The second day of the inaugural edition of Zim Afro T10 witnessed an exciting encounter as the Cape Town Samp Army displayed an impressive all-round performance to secure a 16-run victory over the Harare Hurricanes at the Harare Sports Club.
Opting to bat first, the Cape Town Samp Army got off to a blistering start with Rahmanullah Gurbaz taking charge and putting pressure on the Harare Hurricanes bowlers. However, a miscommunication between the openers resulted in Cephas Zhuwao being run-out for 4 at the start of the third over. Gurbaz, though promising, was dismissed for 25 while attempting to clear the boundary, falling to Luke Jongwe’s delivery.
The Hurricanes struck again soon after as Mohammad Nabi had Karim Janat caught in the deep for 1. At the halfway stage, the Samp Army stood at 47/3, aiming to accelerate in the latter part of the innings.
Responding to the call, Bhanuka Rajapaksa aggressively took on Irfan Pathan, as the Samp Army scored 21 runs in the 6th over. However, Nabi retaliated in the very next over, removing Rajapaksa for 24. This brought Parthiv Patel to the crease, alongside Tom Curran.
Curran was later run-out for 15 in the 8th over, followed by Patel’s dismissal for 5. However, a quick 20 off 8 deliveries by Tadiwanashe Marumani bolstered their total to 112.
In response, Evin Lewis and Robin Uthappa started well for the Harare Hurricanes, establishing a 33-run opening partnership before Lewis departed for 16. Uthappa, on the other hand, continued his aggressive approach and looked set.
Uthappa’s powerful shot into the stands brought up the fifty for the Hurricanes just before the end of the fifth over. The score stood at 54/1 after 5 overs, and the Hurricanes seemed to be cruising towards the target.
However, in the 7th over, the Samp Army struck twice as Richard Ngarava dismissed Donovan Ferreira for 14 and Uthappa for 31 off 20 deliveries. With captain Eoin Morgan and Mohammad Nabi at the crease, the Hurricanes remained hopeful but needed to be cautious in the final overs.
Captain Morgan departed for 2 in the following over, falling to Curran, who also claimed the wicket of Irfan Pathan (4) before the end of the over. The Hurricanes were reduced to 91/5 after 9 overs, swinging the game in favor of the Samp Army.
In the final over, Nabi fought hard to secure a victory for his team, but the Cape Town Samp Army held their nerve and did just enough to clinch the contest, winning by 16 runs.
Brief Scores:
Cape Town Samp Army – 112/7 (Rahmanullah Gurbaz – 25, Bhanuka Rajapaksa – 24; Mohammad Nabi – 2/11, Luke Jongwe – 1/14) defeated Harare Hurricanes – 97/6 (Robin Uthappa – 31, Mohammad Nabi – 17; Tom Curran – 2/16, Richard Ngarava – 2/22)
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