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Metro Bank Twenty20 spills and thrills

By Mehluli Sibanda

BULAWAYO played host to the season ending Metropolitan Bank Twenty20 cricket tournament held at Queens Sports Club last week and what an event it was.


Westerns were crowned the champions when they beat Northerns by four runs in an exciting final match played at Queens Sports Club last Saturday.

The Tawanda Mupariwa-led Westerns made their intentions that they meant business from their first match when they beat pre-tournament favourites Easterns by four wickets at Queens. Mark Vermeulen top scored in that match with 74 runs. Vermeulen scored a century (108) but Westerns suffered a setback when they tied their second match at the same venue against Centrals despite scoring 208 runs, which seemed impossible to chase.

Half centuries from Chamunorwa Chibhabha (86 not out) and Tendai Chisoro (85) saw Centrals come close to snatching victory.

Northerns did not enjoy a fine start, losing by six wickets to Centrals in their first match played at BAC but got it right when they beat Easterns by 43 runs at the same venue.
Day two saw Westerns’ hopes of lifting the trophy further dented when they tied their match against Northerns at Queens, a match they should have easily won.

Needing 140 runs to win, Vermeulen top-scored with 53 runs but Westerns slumped from 128 for the loss of four wickets to 139 all out.

Easterns continued to struggle when they went down by 11 runs to Centrals at BAC.

A century from skipper Elton Chigumbura saw Northerns beat Centrals by 48 runs at Queens.
The Clement Mahachi-coached Westerns once against saw their hopes vanish when they lost by two wickets to Easterns at BAC. They lost the match in the last over as Mupariwa failed to effect a run out which would have seen the match end as a tie.

Going into day three, Westerns had to win their two matches against Centrals and Northerns, both at BAC to book a place in the final.

The Westerns players knew how disappointing it was going to be for their fans in Bulawayo if they did not qualify for the final and they rose to the occasion.

With Vermeulen failing with the bat as he scored only six runs, Charles Coventry top-scored with an unbeaten 49 runs while Mbekezeli Mabuza was second best with 42 runs as Westerns posted 156 runs.

Pace bowler Christopher Mpofu picked up three wickets while fellow seamers Mupariwa and Njabulo Ncube got two wickets apiece as Centrals were blown away for 125 runs in 20 overs.
Northerns booked their place in the final with a seven-wicket win over Easterns at Queens. With their place in the final guaranteed, Northerns coach Kevin Curran even had the luxury of fielding 10 players in the match against Westerns. He rested his key players Tatenda Taibu, Chigumbura and Trevor Garwe.

Westerns restricted Northerns to 128 in their 20 overs. Vermeulen failed to find his form with the bat as he scored one run and it was left to former skipper and Vermeulen’s opening partner Keith Dabengwa to steer the team home by six wickets with an unbeaten 74 runs.
A final featuring Westerns and Northerns was always going to be exciting as it evoked the old rivalry between Matabeleland and Mashonaland.

Chigumbura won the toss and sent Westerns in and his move worked wonders as Trevor Garwe and Admire Manyumwa cut through the Westerns batting with ease.

Vermeulen top scored with 22 runs before he was run out, Mabuza calling for a tight single that was never there. Mpofu contributed 21 runs at number eight as Westerns made 116 in their 20 overs. Garwe claimed four wickets for 23 runs while Manyumwa finished with two wickets for 21 runs. Leg spinner Graeme Cremer also bowled an economical spell, conceding 12 runs in his four overs.

Northerns saw their opening pair of Regis Chakabva and Prince Masvaure get them off to a fine start when they put up 30 runs for the first wicket. Ncube was brought onto the attack and the former national Under-19 bowler removed both openers in successive overs.

John Nyumbu regarded as the best spinner in the country at the moment dismissed the dangerous Chigumbura for just 10 runs when he had him taken at long on by Thabo Mboyi and Northerns must have started to feel the pressure.

Mabuza was brought onto the attack and his off breaks were too good for the Northerns batsmen. He picked up five wickets for 14 runs in his four overs to take the game away from Northerns.It came down to 14 to win for Northerns from the last over bowled by Mpofu and with Taibu at the crease Northerns must have fancied their chances.

Manyumwa took one off the first ball to give Taibu the strike and the former Zimbabwe captain scored two from the second delivery to maintain strike.

Taibu scored one run from the third ball and Manyumwa took one run off the fourth and Taibu was back on strike. Manyumwa was run out attempting to get Taibu on strike. Taibu scored four runs from the last ball and it was not enough, Westerns had won the match.

Cricket fans in Bulawayo who have been starved of top class cricket action in the city had cheered Westerns the whole afternoon and ran onto the filed to congratulate their heroes on their achievement.

It was as if Westerns had won a World Cup.

For their sweat, Westerns walked away with US$1 000 and a trophy. Vermeulen took the best batsman award for his 311 runs during the tournament and the award for the most sixes as he scored 15 of them.

Garwe and Mpofu shared the best bowler award.

Easterns, winners of the Faithwear 50 over tournament and the Logan Cup finished third when they edged Centrals by 70 runs at Queens in a curtain raiser to the Westerns-Northerns match.

Zimbabwe Cricket staff in Bulawayo put together a brilliant event which was full of entertainment for the fans on and off the field of play.

Among ZC officials who attended the event were ZC board member Arthur Maphosa, newly appointed ZC head of media and communications Shingai Rhuhwaya and the man she succeeded Lovemore Banda who is now the ZC general manager for public affairs (referred to as the Minister of Public Affairs in media circles).

Zimbabwe were supposed to use the tournament to name their squad for the International Cricket Council Twenty20 World Cup set for England next month but all those brilliant performances will go to waste as the country was forced to pull out of the event as the British government could not give a guarantee that they would issue entry visas to the Zimbabwean contingent.

Zimbabwe had their place taken up by ICC associate member Scotland.

Had Zimbabwe taken part in the ICC World Twenty20 in England, with the level of cricket displayed in Bulawayo, the country was sure to cause a few upsets like they did at the 2007 event held in South Africa when they beat Australia by five wickets at Newlands in Cape Town.

Metropolitan Bank Twenty20 team of the tournament purely based on performance in batting order.

1) Mark Vermeulen (Westerns) Runs 311. High Score(HS) 108, Average 44.42. The comeback kid scored a century and two-half centuries to amass 282 runs in his first four innings. He did lose his form in the last three innings but still finished the tournament as the highest run scorer with 311 runs and dispatched 15 sixes.

2) Keith Dabengwa (Westerns) Runs 160. HS 74 not out Average 32.00, Wickets 2 — Promoted to open, the left hander missed only one match against Easterns through injury but led from the front with an unbeaten 74 runs in the victory over Northerns which guaranteed Westerns of a place in the final.

3) Chamunorwa Chibhabha (Centrals) Runs 277. HS 86 not out Average 37.83, 7 wickets — He timed the ball so well during the tournament that he deserved to play in final. Blasted an unbeaten 86 runs from 53 deliveries to almost lead Centrals to victory over Westerns. He played a true all-round role with seven wickets.

4) Elton Chigumbura (Northerns) Runs 162. HS 103 not out Average 81.00, Wickets 4—He only played five matches for Northerns but made an impact with the bat, did not bowl much probably as a precaution as he sent down just seven overs throughout the tournament but did pick up four wickets.

5) Tendai Chisoro (Centrals) Runs 147, HS 85. Average 49 — Another player who timed the ball so well, his 85 nearly led Centrals to victory against Westerns when he put on 153 for the second wicket Chibhabha as Centrals chased down 208.

6) Charles Coventry (Westerns, Wicketkeeper) Runs 166 HS 49 not out. Average 33.20. The clean hitting batsman did not score a century or half-century like fellow returnee Vermeulen but came to the party with an unbeaten 49 runs as Westerns beat Centrals. Was an inspiration behind the stumps and helped Mupariwa with field settings.

7) Prosper Utseya (Easterns) Runs 127.HS 41 not out.Average 31.75 —The Zimbabwean captain turned out for a disappointing Easterns but that did not stop him from excelling, scoring 127 runs and then picking up eight wickets, the off spinner opened the bowling in most matches.

8) Tawanda Mupariwa (Westerns, Captain) Runs 53. HS 19 not out.Average 13.25, Wickets 7—The best captain in the tournament, has matured since he took over the Westerns captaincy from Dabengwa during the Logan Cup. Used his bowlers well and reserved himself for the last over in the matches against Centrals and Easterns and almost won those two matches.

(9) Christopher Mpofu (Westerns) Runs 48.HS 27. Wickets 9—His batting has tremendously improved He chipped in with a valuable 27 not out against Easterns and another 21 runs in the final. Was the best bowler for Westerns and bowled the over that mattered the most in the tournament, the last over against Northerns and with all the pressure, held his nerve to lead Westerns to victory.

10) Trevor Garwe (Northerns) Runs 100. HS 39.* Average 20, Wickets 13 —Did well as a pinch hitter at the top of order, was the best bowler for the tournament with his 13 wickets.

11) Njabulo Ncube (Westerns) Runs 11. HS 10.Average 5.5, Wickets 10 —The former Zimbabwe Under-19 fast bowler has settled well in his first season of competitive cricket for his home province. Took some crucial wickets during the tournament when brought on as first change bowler.