Tuskers – 203 all out in 45.2 overs (Tanu Makoni 82, Luke Jongwe 38, Tafara Mupariwa 38; Mike Chinouya 3/32, Brandon Mavuta 3/54, Antum Naqvi 2/24)
Rhinos – 183-3 in 42 overs (Ben Curran 107*, Takudzwanashe Kaitano 52, Antum Naqvi 9; Ainsley Ndlovu 2/43, Sean Williams 1/53)
Day 1 – Stumps: Rhinos trail by 20 runs
Ben Curran hit a fine century that put Rhinos in a strong position at the end of the first day’s play of their Logan Cup match against Tuskers at Kwekwe Sports Club on Sunday.
They reached a score of 183 for three wickets after bowling out the Bulawayo-based team for 203.
Rhinos won the toss and put Tuskers in to bat and they must have finished the day happy with the way this was turning out, but they had some doubts early on.
Mike Chinouya dismissed Nkosana Mpofu for five in the third over, but then Tanu Makoni and the captain, Tafara Mupariwa, made a brilliant partnership of 98 for the second wicket in less than 20 overs.
Makoni played a remarkable free and fine innings, racing to his fifty off only 38 balls.
With the score at 110, though, Brandon Mavuta broke the stand by having Mupariwa caught for 38, and this began a fatal slide of the Tuskers batting.
Makoni was sixth man out at 143, having scored a sparkling 82 off 110 balls, and the only one of the later batters to prosper was Luke Jongwe with an aggressive 38 off 31 balls.
Only the last pair took the score past 200 as Tuskers were dismissed for 203 – Sean Williams was out second ball for a single.
Chinouya and Mavuta took three wickets each, and there were two apiece for Brad Evans and Antum Naqvi.
Curran and Takudzwanashe Kaitano then gave Rhinos a fine start with an opening partnership of 118 in 28 overs before Kaitano was caught off the bowling of Williams for 52.
Ainsley Ndlovu then took two quick wickets to dismiss Solomon Mire for eight and Naqvi for nine – 167 for three.
Curran reached his century just before the close, finishing unbeaten on 107, with Evans his partner yet to score.
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Southern Rocks – 354-5 in 84.2 overs (Roy Kaia 64, Matthew Campbell 63, Saifuddin Zaib 60*; Wallace Mubayiwa 2/55, Munashe Chipara 1/40, Faraz Akram 1/50)
Eagles –
Day 1 – Stumps
Roy Kaia’s 64 was the highest of the five fifties recorded by Southern Rocks in their total of 354 for five wickets compiled on the first day of their Logan Cup match against Eagles, which got underway at Takashinga Cricket Club on Sunday.
Tafadzwa Tsiga and Matthew Campbell gave Rocks a fine start to reward their decision to bat on winning the toss.
They made 89 for the first wicket before Tsiga was out for 50 off 89 balls.
Campbell soon followed for 63, but Kaia then took up the baton with his fine innings, which also took 89 balls and contained a six and 10 fours.
He added 67 for the third wicket with Johnathan Campbell, who was the most aggressive batter of the day with 37 off 34 balls.
The 200 was passed with only three men out, but when Richmond Mutumbami (15) and Kaia were dismissed in quick succession, five wickets were down for 238.
The innings was at a crossroads, but the right men were in next as Alvin Chiradza joined the Northamptonshire all-rounder Saifuddin Zaib at the wicket.
By the close both batters had joined the fifty-makers, Zaib with 60 and Chiradza 56, both not out and with a partnership now worth 116 runs.
The bowlers had a hard toil, none of them earning much success, while the English professional Alex Russell, who had such a successful season in 2023/24, taking the wicket of Kaia but otherwise suffering for 111 runs off only 16 overs.
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