It seems that Zimbabwe is making a habit of savouring cut and run thrillers as Zim Afro T10 kickstarted its second half with a nail-biting finish as Durban Qalandars managed to secure a 2-run victory to start the day.
Tim Seifert added to his already glistening tally, hammering 46 runs from just 20 balls while Craig Ervine’s captain’s knock allowed the Qalandars to overcome an early wobble as they posted 121 on the board. The Buffaloes shared a similar start as they lost a couple of quick wickets but riding high on their skipper, Mohammad Hafeez and Yusuf Pathan, the Buffaloes tiptoed their way to what was a remarkable chase. Despite all the late hustle from Ravi Bopara and Mushfiqur Rahim, the Buffaloes fell short of the finish line by a meagre two runs.
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In the first tie of Zim Afro T10, Cape Town Samp Army and Harare Hurricanes pulled off a phenomenal show, rocking the Zimbabwean shores with a historic encounter that would go down as one of the greatest matches to have ever been played. Batting first the Hurricanes rode on a heroic display from Donavon Ferreira who smashed 87 from 33 balls to propel Harare Hurricanes to 115. Sheldon Cottrell bagged a maiden over and registered figures of 2-1-2-3, leading the act for Cape Town.
Coming out to chase a decent total, Rahmanullah Gurbaz hammered 56 from 26 balls to impart a fiery start while Karim Janat’s breezy cameo saw the Cape Town Samp Army equalling the numbers on the board, forcing the first stalemate of Zim Afro T10. The ensuing Super Over had no dearth of intensity as the Samp Army totted up seven runs while a dropped catch on the final ball of the second innings allowed Harare Hurricanes to run away with the match.
The final match of the day was another low-scoring thriller as the Joburg Buffaloes overcame an early scare through Mohammad Hafeez who smashed 31 from 11 balls while Yusuf Pathan hammered 36 from 21. Patrick Dooley had a sensational day with figures of 2/14.
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Despite a resilient battle from their captain, Sikandar Raza and a solid late resurgence from Thisara Perera with the duo plundering 50 runs between them, the Braves couldn’t get past the finish line as the Joburg Buffaloes snatched another crucial victory and this time the numbers read 14 runs.
