Salman Irshad, George Linde and Arinesto Vezha Take Centre Stage on Day 5 of of Zim Afro T10 2024

The likes of Arinesto Vezha, Brandon Mavuta, George Linde and Salman Irshad put in remarkable performances at the Harare Sports Club on the fifth day of Season 2 of Zim Afro T10, as the Harare Bolts, Cape Town Samp Army and Jo’Burg Bangla Tigers picked up superb wins, keeping the race for the top 4 well and truly alive.

Batting first, under the bright afternoon sunlight, the Harare Bolts got off to a brisk start before Oshane Thomas brought the NYS Lagos right back into the contest with a couple of wickets. After that though, Jimmy Neesham (18) and Dasun Shanaka (31) took charge, and scored freely in the middle overs. And once they were dismissed, the Zimbabwean Sean Williams’ (22) lusty blows helped the Bolts get to 117/7 in their 10 overs. In response, the NYS Lagos threatened to chase down the target as Rassie van der Dussen (25) was in fine form. But Richard Gleeson, Arinesto Vezha and Brandon Mavuta had other plans and bowled with fire in their respective spells, picking 2 wickets each to derail the Lagos’ chase, as the Bolts came away with a resounding 44-run win.

Up next were the Cape Town Samp Army and the Durban Wolves. The Samp Army batted first and Brian Bennett followed the theme of cricket’s fastest format, and scored a brisk 47 from 20 deliveries. He was ably supported by Jack Taylor, lower down the order, with an unbeaten 43, which helped them post a massive 138/5 in their 10 overs. In response, the Wolves had Colin Munro battling away with a 55 from 24 deliveries, while Salman Irshad engineered a collapse, as he finished with figures of 4/13. Roshan Mustafa and Tawanda Maposa picked 2 wickets each as the Samp Army, eventually, won at a canter.

In the final game of the day, the Bulawayo Brave Jaguars batted first and while Anamul Haque scored a quickfire 24, the Australian David Warner was dismissed for 2 by some fine bowling by Tinashe Muchawaya. After that, Kobe Herft added 21 and Nick Hobson scored another 20 as they steadied the ship. In the final overs, Wesley Madhavere (18*) and Carlos Brathwaite (11*) ensured the Jaguars would get to 110/5 in their allotted overs. After the break, the Tigers turned up the style with the bat. Mohammad Shahzad (20) and Kusal Perera (22) got them off to a flyer, before a few quick wickets slowed them down. Nonetheless, George Linde (31) first and then Karim Janat (23*) stood tall and clinched a thrilling 4-wicket win with one delivery left in the game.

Brief Scores

Harare Bolts – 117/7 in 10 overs (D Shanaka – 31, S Williams 22*, O Thomas – 2/16, Thisara Perera – 1/22) won by 44 runs against the NYS Lagos – 73 all out (Rassie van der Dussen – 25, Dion Myers – 19, R Gleeson - 2/1, Arinesto Vezha – 2/3)

Cape Town Samp Army – 138/5 in 10 overs (Brian Bennett 47, Jack Taylor – 43*, Yasir Shah – 2/21, Tinotenda Maposa – 1/21) won by 28 runs against Durban Wolves – 110/8 in 10 overs (Colin Munro – 55, Mark Chapman - 19, S Irshad – 4/13, Tawanda Maposa – 2/4)

Jo’Burg Bangla Tigers – 112/6 in 9.5 overs (G Linde – 31, Karim Janat – 23*, Wellington Masakadza – 2/25, Akila Dananjaya – 1/12) won by 4 wickets against Bulawayo Brave Jaguars – 110/5 in 10 overs (A Haque - 24, K Herft – 21, G Linde – 2/12, Tinashe Muchawaya – 1/14)