Tuskers – 193 and 241 all out in 80.5 overs (Sikandar Raza 67, Cunningham Ncube 55, Chris Mpofu 28; Tapiwa Mufudza 5/75, Tino Mutombodzi 3/68, Blessing Muzarabani 2/26)
Eagles – 261 and 175-3 in 32 overs (Tinashe Kamunhukamwe 82, Kudzai Maunze 63, Regis Chakabva 12; Ainsley Ndlovu 2/37, Sikandar Raza 1/47)
Eagles won by seven wickets
Tinashe Kamunhukamwe returned to his brilliant attacking mode of batsmanship for Eagles in their Logan Cup match against Tuskers at Takashinga Sports Club on Sunday, as his powerful 82 off 78 balls powered his team to a seven-wicket victory just before the close of play.
The match had looked likely to go into the fourth and final day when Tuskers resumed their second innings in the morning at 55 for two wickets, and spent most of the day compiling a rather patchy total of 241 all out.
Cunningham Ncube, on 29, and Aarsh Jha, yet to score, were the overnight batsmen, and they took the score to 100 before Ncube, who batted steadily and well, was bowled by a googly from Tino Mutombodzi for 55.
Mutombodzi struck again in his next over, also bowling Jha for 20, and then Sikandar Raza played his second fine fifty of the match.
It was virtually a one-man show, as none of his partners contributed much, as Mutombodzi and the off-spinner Tapiwa Mufudza removed them at regular intervals, and the score was 191 before Raza was seventh out.
He made 67, which included two sixes and five fours.
Two more wickets quickly fell by the time the score had reached 195, but then followed an unexpected and, for Eagles, annoying last-wicket partnership of 46.
Chris Mpofu hit out with discrimination, especially taking toll of Mufudza’s bowling, and he scored 28, including three sixes, while his partner Sheunopa Musekwa made 17 not out.
It had eventually taken the return to the pace bowlers with the second new ball to end the innings, and Blessing Muzarabani had Mpofu caught to end the innings at 241.
Mufudza was the most successful bowler, with five wickets for 75 runs, while Mutombodzi took three for 68 and Muzarabani two for 26.
Eagles thus needed 174 to win in well over a day, and most people expected that they would bat safely to ensure they did not throw the match away and would aim to finish the job on the fourth morning.
Kamunhukamwe, however, decided otherwise, as he forsook the steady game he had been playing thus far this season, without great success, and launched into a series of powerful strokes against the pacemen, scoring at a rate of more than a run a ball.
Tuskers needed to go all out for wickets if they were to hope to win the match, and this left plenty of gaps in the field which Kamunhukamwe exploited brilliantly.
The Tuskers captain, Ainsley Ndlovu, showed good judgment and unselfishness by removing his pacemen quite early as they were taking a hammering, and coming on himself with his left-arm spin.
He did manage to curb Kamunhukamwe’s rampage, although not to change the course of the match, eventually bowling the aggressive opener for 82 scored off 78 balls and containing three sixes and nine fours.
His opening partner, Kudzai Maunze, played a steadier innings and saw his team through to victory just before the close of play with 63 not out, including 10 fours.
But the opening stand had put on 139 runs and virtually decided the match, although Eagles also lost the wickets of Tony Munyonga (4) and Regis Chakabva (12) before clinching victory with Mutombodzi five not out.
News Sport Online 