ASHLEY DUBE
ACCRA – The Zimbabwe men's cricket team has ensured they have secured at least a medal in the African Games after defeating Kenya by a convincing 70 runs in the semi-final held in Accra, Ghana yesterday.
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| Image: @Zimcricketv/X |
They are set to face Namibia in the final.
Namibia registered victory over the previously undefeated Uganda in the other semi-final match.
Despite the comfortable margin of victory, the match against Kenya had its share of tense moments in the early stages of Kenya's response; as the Kenyans commenced their innings solidly.
Nevertheless, the Chevrons' bowling unit made a remarkable comeback, restricting Kenya to a total of 126 runs.
Leading Zimbabwe's bowling attack was Owen Muzondo—who secured four wickets, conceding only 18 runs in his four overs. He was anchored well by Kudakwashe Macheka who took three wickets.
Contributing with a wicket each were Wallace Mubaiwa, Tashinga Musekiwa, and Jonathan Campell.
Muzondo's crucial three wickets in the 13th over played a decisive role in securing victory for Zimbabwe.
Batting first, the Chevrons set a challenging target of 197 runs.
Similar to their performance in the last group match against Nigeria, Zimbabwe had a sluggish start to their innings, accumulating 35 runs while losing two wickets within the power play.
Despite the slow progression at the start, Zimbabwe recovered during the innings with an impressive batting display, ultimately reaching a total of 196 runs with the loss of five wickets in their allotted 20 overs. This was due to some impressive ball striking at the back end of their innings.
The Zimbabwe batting lineup displayed a collective effort.
Musekiwa stood out with the best performance for the Chevrons in the innings, scoring 39 runs off 10 balls.
Campell and captain Clive Madande contributed significantly with scores of 42 and 41 off 27 and 23 balls, respectively.
Marumani, who narrowly missed a half-century against Nigeria on Wednesday, fell well short this time, getting dismissed for nine runs from 13 balls. Meanwhile, his opening partner Rodney Mupfudza was out after scoring 14 runs from 12 balls.
Brian Bennet contributed 27 runs from 29 deliveries.
In pursuit of a target of 197 runs, Kenya made a strong beginning to their innings, capitalizing on the power-play fielding restrictions to score 53 runs and lose one wicket within the first six overs.
The opening pair of veteran Collins Obuya and Mugabe added 45 runs before the latter's exit in the fifth over.
Obuya continued to pose a challenge for the Chevrons until he was eventually dismissed for 52 off 28 balls in the twelfth over.
Obuya's dismissal marked a turning point as Kenya suffered a collapse, losing four wickets in the span of just two overs, enabling Zimbabwe to take control of the match.
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