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Series Thread: Domestic Twenty20 2008/2009

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Legend

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Link: http://www.sundaynews.co.zw/inside.aspx ... 3511&cat=5


Westerns clinch Twenty20 trophy

Senior Sports Reporter

A SPIRITED bowling performance by off spinner Mbekezeli Mabuza saw Westerns beat Northerns by four runs to clinch the Metropolitan Bank inter-provincial Twenty20 tournament in the final match played at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo yesterday.

Yesterday’s win gave the Tawanda Mupariwa-captained Westerns something to smile about after a dismal performance in the country’s premier first class competition, the Logan Cup, where they finished at the bottom of the log with five losses and a draw in their six matches.

Mabuza made up for running out Westerns’ star batsman Mark Vermeulen and picked up five wickets as Northerns who bowled out Westerns for 116 runs in 19.1 overs scored to hand the Westerns the title.

After losing the toss and being sent in to bat first, Westerns got off to a bad start when Keith Dabengwa who was out-leg-before-wicket to Admire Manyumwa for 14 runs in the sixth over.

Vermeulen top-scored with 22 runs but could have scored more but was run out when Mabuza called for a tight single and the hard-hitting batsman was caught short of his ground. Another clean hitting batsman Charles Coventry went without contributing much with the bat when Manyumwa dismissed him, caught at mid on by Trevor Garwe for four runs.

Christopher Mpofu went on to contribute a valuable 21 runs at number eight as Westerns were bowled out in the last over.

Fast bowler Garwe was the pick of the Northerns bowlers with four wickets for 23 in four overs while Manyumwa took two wickets for 21 runs in four overs.

Needing 5.8 runs an over, Northerns saw their opening pair Regis Chakabva and Prince Masvaure put on 30 for the first wicket before Njabulo Ncube had Masvaure taken at mid on by Tawanda Mupariwa for 19 runs. Ncube struck again when he had Chakabva brilliantly caught at backward point by John Nyumbu for 28 runs.

Mabuza was brought onto the attack and he had immediate success when he bowled Garwe for 10 runs. The off spinner who is regarded at the moment as the best spinner in the country got rid of Northerns skipper Elton Chigumbura for six runs. Mabuza went on to dismiss Cephas Zhuwawo (1), Tafadzwa Mufambisi (0), Graeme Cremer (4) and Sam Mwakayeni (0) as the match slid away from Northerns.

Going into the last over, Northerns needed 14 runs to win the match, lanky pace bowler Mpofu was tasked with bowling it while Tatenda Taibu and Manyumwa were at the crease.

For their efforts, Westerns walked away with a cash prize of US$1 000 and a trophy. There was further joy for Westerns as Vermeulen walked away with the best batsman accolade and another award for the most sixes. Vermeulen scored 15 sixes during the tournament.

The best bowler award went to Mpofu and Garwe and the pair shared US$150.
Legend
Link: http://content.cricinfo.com/zimbabwe/co ... 04828.html


Zimbabwe Twenty20 2009

Mabuza spins Westerns to Twenty20 victory

Steven Price

May 18, 2009

Westerns 116 (Vermeulen 22, Garwe 4-23) beat Northerns 112 for 9 (Taibu 28*, Chakabva 28, Mabuza 5-14) by four runs

A five-wicket haul by offspinner Mbekezele Mabuza steered Westerns to a four-run win over Northerns in the final of Zimbabwe's domestic Twenty20 tournament at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo.

Mark Vermeulen, who finished the leading run-scorer in the competition, top scored with 22 for Westerns, but their total of 116 appeared to be well below par. Trevor Garwe - whose 13 wickets were the most in the tournament - and Admire Manyumwa cut through he Westerns bating order to leave them reeling at 68 for 7 and it took 21 from No. 8 Christopher Mpofu to even get them to three figures.

Northerns got off to a good start to reach 30 for 0 in four overs but a bowling change turned the game. Njabulo Ncube's first delivery had Prince Masvaure brilliantly caught by Tawanda Mupariwa at mid-on, and in his two overs later he had Chakabva taken at point by John Nyumbu.

But Northerns were still in command, and at 67 for 2 at the halfway stage, the match appeared almost done and dusted. The introduction of Mabuza turned the game on its head. He immediately bowled Garwe, and two balls later John Nyumbu removed the dangerous Elton Chigumbura when he had him caught by Thabo Mboyi.

Mabuza struck twice in his second over - removing Cephas Zhuwawo and Tafadzwa Mufambisi - and Northerns had lost four wickets for two runs in 10 balls. While Tatenda Taibu remained, Northerns were still fighting, but another two wickets in three balls from Mabuza left the tail exposed.

Manyumwa stayed with Taibu but the run-rate climbed, and 14 were needed at the start of the final over from Mpofu. In the end, Manyumwa was run out trying to give Taibu the strike off the fifth ball and Northerns came up short.

The cricket-starved Bulawayo fans, who had cheered Westerns the whole afternoon, ran onto the field to congratulate their players. Westerns walked away with a trophy and $1000 in cash.

Vermeulen, who scored a century and a half century picked up the tournament's best batsman award and got another accolade for the most sixes - 15. Garwe and Mpofu shared the best bowler award.

Steven Price is a freelance journalist based in Harare

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