[Match Thread] Rhinos v Mountaineers (Logan Cup)

[maehara]

Wicket: Waller (c Vermeulen b Mujaji 77). Rhinos 384/4 after 108.5 overs.
Wicket: Kasteni (c & b Maruma 80). Rhinos 432/5 after 127.5 overs.
Wicket: Nyathi (c Smith b Maruma 29). Rhinos 439/6 after 131.2 overs.

Rhinos close on 460/6d.

[maehara]

Wicket: Beukes (c Ballance b Rainsford 0). Mountaineers 1/1 after 0.5 overs.
Wicket: Mawoyo (lbw b Muzarabani 1). Mountaineers 1/2 after 1.1 overs.
Wicket: Vermeulen (c Taylor b Franks 7). Mountaineers 20/3 after 12.4 overs.
Wicket: H Masakadza (c Sibanda b Cremer 18). Mountaineers 33/4 after 17.2 overs.
Wicket: Maruma (c Nyathi b Nicolson 6). Mountaineers 45/5 after 20.3 overs.

[maehara]

ZC match report:

Close of play: Mid-West Rhinos 460/6 dec.; Mountaineers 132/5.

Some superb bowling by the Mid-West Rhinos attack that destroyed the Mountaineers' top-order batting breathed new life into a match on a flat pitch that had made a draw the most likely result. The home side built a large total before declaring, with Malcolm Waller and Friday Kasteni both doing well on the second day, but after the collapse Greg Smith and Prosper Utseya fought back for Mountaineers to keep them in the match, although they still have their backs to the wall.

Mid-West Rhinos resumed at their overnight score of 320 for three wickets, Kasteni and Waller in possession of the crease. Again the first ball of the day travelled for four: Tendai Chatara produced a leg-side delivery which Waller gratefully dispatched to the midwicket boundary. After that the bowlers tightened up for a while, and the batsmen settled in and again played the accumulation game. As had been the case the previous afternoon, Waller was the more aggressive of the two, while Kasteni, with his crouching left-handed stance, dug in and ground out the runs. Waller was the first to his fifty, which took him 83 balls; Kasteni required 133 deliveries to reach that landmark.

The pair added exactly 150 for the fourth wicket before finally Waller, trying to force the ball away off the back foot, edged a sharp low catch to Mark Vermeulen at second slip off the bowling of Silent Mujaji. His 77 contained five fours and a six. Kasteni seemed to have a century in his sights and was still there at lunch, but when he had scored 80 he was finally out to a fine one-handed return catch by Timycen Maruma. He had faced 201 balls and hit six fours. The only other wicket to fall was that of Remembrance Nyathi, caught at short leg for 29; shortly afterwards, halfway through the afternoon session, Vusi Sibanda decided to declare, with the total 460 for six. There were two wickets each for the spinners Prosper Utseya and Maruma; the international seam bowlers Chatara and Tinashe Panyangara toiled hard but failed to take a wicket.

On such a flat pitch, it was expected that Mountaineers would make a strong reply, but they were perhaps wearied by a day and a half in the heat, while Mid-West Rhinos had their tails up and bowled superbly. Within minutes two wickets were down for just a single: the South African Jonathan Beukes was caught in the slips off Ed Rainsford, while Taurai Muzarabani produced a superb yorker first ball to trap Tino Mawoyo lbw. The tea score was 14 for two off ten overs, and worse was to follow when first Vermeulen (7) edged a catch to the keeper, and then the big fish, Hamilton Masakadza, was given out caught at slip off an extravagant drive for 18. He seemed to think the ball came off his paws uncertain whether he had hit the ground or the ball, but given the circumstances it was not the wisest shot selection. The bowler was now Graeme Cremer, who was turning his leg-breaks significantly.

The fight seemed to have gone from the Mountaineers, as Maruma was next to go, driving loosely to mid-off for 6; 45 for five now. Smith and Utseya, however, tried to turn the situation around with positive strokes, although they took some risks and two hard chances went down in an over from Cremer. Then they thrived, and normal service was resumed on this pitch as the batsmen began to control the situation again. They were still there at the close, with 44 and 46 respectively, and their team owes them a big debt of gratitude.

The Mountaineers coach Stephen Mangongo did not blame his batsmen unduly for the early collapse, except to say that there were one or two poor shots and "The Rhinos were up for it and we weren't." He put it down mainly to "fantastic new-ball bowling; they made us play all the time." Certainly it has given new life to a match that looked doomed to be a draw, and Mountaineers still have a long way to go to get out of the woods. The next target is 311, to avoid the possibility of following on, and it still looks
a long way away.

[maehara]

Wicket: Utseya (c Taylor b Rainsford 56). Mountaineers 152/6 after 51 overs.

[bayhaus]

Usteya might just work himself into a Handy All rounder...At least we will know that there is still Utseya and when he falls then we can start folding the chairs...

[maehara]

Wicket: Katsande (lbw b Nicolson). Mountaineers 164/7 after 56.5 overs.
Wicket: Smith (c Waller b Franks 66). Mountaineers 176/8 after 62.4 overs.
Wicket: Chatara (c Taylor b Cremer 13). Mountaineers 191/9 after 69.1 overs.
Wicket: Mujaji (b Cremer 0). Mountaineers 191 all out after 69.5 overs.

Mountaineers trail by 269 runs at the end of the 1st innings. Another candidate for the follow-on, then...

[maehara]

Mountaineers following-on...

Wicket: Beukes (c Taylor b Franks 12). Mountaineers 33/1 after 9.4 overs.
Wicket: Mawoyo (c Kasteni b Waller 55). Mountaineers 110/2 after 26.3 overs.

Day Three Close: Rhinos 460/6d, Mountaineers 191 & 223/2 (f/o, 63 overs; H Masakadza 98*, Vermuelen 43*, Franks 1/18).

[Conant]

Sibanda has lost it completely . He could not have hit this atrociously rough patch at a worse time. He is disappearing into obscurity as we prepare for our test return.

And Mawoyo emerging. Bad timing

[eugene]

Sibanda would be lucky to make the team even if he was in form. I think we have many batsmen who are of a higher quality than Vusi Sibanda.

[maehara]

I think we have many batsmen who are of a higher quality than Vusi Sibanda.

But...but... he's our Batsman of the Year!!

...yeah, I never understood why either...