The Durban Qalandars buoyed by the power-hitting of the Afghanistan batter Hazratullah Zazai clinched the title in the inaugural edition of the Zim Cyber City Zim Afro T10, by defeating the Joburg Buffaloes.
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Played in the Harare Sports Club the first ever T10 tournament in Zimbabwe concluded after some spectacular cricket. Zazai smashed a match-winning 43 not out from 22 deliveries to help capture the title and the Qalandars winning by 8 wickets and 4 balls to spare.
Asked to bat first, the Joburg Buffaloes came out of the gates very quickly, with the duo of Mohammad Hafeez and Tom Banton looking to score fast, and entertain the packed house. The openers were hitting it cleanly against the new ball, and raced away to a 50-run partnership, getting to the mark in just over three overs.
But before the fourth over was completed Hafeez was cleaned up by George Linde for 32, and shortly after Will Smeed (5) was headed back to the hut. A few lusty hits later Banton lost his wicket for 36, with the score at 77/3 in the 7th over.
In came Yusuf Pathan after that and had Ravi Bopara for company, and the Indian batter started off well, finding the boundaries with ease, but was dismissed while he looked to clear the long on fence. Yusuf walked back for 25 off 14 dismissed by young Tayyab Abbas, with the score on 102/4 early in the 9th over.
Bopara (22*) took charge in the final over and finished the innings off with a massive six, to make it a 17-run over, propelling the score up to 127/4.
The Qalandars started off their chase in a bright manner, with the New Zealand batter Tim Seifert firing away from the get go, and scored 30 from 13 deliveries, before he was caught in the deep. Hazratullah Zazai was then joined by Andre Fletcher with the score at 34/1 after 3 overs.
From then on in, Zazai took charge of proceedings along with Fletcher, and they put on a 43-run stand. Both were scoring freely, even as the bowlers tried their best to keep the pressure on the batters. However, Usman Shinwari struck again, removing Fletcher, who got 29 from 11 balls in the 7th over.
After that, Zazai was joined by Asif Ali, and both batters wasted no time in going through the gears, much to the joy of the fans present. Zazai and Ali were putting on quite the show, clearing the fence with ease and regularity, taking the equation down to 7 runs off the last over.
Ali (21*) was dropped off the first ball in the final over, and then Zazai went on to finish off the chase with a boundary straight back over the bowlers’ head. The Qalandars won by 8 wickets and 4 balls to spare.
The Player of the Final was Hazratullah Zazai and the Player of the Tournament was Tim Seifert, both from Durban Qalandars.
Brief Scores
Joburg Buffaloes 127-4
Tom Banton 36, Mohammad Hafeez – 32; George Linde – 1/22, Brad Evans – 1/24
Durban Qalandars 129-2
Hazratullah Zaza – 43*, Tim Seifert – 30; Usman Shinwari – 2/15
BREAKING 2023 Zim Afro T10-Final: Durban Qalanders Become 1st Edition Winners
Durban Qalanders became the first edition winner by defeating Joburg Buffaloes won by 8 wickets.
Joburg Buffaloes
127 – 4
Durban Qalanders
129 – 2
Details To Follow
2023 Zim Afro T10-Qualifier 2: Durban Q Win; To Clash With Harare H
The Durban Qalandars put on a dominant display in Qualifier 2 of the inaugural edition of the Zim Cyber City Zim Afro T10 at the Harare Sports Club, when they faced the Harare Hurricanes, winning by 4 wickets, with 8 deliveries to spare.
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The Qalandars, who finished top of the points table in the league stage will now face the Joburg Buffaloes in the final of the tournament on Saturday. Interestingly, the Qalandars and the Buffaloes finished as the top two, respectively, on the points table in the league stage of the tournament.
Asked to bat first in the penultimate game of the tournament, the Harare Hurricanes’ openers Robin Uthappa and Evin Lewis were on the hunt for quick runs in the initial phase of the innings. Lewis however was dismissed in the first over, after which Donovan Ferreira and Uthappa looked to go through the gears.
The duo, who had been sensational together in the Eliminator, could only put on 20 runs before Uthappa was caught behind for 17 off the bowling of Brad Evans, who then went on to dismiss Regis Chakabva (0) and Mohammad Nabi (4).
Irfan Pathan joined Donovan Ferreira, and the latter was headed back to the pavilion with the score on 33/5, just before the end of the fourth over. Irfan and Samit Patel thwarted the Qalandars’ bowling for a while. But even the senior Indian all-rounder could not do much and was run-out for 5. Tashinga Musekiwa added 2 more to the cause and so did Luke Jongwe (2), while Patel at the other end chipped away, and managed to push the score to a healthy 82/8.
In response, the Qalandars had Hazratullah Zazai come out of the blocks very quickly, and score fast. But at the other end, Tim Seifert (4) and Andre Fletcher (1) were packed off cheaply by Nandre Burger. The Hurricanes were understandably giving it their all.
Zazai and Nick Welch then came together and steadied the ship, put on a 26-run stand, that had a few exquisite shots in it from both batters. Zazai though could not kick on and was dismissed for 25 in the fifth over. Welch followed soon after for 18, after which captain Craig Ervine and Asif Ali took charge. Ali was the aggressor, momentarily before Jongwe had him caught at long on for 18 with the score reading 70/5 after 7 overs.
Tinotenda Maposa was brought into the attack in the 8 th over and he knocked over the woodwork, sending George Linde back to the hut for a duck, but with Ervine and Azmatullah Omarzai in the middle, the Qalandars were set for the win. In the 9th over, Omarzai smashed Sreesanth over mid-wicket and into the stands to put the seal on a 4-wicket win. The Qalandars completed the win with more than an over to go.
Brief Scores
Harare Hurricanes 82-8
Samit Patel – 39*, Robin Uthappa – 17; Brad Evans – 4/16, Daryn Dupavillon – 2/18
Joburg Buffaloes 84-6
Hazratullah Zazai – 25, Asif Ali – 18; Nandre Burger – 2/13, Luke Jongwe – 2/25
2023 Zim Afro T10-Eliminator: Harare H Wins With Authority
The ace Indian batter and Harare Hurricanes captain Robin Uthappa took every one for a ride on a time machine, as played a sublime knock for his side, leading them to a comprehensive 9-wicket win against the Cape Town Samp Army in the Eliminator of the Zim Cyber City Zim Afro T10.
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Having been asked to bat first, the Cape Town Samp Army started off at a good pace with Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Bhanuka Rajapaksa scoring at more than 10 runs an over. While Rajapaksa departed for a quick 25 from 11 deliveries in the third over, Gurbaz was going great guns at the other end.
Tadiwanashe Marumani was the next to depart for a duck, becoming Nandre Burger’s second wicket of the game. That brought Karim Janat, who has been in good nick to the middle, along with Gurbaz, and they put on a solid 49-run stand. Gurbaz was doing a serious amount of damage to the bowlers’ economy rate while Janat had been keeping him good company.
Janat though would be picked off by Mohammad Nabi in the 6th over, and then Gurbaz and Sean Williams took charge. The duo piled on the runs and showed no mercy towards the bowlers, scoring at breakneck speed. They put on 68 runs with Gurbaz completing his half-century, as the Cape Town Samp Army went on to break the record for the highest total posted in the tournament. The Samp Army finished with the score on 145/3 in 10 overs, with Gurbaz scoring 62 off 26 deliveries, having smashed 6 sixers and four boundaries.
In response, the Harare Hurricanes, who aiming to break the record for the highest total in an innings for the fourth time in the day, came out of the blocks quickly with the experienced duo of Robin Uthappa and Evin Lewis striking it very cleanly.
While Lewis looked good and then failed to convert his start and departed for 12, Uthappa was joined by Donovan Ferreira after that, and continued to make merry, under the floodlights. Both the batters drove, cut and pulled with panache, to keep the Hurricanes in the race at the half-way stage, with the score at 82/1. It was in the fifth over too, that Uthappa brought up his half century, the second of the tournament for him.
Uthappa and Ferreira had very soon brought up the half-century stand for the second wicket and were motoring along, finding the gaps with ease and clearing the boundary with regularity. In the final two overs, the Hurricanes needed 26, and the veteran Indian batter was in a ferocious mood.
The experienced Englishman Tom Curran was handed over the ball for the penultimate over, and Uthappa made it count, smashing two sixes and a boundary, in what was a 22-run over. In the final over, Uthappa finished it off with 4 balls to spare and 9 wickets in hand, remaining unbeaten on 88. The result meant the Hurricanes had scored the highest total in an innings in the tournament so far, a record that was broken for the fourth time in the day.
Brief Scores
Cape Town Samp Army 145-3
Rahmanullah Gurbaz – 62*, Sean Williams – 28*; Nandre Burger – 2/18, Mohammad Nabi – 1/24
Harare Hurricanes 146-1
Robin Uthappa – 88*, Donovan Ferreira – 35*; Richard Ngarava – 1/21
2023 Zim Afro T10-Qualifier 1: Joburg Buffaloes Into Final
Yusuf Pathan rolled back the years and how, as he produced plenty of big hits and entertainment at the Harare Sports Club, to help the Joburg Buffaloes storm into the finals of the Zim Cyber City Zim Afro T10, after defeating the Durban Qalandars by 6 wickets in Qualifier 1. Yusuf scored an unbeaten 80 from 26 deliveries as the Buffaloes chased down a record total, here on Friday.
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Put into bat first, the Durban Qalandars, who had finished top of the table in the league stage, had a slow start, losing the in-form Tim Seifert for 11 in the third over, with the score on 16. That though would kick start a fantastic as Mirza Tahir Baig and Andre Fletcher went through the gears against the Joburg Buffaloes’ bowling.
While it was Fletcher, who was finding the boundaries with more regularity, Baig ensured he kept the scoreboard moving at his end. The duo put on a 49-run stand for the second wicket in quick time before Baig was dismissed in the 6th over for 20 by Victor Nyauchi. A short while later, George Linde departed for 1, and that was followed by the big scalp of Fletcher for 39 off 14 deliveries.
That brought the due of Asif Ali and Nick Welch to the middle in the death overs, and they piled on the runs at good pace. Both hammered a six each and smashed 8 boundaries between themselves, as the Qalandars’ total soared over the 100-run mark, to stop at 140/4 in their 10 overs. At that point, it was the highest total in an innings during the course of the tournament.
In response, the Joburg Buffaloes did not quite have the start they needed. Mohammad Hafeez and Tom Banton, both big hitters were looking to tee off from the get-go, as required, but the Qalandars’ bowlers had other ideas.
They tied up the batters with some fantastic bowling, which led to Hafeez (17) becoming the first wicket for the Qalandars. Soon after, Banton (4) was cleaned up Tayyab Abbas, who would also go on to dismiss the dangerous Will Smeed (16) a little later in the fifth over. At that time the score read 56/3, with the Qalandars well and truly in the ascendency.
Ravi Bopara could only add 1 to the cause before Tendai Chatara had his number, after which Yusuf Pathan and Mushfiqur Rahim came together, with quite the task on hand. After the duo absorbed the pressure, Yusuf broke free against Mohammad Amir in the 8th over, smashing him for 3 sixes and a boundary, in what was a 25-run over, and took the Buffaloes over the 100-run mark. In the final two overs, the Buffaloes would need 39 to win.
Yusuf completed his fifty in the 9th over, and then continued to put the long handle to good use, much to the joy of the fans. In the final over, the Buffaloes needed 20 to win with Yusuf, going great guns.
The Indian batter was absolutely rolling back the years with a vintage knock, and continued in his merry ways in the final over, beginning as he smashed two fours and two sixes, finishing off the game with a boundary to help the Buffaloes storm into the final of the Zim Afro T10.
Brief Scores
Durban Qalandars 140-4
Andre Fletcher – 39, Asif Ali – 32*; Noor Ahmad – 2/9, Blessing Muzarabani – 1/13
Joburg Buffaloes 142-4
Yusuf Pathan – 80*, Mohammad Hafeez – 17; Tayyab Abbas – 2/19, Daryn Dupavillon – 1/17
2023 Zim Afro T10-Matches 19 & 20: Joburg B & Durban Q Win; To Play Qualifier
The Joburg Buffaloes were in superb touch in what was Match 20, the final game of the league stage of the Zim Cyber City Zim Afro T10, defeating the Harare Hurricanes by 9 wickets, and 22 deliveries to spare. Will Smeed top scored in the game with an unbeaten 44 as Joburg jumped into the second spot on the points table behind the Durban Qalandars. The Cape Town Samp Army and Harare Hurricanes came in third and fourth, with the Bulawayo Braves rounding up the table.
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Batting first, the Harare Hurricanes had a slow start, as they lost the Indian batter Robin Uthappa for 6 early on. Evin Lewis was the next to depart for 1, as the Joburg Buffaloes had the advantage in the early exchanges. Right after, Regis Chakabva (10) could not convert his start, after which the in-form Donovan Ferreira and Mohammad Nabi took charge.
The duo put on 19 runs as they looked to steady the ship, but, in the 7 th over, the Buffaloes struck again through Blessing Muzarabani. In a spot of bother at this point, Nabi, who was joined by Irfan Pathan, took charge. The partnership added 20 runs to the cause before Nabi was dismissed for 19, and Luke Jongwe was packed off right after for a duck.
Samit Patel could not keep Irfan company and was knocked over for 2 by Junior Dala, and then it was up to Irfan and Tashinga Musekiwa to finish things up. They finished with a flurry, with Irfan (10*) closing out the innings with a 6 over extra-cover.
In response, the Joburg Buffaloes started off brilliantly, despite losing the wicket of the experienced captain Mohammad Hafeez (7), who was dismissed by the Indian pacer S Sreesanth. After that, Tom Banton and Will Smeed were in the middle, and they went on the attack from the get-go. Banton and Smeed settled in very quickly and then began dealing in boundaries and started to race away with the game. The duo were looking unstoppable, and by the half-way stage, the score read 63/1. The Buffaloes were firmly in control of the contest.
Smeed overtook Banton in no time, and both batters were hitting it cleanly, as the Buffaloes headed towards a comprehensive win. Eventually, the Buffaloes chased down the target with more than three overs to spare.
Brief Scores
Harare Hurricanes 81-7
Mohammad Nabi – 19, Donovan Ferreira – 15; Noor Ahmad – 2/7, Mohammad Hafeez – 2/21
Joburg Buffaloes – 82-1
Will Smeed – 44, Tom Banton – 28; Sreesanth – 1/6
2023 Zim Afro T10-Match 19: Durban Qalandars Defeat Bulawayo Braves by 7 Runs in Nail-Biter
The Durban Qalandars fought hard against the Sikandar Raza led Bulawayo Braves, and defeated them by 7 runs in what was a very closely contested game at the Harare Sports Club, in the inaugural edition of the Zim Cyber City Zim Afro T10. For the Qalandars, it was Tendai Chatara who struck some telling blows to swing the game in his team’s favour.
Having opted to bat first in the penultimate league stage game, the Durban Qalandars had the kind of start that was ideal for the Bulawayo Braves as Taskin Ahmed struck in the first over, cleaning up the in-form duo of Tim Seifert (0) and Andre Fletcher (6). In the next over, the Qalandars lost their skipper Craig Ervine for a duck as Tanaka Chivanga picked his first wicket.
Taskin Ahmed came back for his second over and accounted for Hazratullah Zazai (5), to leave the Qalandars in a spot of bother as the score read 14/4 in the 3rd over. Nick Welch and Asif Ali were in the middle after that, and had the task of rebuilding. Together, they put on 34 runs for the fifth wicket, mixing aggression with caution as the dominant Braves’ bowling attack were on the hunt for more wickets.
While Ali did most of the heavy lifting, Welch kept him good company, before being dismissed for 5 in the 7th over. That brought Ali and George Linde together, against a bowling attack who had their tails up and had been on the money from the get-go. While Ali was the next to head back to the pavilion for 32 off 20 deliveries, Linde continued to chip away. Linde (28*) and the lower order helped the Qalandars over the 100-run mark in the final overs, as they recovered and finished with the score on 103/8.
In response, the Braves too did not have it easy with the bat. Daryn Dupavillon drew first blood as Innocent Kaia for a duck, shortly after which Ben McDermott was dismissed for 8 by Brad Evans. Pegged back early on, the Braves needed partnership, but Kobe Herft (1) could not come up with goods as Evans struck again.
That brought Sikandar Raza and Beau Webster in the middle, and they began the rebuild, absorbing the pressure, running hard between the wickets and putting away the bad deliveries. The duo played superbly, and threatened to take the game away from the Qalandars with a 42-run stand. Raza was going strong and looking good for another important knock, however he was dismissed by Tendai Chatara for 21 in the 7th over.
Webster too had settled in and was in the mood to make it count, and had Thisara Perera for company. With Webster looking to ensure that he stays in to close the game out, it was the experienced Perera who was taking more of the chances in the death overs. However, that was not how it played out as Webster took the aerial route and was caught in the deep for 40, giving Chatara his second wicket of the game.
At this point, the Braves needed 10 runs from 4 balls and Perera had Ryan Burl for company. Chatara struck again of the second last ball of the game, getting the wicket of Perera, after which Patrick Dooley was run-out of the last ball, which meant the Braves lost by 7 runs.
Brief Scores
Durban Qalandars 103-8
Asif Ali – 32, George Linde – 28*; Taskin Ahmed – 3/20, Patrick Dooley – 2/16
Bulawayo Braves 96-6
Beau Webster – 40, Sikandar Raza – 21; Tendai Chatara – 3/9, Brad Evans – 2/9
Cricket-2023 Zim Afro T10-Match 18: Joburg B Thrash Cape Town SA; Hafeez Shines
The Joburg Buffaloes put on a fantastic performance against the Cape Town Samp Army, defeating them the table-toppers by 9 wickets in the inaugural edition of the Zim Cyber City Zim Afro T10 at the Harare Sports Club. The Buffaloes put on a fine performance to lift themselves off the bottom of the points table, and throw the battle for the top 4 spots wide open.
CTSA Innings
Among the stars for the Buffaloes, was skipper Mohammad Hafeez with an unbeaten 40. Batting first, the Cape Town Samp Army had a slow start as they lost the early wickets of Tadiwanashe Marumani (0) and Matthew Breetzke (3). Meanwhile, Rahmanullah Gurbaz at the other end was scoring at brisk pace. Gurbaz, who has been in fine form through the course of the tournament, though could not kick on after getting a start, and was dismissed for 27 off 12 balls. The in-form Karim Janat was also in the middle, and doing his best to help his side get a move along.
Cricket-2023 Zim Afro T10-Match 17: Harare H Defeats Durban Q
However, Bhanuka Rajapaksa (0) was dismissed next, which saw Janat and Sean Williams come together. Janat too could not capitalise on a start and was packed off for 20 off 13 deliveries, after which Tom Curran (7) and John Campbell (9) added a few quick runs, to push the Samp Army to a fighting total of 89/6.
JB Innings
In response, the Joburg Buffaloes began well as the openers put on a quick-fire 30-run stand. Mohammad Hafeez and Tom Banton played some exquisite shots to help the Buffaloes get a good start before Curran (7) was dismissed. The captain Hafeez though was fighting on with Ravi Bopara, who came in next. The duo used all their experience and first absorbed the pressure, before putting the foot on the accelerator. Both decided to attack from their respective ends, and were dealing in big hits. Hafeez was looking superb, pulling and driving with power and panache, while Bopara was bringing out the sublime shotsin his armoury as well. The duo were making batting look easy under the lights. Bopara tied the game with a massive six and then knocked it down to fine leg to finish up the contest.
This was the second consecutive win for the Buffaloes who moved up to fourth on the points table.
Brief Scores
Cape Town Samp Army 89-6
Rahmanullah Gurbaz – 27, Karim Janat – 20; Blessing Muzarabani – 3/7, Victor Nyauchi – 2/11)
Joburg Buffaloes 90/1
Mohammad Hafeez – 40, Ravi Bopara – 30*; Tom Curran – 1/10
