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A round-up of the One Day National Cup Division Two matches

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Mar-2012Group AHalf-centuries by Ali Khan and Yasir Arafat helped Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) beat Lahore Lions by six wickets at LCCA Ground. The Lions chose to bat first but could muster only 212 for 7, led by Fahad-ul-Haq’s 90. He hit eight fours in his knock, off 124 balls. KRL didn’t get off to the best of starts, losing their first three with 37 on board. After Bazid Khan’s departure, KRL were at 95 for 4, but didn’t lose any further wickets as Arafat and Khan added an unbeaten 118 to seal the game. Khan remained unbeaten on 87 while captain Arafat managed to reach his fifty as well.KRL will meet Lahore Eagles in the semi-finals.United Bank Limited (UBL) beat hosts Peshawar Panthers by four wickets in a low-scoring match at Arbab Niaz Stadium. A combined bowling effort by UBL kept the Panthers to a modest 159. Mohammad Rizwan was the top scorer with 36. Rumman Raees, the left-arm seamer, and the spinners Misbah Khan and Kashif Bhatti shared eight wickets between them to round off the innings in the 42nd over. UBL got off to a shaky start, losing two with just three on board, but Tahir Mughal’s 67 ensured they were out of danger.UBL will meet Quetta Bears in the semis.Group BNasir Awais, the Hyderabad Hawks offspinner, finished with astonishing figures of 5 for 10 off 4.2 overs to send Karachi Zebras crashing to 86 in Hyderabad. The Hawks knocked off the runs but lost five wickets in the process. Only four Zebras batsmen passed double figures as Awais ran through the lower order to round off the innings before the 30th over. The Zebras must have sensed their chances of a surprise win when they had the Hawks in trouble at 28 for 4, but Rizwan Ahmed remained unbeaten on 31 to steer the team home.Fifties by Usman Salahuddin and Adnan Raza helped Lahore Eagles to a five-wicket win over Quetta Bears at National Stadium. Taimur Khan hit 64 at No.6 to help the Bears recover from a poor start at 33 for 4. Taimur hit eight fours in his knock but the Bears could only manage a modest 207. Mohammad Saad hit 49 to give the Eagles a good foundation. Salahuddin made 66 while Raza made an unbeaten 62 to see the team through and seal their semi-final spot.

India completed a fantastic year as far as home one-day internationals are concerned with another victory over West Indies in a topsy-turvy ODI to make the series scoreline 4-1

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran11-Dec-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Manoj Tiwary’s maiden ODI hundred set up India’s total of 267•AFP

India completed a fantastic year as far as home one-day internationals are concerned with another victory over West Indies in a topsy-turvy ODI, on a sweltering day in Chennai, to make the series scoreline 4-1.The focus in dead rubbers is usually on fringe players auditioning for bigger roles, and plenty took centre-stage at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Manoj Tiwary stated his case for a permanent place in an increasingly crowded India middle-order with his maiden one-day century and Kieron Pollard played his finest international innings without managing to complete a herculean task after West Indies’ top order did its familiar house-of-cards impersonation.Those two were the headliners but there were significant contributions from other players scrapping for a place. Andre Russell showed why he should be an automatic pick for West Indies, legspinner Rahul Sharma displayed great accuracy and a cool head in only his second international match and Irfan Pathan caused plenty of excitement with his famous inswingers with the new ball.India were missing their four biggest ODI batting stars but that didn’t prevent their next generation, led by Tiwary and Virat Kohli, from piling on 267 for 6 on a slow-and-low track. Then West Indies’ batting floundered against an attack that featured at most one player who would make India’s first-choice XI.Irfan swung out Lendl Simmons first ball, and added the wicket of Kieran Powell soon after. Abhimanyu Mithun, one of the quick bowlers selected ahead of Irfan for the Test series in Australia, also took two wickets with the new ball. When Denesh Ramdin was adjudged lbw in the 16th over, the game seemed over as West Indies slumped to 78 for 5.Pollard thought otherwise. The slow surface in Chennai is not suited to Pollard’s explosive style of batting but that did not prevent him from stroking some effortless sixes down the ground. The one shot he did put some power behind, in the 16th over, cleared not just the rope but the stands as well, landing on the roof over long-on. There were very few slogs in his entire innings; virtually all of his the sixes were hit with a straight bat.Keeping him company in an attempted revival was Russell, who has already shown his hitting skills several times. He matched Pollard stroke-for-stroke in a boundary-filled stand of 89 runs for the sixth wicket. Caribbean flair may be an old cliché but there was plenty of it in Russell’s batting, highlighted by a flick for six over midwicket off Rahul Sharma. He bustled to his 50 off just 37 balls, outpacing even Pollard, though he did get two reprieves from wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel.It was an athletic bit of fielding that broke the partnership that threatened to take the game away from India. Gautam Gambhir pounced on a Pollard dab towards short third man and scored a direct hit to run out Russell, who carried on running to the pavilion. Sammy failed once again but that still didn’t stop Pollard from believing.He farmed the strike and sprinkled in the odd nonchalant six in what was easily the longest innings of his international career. His wait for a first international hundred seemed set to be extended when he thumped Rahul Sharma to Kohli at long-on when on 99, but Kohli shelled the straightforward chance. With only the final wicket remaining, a rain of boundaries followed from Pollard before one mis-hit ended the game; he holed out to Ajinkya Rahane at long-off to leave West Indies 34 runs short.If that was a special innings from Pollard, there was an important one from Tiwary earlier. It was Tiwary’s first opportunity of the series, and he came in with a charged-up Kemar Roach on a hat-trick, three balls into the match. It was only his sixth game for India in nearly four years, spread across four different series. He had never made a hundred even in domestic one-dayers, and his previous highest score in internationals was 24.He was greeted by a sharp bouncer from Roach, but grew more assured as the innings progressed. A couple of eye-catching off-drives early on eased his nerves, before he started picking off plenty of leg-side boundaries off the spinners. He first steadied the innings through an 83-run stand with Gambhir, whose 31 had a mix of sharp singles and panicky running.That didn’t prove a setback for India though, as Virat Kohli gave another example of his increasing ease at the international level. He worked risk-free singles off seven of his first eight deliveries, and opened up once he got used to the pace and bounce of the track. Kohli and Tiwary put on 43 runs in a five-over spell starting from the 27th over. It was not even the Powerplay and was supposed to be part of the ‘boring’ middle overs with the field spread out.Tiwary had been cramping towards the end of his innings, and retired soon after reaching his century. Kohli became the highest ODI run-getter of the year and marched on towards his fifth one-day century of the year, but spooned a catch to long-off on 80.The final stages of the Indian innings showed how difficult a surface it was to score on. Only three boundaries were hit in the final ten overs, as Sunil Narine proved hard to read, and Anthony Martin and Marlon Samuels didn’t offer any freebies. The damage had already been done though, and despite Pollard’s best efforts, West Indies couldn’t reduce the margin of defeat in the series, which was far more closely contested than the 4-1 scoreline suggests.

ScorecardRyan Sidebottom produced a four-wicket burst before Yorkshire were frustrated by Somerset’s 10th-wicket pair on day two of the rain-hit County Championship match at Headingley.Former England paceman Sidebottom reduced the visitors to 215 for 9 with a lively spell of four for 14 in eight overs, but Alfonso Thomas and Steve Kirby then added 50 for the last wicket as Somerset were all out for 265. The partnership would not have got going if Thomas’ edge off Ajmal Shahzad had been taken by wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow, but neither he nor Adam Lyth at first slip moved, the ball bisecting them on its way to the boundary.Somerset were finally all out in 74 overs, leaving lowly Yorkshire to negotiate nine overs. They reached the close on 20 without loss. For the second day running, rain prevented any play during the morning session and it was 1.45pm before Somerset were able to resume their first innings on 140 for three. Further interruptions for bad weather meant that a total of 52 overs in the day were lost.Alex Barrow was on 55 overnight and Jos Buttler 43, and Buttler showed the same aggressive intent of the first day by slamming two balls in Moin Ashraf’s opening over to the cover boundary to complete his half-century from 42 deliveries with 11 boundaries. But Buttler had added only one more run, reaching 52, when his middle stump was lifted out of the ground by Richard Pyrah to end a 63-run stand in 11 overs with opener Barrow.It was after more heavy rain and an early tea interval that Sidebottom began to scythe his way through Somerset’s batting. He began by having Barrow superbly caught one-handed low to his right at first slip by Anthony McGrath for a steady 69 from 143 balls with eight fours, and in the same over Craig Meschede was caught behind without scoring.Peter Trego batted aggressively and leaned back to hammer Shahzad through the covers to bring Somerset a first batting bonus point at 202 for six, but the next ball was a perfect yorker which removed his middle stump.Wickets continued to tumble as Sidebottom gained lbw verdicts against Adam Dibble and Murali Kartik, but the late resistance from Thomas and Kirby denied him a five-wicket haul. Yorkshire lost some of their poise after Thomas’ escape and both batsmen appeared to survive low chances to Lyth at first slip before Adil Rashid came on for the first time to bowl Thomas round his legs for 49 off 68 balls with six fours, Kirby being quite content to survive on 15 against his former county.Kirby and Thomas were in action again with the new ball but Joe Root and Yorkshire captain Joe Sayers played out the remaining overs without any cause for alarm.

England’s winter touring schedule has been confirmed with England playing five ODIs and a Twenty20 in India, a Test, one-day and Twenty20 series against Pakistan in the UAE and a two-Test series in Sri Lanka.There had been some confusion over the schedule when Giles Clarke announced on during the Rose Bowl Test against Sri Lanka earlier this month that England would play their Pakistan Test fixtures in Sri Lanka, rather than the UAE. However, that was quickly retracted by John Carr, the ECB’s director of cricket operations.Though the itinerary for the UAE-leg of the winter’s travels has not been confirmed it will consist of three Tests, four ODIs and three Twenty20s. The Sri Lanka tour is limited to just two Tests with the promise of a limited-overs tour in November-December 2014.”We are very pleased to have agreed an itinerary with BCCI for the forthcoming one-day series which includes matches in India’s major cities and will suit the needs of both the England team and our travelling supporters,” ECB chief executive David Collier said. “With India due to play a NatWest Series here in September, there is bound to be intense interest in the return contest in India this October and we look forward to what should be a fascinating series of one-day encounters between the two teams.”The remainder of the winter programme will see England travel to the UAE early in the New Year to play Pakistan in all three formats of the game, followed by a short break in the UK before the team takes on Sri Lanka in a two-match Test series.”England in India

October 4 – England arrive in Hyderabad
October 8 – 50-over warm-up match, Gymkhana, Hyderabad
October 11 – 50-over warm-up match, Gymkhana, Hyderabad
October 14 – 1st ODI (D/N), Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad
October 17 – 2nd ODI (D/N), Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
October 20 – 3rd ODI (D/N), Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali
October 23 – 4th ODI (D/N), Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
October 25 – 5th ODI (D/N), Eden Gardens, Kolkata
October 29 – lone Twenty20 international (D/N), Eden Gardens, Kolkata
England v Pakistan, UAE

The ECB and PCB have agreed that the tour will comprise three Test matches, four ODIs and three T20s to be played in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. A detailed itinerary will be announced in due course.England in Sri Lanka

The programme of warm-up matches leading into the Test series will be confirmed in due course but the two Test matches are scheduled as follows:March 26-30 – 1st Test, Galle
April 3-7 – 2nd Test, Colombo (venue tbc)

Match facts

Saturday, April 23, Delhi
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Will there be any miraculous turnaround for Irfan Pathan?•AFP

Big picture

‘Juice it up baby!’ is the new mantra for the battle-weary Delhi Daredevils, sitting glumly at the bottom of the cesspool. “We have prepared a green wicket unique to Twenty20 cricket. Never before will a Twenty20 be played on such a track with so much grass on it,” the Feroz Shah Kotla curator said. Desperate times call for desperate measures and Delhi is well and truly in the red zone. The light at the end of the tunnel is green. Or so they hope. It makes sense, though. They brought seven seamers (seven!) in the auction and have been slowly killing them on a dull sluggish track. So why not try out a green track and see what happens? Right at the end of the Delhi daredevils’ official team anthem video, there is this scene where Virender Sehwag gives the thumbs down to his team-mates’ efforts and shows them how to bat . It’s now time to start getting it right on the field.Meanwhile the story of Punjab is showing signs of being a blockbuster just as their Bollywood-inspired official site hoped it would. The site features Adam Gilchrist in a mega close-up, as the hero, and has the names of rest of the ‘supporting cast’. Gilchrist was their only star before the campaign but slowly new names are claiming their ticket to fame. Yet, if you check the batting and bowling records of the tournament, only two Punjab players check into the top ten. That once unknown Indian Paul-who? is right at the top of the batting chart and Praveen Kumar is at the No. 9 on the wicket-takers’ list. Punjab’s rise has been as a unit; someone or other has seized the big moments in a game and delivered. Will they continue to surprise or will there be a twist in the tale?

Team talk

The green, green grass means Delhi will pack its team with seamers though one will have to wait and see if the curator delivers on his promise of a devilish pitch. Will Punjab consider playing David Hussey or stick to the winning combination from the last game?Predict the playing XIs for this match. Play ESPNcricinfo Team selector.

In the spotlight

Irfan Pathan’s past dogs him like a shadow. The questions from the fans are plenty: Oh where is that inswing? Oh where is that pace? What is this gentle dibbly-dobbly stuff? Will we ever get to see the old Irfan? The expectations of him are always huge and the young man has struggled to shoulder that burden. The bowling has been listless, the batting hasn’t come on and in many ways, he has reflected Delhi’s sad reality. Will there be a miraculous turnaround or will he just slither away into anonymity?Dinesh Karthik has had a quiet tournament so far as the top order has been doing the job. In the previous IPL editions, he was a strong performer for Delhi in the middle order and if the law of averages catches up with the top order, Karthik is well-equipped to step up to the plate. He has the shots and while he hasn’t always shown maturity in shot selection, he has the tenacity and the skill to do well on tough pitches.

Prime numbers

• Piyush Chawla has five ducks in all the editions of the IPL and is just one duck behind the record-holder, Shane Warne. His team-mate Praveen Kumar too is in the race, with four ducks.
• Shaun Marsh and Adam Gilchrist have nine IPL fifties though Jacques Kallis is at the top of the table with 13.

The chatter

“Three [wins] in a row after a poor start. It has been a bit of a stop-start tournament, seems like the tournament is just beginning. Paul backed himself, and Shaun was brilliant.”
“Sehwag brings a lot to the table. You learn a lot when you discuss batting with him. When he is around, there is a sense of positively around. He can encourage people when the chips are down.”

Muttiah Muralitharan has pulled out of the proposed stint with the Brisbane-based Centre of Excellence in May, due to commitments with his IPL and English county teams

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Mar-2011

Muttiah Muralitharan has pulled out of the proposed stint with the Brisbane-based Centre of Excellence in May, due to commitments with his IPL and English county teams. Muralitharan was approached in early February to mentor young spinners at the Centre of Excellence for two weeks this summer.”Cricket Australia wanted him to come down for a particular period of time but it doesn’t go down well with the IPL [he has been contracted by the Kochi franchise this season] and Gloucestershire assignments,” Muralitharan’s agent Kashil Gunasekera told Sydney’s . “They [Cricket Australia] wanted him to come at the end of May.”They were trying to figure out another time, but it just couldn’t be finalised. The IPL starts on April 7 and goes until the end of May and by June 1 he has to go to Gloucestershire.”Muralitharan, who will be retiring from international cricket after the World Cup, has had strained relationship with Australia. In 1995 he was repeatedly no-balled for a suspect action by Australian umpire Darrell Hair and booed by spectators, subsequently pulling out of Sri Lanka’s tour to Australia in 2004. Gunasekera, however, said the decision had nothing to do with this.If Muralitharan had consented to the stint, it could have provided a leg up for Australia, who are yet to identify a permanent replacement for Shane Warne, who retired in 2007.

ESPNcricinfo previews Zimbabwe’s chances in the 2011 World Cup

Firdose Moonda17-Feb-2011At the turn of the millennium, the Zimbabwe cricket team appeared ready for a metamorphosis from struggling minnows to promising competitors on a global stage. They had a strong batting line up, a threatening bowling attack and all the makings of an outfit that could pull off regular victories if all went according to plan. It didn’t. Despite qualifying for the knockout stage of the 2003 World Cup, politics derailed the sport and a mass exodus of players followed. With normal sport being an impossibility in an abnormal society, the game degenerated into a state of despair.Between 2004 and 2007, Zimbabwe only managed to beat Bangladesh, Kenya and Bermuda. Their 2007 World Cup campaign was embarrassingly unsuccessful and they were not able to win a single match. Only in 2009 did the game, along with the country, start to stabilise. Players who had completely disassociated themselves with cricket in Zimbabwe, such as Heath Streak, came back into the fold as coaches and started to re-inject passion into the game. The process of rebuilding is still young but slowly Zimbabwe are starting to turn the corner again.World Cup Pedigree
They’ve made it out of the first stage twice – in 1999 and 2003 – but everything in between that was been dismal. In 1983, they won one match, in 1987 they earned no victories and they were able to win a just one game in 1992 and 1996. The 2007 edition was a bad one, going back to no wins, but they only had to play three matches.Recent form
In a reasonable last 12 months in ODI cricket, Zimbabwe beat West Indies in Guyana before losing the series 4-1. They reached their first tri-series final in a decade in June last year before losing to Sri Lanka in a tournament that also included India. A 2-1 series win over Ireland underlined their dominance over the minnows but in December 2010, they lost 3-1 to Bangladesh in Bangladesh, a valuable but potentially demoralising experience ahead of the World Cup.Expert eye
Neil Johnson: “They are going to struggle but they do have some dangerous players who could cause an upset. The captain, Elton Chigumbura is a big, powerful hitter upfront. Charles Coventry, if he fires, can also set up a good platform for the middle order to build on. The batting has to be strong because the bowlers are weak, although the spinners will have something to offer.Prediction
Moving beyond the group stage is going to require a supreme effort. They will have to beat at least one stronger teams which include New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Australia.Watchability
Even though it’s often a hard and gritty fight to bear witness to, there’s plenty that’s attractive about Zimbabwe cricket. When batsmen like Coventry get stuck in, a world record could be broken. Most of the energy in their play comes in the batting but the spinners can weave a magical scene on their day. If they manage to slay a dragon, it will warm many hearts.Key players
Besides being the captain of a side desperate to impress Elton Chigumbura is also their top allrounder which is a lot of responsibility to carry for a 24-year old. He is a young man with plenty of experience, having played in two under-19 World Cups and over 120 ODIs for his country. Chigumbura is a hard-hitting batsman who enjoys taking the aerial route and controlling a partnership. His medium pace will come in handy, more so, because Zimbabwe’s seam attack is its weakest link and if he can produce something special in that department as well, it will be a credit to him as both a captain and a cricketer.Tatenda Taibu , a clear illustration of dynamite in a small package, is an intelligent and intuitive cricketer, who is busy at the wicket, whether in front of the stumps or behind them. He is a creative batsman, who accumulates runs in both traditional and non-traditional ways and has a range of shots that are attractive to watch. He had a cute and sneaky way of rotating the strike and will more than likely form a massive part of the core of the Zimbabwean line-up. He was identified early as a successor to Andy Flower with the wicketkeeping gloves and his skill in that department is unquestionable. He also acts as one of the marshals of the team from that position.Zimbabwe boast an arsenal of spinners but Ray Price is their top gun. At 34 years, he is a veteran of the game, having made his debut 13 seasons ago, and as with many spinners, has just stepped into his prime. Since being recalled to the national side in 2008, Price has been an economical and street-smart bowler, who out-thinks batsmen before they can do the same to him. The regularity of his success has become such that he is now rated fourth in the ICC’s ODI bowler rankings. Price’s attitude embodies that of the typical Zimbabwean cricketer: hardened and wholehearted and always ready to throttle the rag doll by the neck.

West Brom’s new manager Steve Bruce managed to finally pick up his first Championship win in charge of the Baggies in their 2-0 win over his former club Hull City at the weekend.

This evening sees the former Newcastle United boss get the chance to secure a second victory in a row as the Midlands club welcome Huddersfield Town to the Hawthorns in their latest league outing.

On the chalkboard

One figure that started in the win over Hull that should not be in the team on this occasion is striker Callum Robinson.

With 82 minutes under his belt against the Tigers before being replaced by Grady Diangana, the Irishman failed to register even one shot at goal, as well as complete just 14 of the 20 passes he attempted, showing that he didn’t have much of an impact on the game.

Even from a defensive point of view, things weren’t great for the 27-year-old as he lost six of the eight duels he was involved in and got dribbled past on two occasions with no tackles or interceptions made.

This lacklustre display ultimately earned him an underwhelming overall match rating of 6.6, making him the second-lowest rated Baggies player that started the match according to SofaScore.

With this in mind, it doesn’t seem that this performance would have persuaded Bruce into giving him another start for tonight and risk holding the team back again.

In terms of the entire season, the £18k-per-week attacker has failed to deliver a goal contribution for his team in the past eight league appearances he’s made for them, showing that he hasn’t been the most reliable or consistent player when it comes to putting the ball in the back of the net or setting up his teammates.

Having been slammed for his “appalling” decision to not get vaccinated during the recent global pandemic by Danny Mills, Robinson could be better off starting this match on the bench and being brought on as a substitute should the manager need him at any point rather than have him be a passenger again.

In other news: Cost £15m, now worth £4.5m: West Brom had a nightmare over £16k-p/w “disgrace” – opinion

Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte may now be faced with a big transfer decision this summer as he sets his sights on a key summer signing.

The Lowdown: Conte set for meeting…

The Italian, as he seeks to build upon Spurs’ promising end to 2021/2022. will reportedly demand sufficient backing this summer.

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Reliable journalist Matt Law of The Telegraph, sharing news in mid-week, claims that the former Chelsea boss is set to demand as many as six fresh faces in the next window.

The 52-year-old, according to Law’s information, has his sights on a reserve goalkeeper, centre-back, right wing-back, two midfielders and a forward.

Conte is also set for crunch talks over transfers with chairman Daniel Levy and managing director Fabio Paratici, but if he wants to seal the major signing of a forward, it is believed he will have a big decision to make – potentially involving Steven Bergwijn.

The Latest: Conte may have to sell Bergwijn…

As per The Telegraph, Tottenham’s homegrown quota presents a complication to Conte’s transfer plans, so much so that Law states he is ‘likely to need to offload’ one of Bergwijn or Lucas Moura if he wishes to seal the signing of an overseas forward.

Indeed, if the head coach wants to sign a back-up for star man Harry Kane, he may now have to part company with Lucas or Bergwijn – with Conte calling the latter man ‘important’.

The Verdict: Big decision…

Deciding which player out of Bergwijn or Lucas to sell could be a tough decision, especially considering both men have their merits as back-up stars.

The latter man enjoyed some brilliant outings for Spurs earlier in 2021/2022, coming as a real regular until the last couple of months, meanwhile the same can be said of Bergwijn.

Tottenham’s international winger most notably won an away game at Leicester single-handed, turning the 2-1 score line on it’s head with an added time brace and clinching a 3-2 victory for Conte at the King Power Stadium.

What separates them, we believe, is age as Lucas slowly enters the twilight phase of his career at 29-years-old, while Bergwijn still has plenty of years left at 24.

If Conte wants to sign a new striker, parting company with the Brazilian over Bergwijn could be his best bet.

Called a ‘big-game monster’ for ex-Spurs boss Jose Mourinho, Conte’s versatile attacker may well still have a part to play.

In other news: Tottenham in pole position to sign ‘unreal’ 6 foot 3 powerhouse for Conte, find out more here.

ScorecardAn unbeaten half-century from Terry Duffin lifted Tuskers to 185, a score that their bowlers defended successfully to earn a 17-run victory against the Mountaineers at Queens Sports club.Tuskers won the toss and elected to bat, but the Mountaineers seamers Tendai Chatara and Silent Mujaji proved to be a handful against their batting line-up. Chatara picked up the wickets of debutant Tinashe Mhora, caught for three, and Gavin Ewing. Keith Dabengwa steadied proceedings to an extent before he was stumped off Natsai Mushangwe for 39 runs.Duffin held the Tuskers’ crumbling middle order together and ensured his bowlers had something to defend. His 54 off 66 balls featured three fours and some smart running between the wickets and, despite the lack of support from the tail, Tuskers finished with 185.Chasing an asking rate of 4.65, Mutare’s big-hitting giants came a cropper against Chris Mpofu’s seamers. Former Mountaineer Njabulo Ncube was the first to strike, removing Tinotenda Mawoyo in the second over. Mpofu then removed Bernard Mlambo before trapping Mark Vermuelen lbw wicket for just 12 runs. Prosper Utseya and Timycen Maruma followed soon after and, at 92 for 5, it was anybody’s game.Hamilton Masakadza sparked a fightback, striking 71 runs off 88 balls with six fours and a six. However, the tail-enders once again failed to support the set top-order batsman. Mpofu eventually ended Masakadza’s stay, ninth down in the 36th over, effectively killing Mountaineers’ hopes, as the Tuskers joined the Rocks at the top of the table with four points.