miscued hit over midwicket after he had scored a single, but Taylor, on 49, popped a return catch to Munyonga.In the next over, Neville Madziva, having scored a single, was out lbw to Chibhabha, and then Tendai Chisoro was stumped off Munyonga for two; 136 for eight.

The Rhinos innings had become a disaster area – in seven overs they had now lost six wickets for 27 runs, and stumbled to 136 for eight, without excuse.Waller’s answer was to attack, but he took risks and twice in an over from Munyonga came close to giving the fielders a catch.But he did settle in now with Cremer and the pair began to put together a good stand at a good rate of scoring.

When on 27, Waller survived a difficult chance at deep cover, and then another attempted big hit was caught at mid-on — but it was a no-ball.He has not been in good form recently and was overdue some good luck, and in this innings he was getting a lot of it when his team needed it the most.

The fifty partnership came up in less than eight overs when Cremer drove a ball from Munyonga back into the sightscreen.They put on 70 runs in just over 10 overs when Waller’s luck finally ran out; he tried another big hit to leg, across the line, off Jaure and was bowled for 44, scored off 43 balls.

This brought in last man Mike Chinouya, with a career batting average of five, but he did his job nobly in support of Cremer, holding his end up and even hitting Jaure for six over long-on.They added 25 runs in 6.2 overs before Tino Mutombodzi brought himself on and bowled Cremer for 32, scored off 50 balls.

Chinouya was unbeaten with 15 and the total was 232 all out, in the 46th over.

Chibhabha, with three wickets for 40, was the most successful bowler, while Jaure and Munyonga took two each.

The last two wickets had added 96 runs in 17 overs to save their side from disaster, but Rhinos would still not feel too confident defending a total of 232.

If Rhinos had had a potentially explosive opening partnership in Chapungu and Musakanda, Eagles’ first pair of Cephas Zhuwao and Tinashe Kamunhukamwe was even more so.

Seven runs came off the first over, from Madziva, although two of them were wides.

Zhuwao smashed two more boundaries off Chinouya’s first over, but the last ball was a fast yorker that shattered his stumps for 13; 18 for one.

A very cautious Chibhabha came in next; he scored just a single off 12 balls before Chisoro trapped him lbw at 24 for two, and it seemed Rhinos were back in business.

Kamunhukamwe now began to gain confidence, and hit two boundaries, but then edged a ball from Chinouya which was very well held high at slip by Taylor; he made 19 and Eagles were in some trouble at 45 for three.

Richmond Mutumbami and Mutombodzi set about to repair the damage, and took the score to 78 before Mutumbami (27), trying to cut a ball from Cremer, edged a catch to the keeper in the 15th over.

Chigumbura’s first scoring stroke was a six off Cremer on to the roof of the media centre.

Mutombodzi was playing a steady game, which was what was needed for his team at this stage, but finally he lost patience, lashed out at a ball from Cremer and was caught in the covers for 16, scored off 38 balls; Eagles were now 98 for five in the 21st over, and the advantage belonged to Rhinos.

It was almost six down at 110, as Munyonga swung against the spin at a ball from Cremer and skyed a catch that was dropped by the fielder at midwicket, who may have been dazzled by the sun.

This was the moment that was to decide the match.

It appeared that Eagles’ only hope now was for Chigumbura to regain the form of his great years and play the sort of devastating innings he used to do to take his team home.

Slowly it began to look possible as the pair batted sensibly and the fifty partnership came up, followed by the team 200, with an unexpected Eagles victory now likely.

Then Chigumbura, doing most of the scoring, reached his own fifty off 64 balls.

Munyonga also reached fifty, off 69 balls, just before Chigumbura drove a ball from Chinouya back over the bowler’s head to the boundary to end the match.

Chigumbura’s magnificent 76 not out was scored off 99 balls and contained six fours and two sixes, while Munyonga ended with 53 off 74 balls, with two fours and a six.

Their unbroken partnership for the sixth wicket had put on 138 runs in almost 26 overs.

Eagles, with one win and one abandoned match, will now go to the top of the Pro50 Championship table.

The same two teams start their four-day Logan Cup match at the same venue on Friday.