Fredrick Moyo / Graeme Nish
Masvingo’s Southern Rocks cricket team has reached the Pro 50 championship finals after a sterling performance which saw them completing last week’s games at Masvingo Sports Club in the Pro 50 Championship between the country’s five franchise cricket teams unbeaten.
The rains forced the Rocks clash scheduled for Masvingo Sports Club against the Alliance Health Eagles from Mashonaland had to be abandoned without a ball being bowled resulting in the teams having to share the ten points on offer.
However by last Thursday the outfield had dried sufficiently for the teams to play the second of their scheduled matches against the same opponents. The Rocks did not disappoint their fans fashioning a nail biting three wicket win and all but ensuring that they will be in the championship final early next year probably against Mountaineers of Mutare.
After the Eagles had won the toss to bat first, given the fact that the outfield was still soggy making runs difficult to come by, they could not bat out their full fifty overs finding themselves all out in the 36th over having made just 164 runs.
For the Rocks it was the fast bowlers who did the damage. Travor Mutsamba bowled brilliantly to take five Eagles wickets for just 29 runs taking home the Techno Mobile man of the match award while lanky Blessing Muzarabani weighed in with 3 wickets for 35 runs in his ten over spell.
For the Eagles only the talented Wesley Madhevere with 53 runs and Tinashe Kamunhukamwe with 37 made any significant contribution with the rest of the batsmen disappointing.
The Rocks lost both openers early with Innocent Kaia and Brian Mudzinganyama making 1 and 7 respectively and were in some trouble at 28 for 2. Northamptonshire’s Ben Curran, brother of England internationals Tom and Sam Curran steadied the ship making a run a ball 29 but it was the Rocks captain Sikander Raza who really held the innings together making a superb 60 not out and seeing his side to 165 for 7 and a well-earned, though nail biting, victory.
Rocks are now top of the table with 55 points while Eagles are in fourth on 15 points. The Mountaineers are in second place having won the first of their back to back matches against Matabeleland Tuskers in Bulawayo with a four wicket win on Tuesday but then going down to a 9 run defeat on the Thursday.
Kwekwe based Rhinos are yet to win a point from their four matches and are up against the Eagles this week while the Rocks have been in Mutare taking on the Mountaineers in back to back games.
