JOBURG Bangla Tigers roared to Zim Afro T10 title win after local boy Tinashe Muchawaya defended 21 runs off the final over against Cape Town Samp Army at Harare Sports Club yesterday.
Tigers coach Julian Wood remained composed despite his team’s indifferent start, losing two matches in a row earlier in the tournament.
“You always think you can do it, qualify, of course, you do. You wouldn’t go into a competition if you don’t think you can win. We won the first game, lost two and won five,” Wood said.
Despite the rough start to the second edition of the tournament, Tigers booked the first final slot after mauling early tournament favourites Harare Bolts in the Qualifier 1 on Saturday afternoon.
“These tournaments are all about ‘you’re never going to play the whole tournament without losing’. No one does. It’s good to get those out of the way and then when it gets down to crunch time, we’ve got some good momentum going forward,” Wood added.
Tigers successfully defended 130 runs against Samp Army in a thrilling final filled with boundaries and sixes.
Muchawaya was the standout performer, holding off the opposition by conceding only 21 runs in the last over.
“It’s like I said to the local guys. It’s your tournament, it’s the Zim Afro. The guys who come in, the overseas players, they travel around the world to watch. It’s your tournament.’ I’ve been really impressed by the locals. I think there’s some serious talent here. I’ve been really impressed,” added Wood.
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“Lots of talent. What we’ve got to do, you’ve got to tap into the guys who are here, who’ve played lots of international cricket. I said to them, just ask them. Just get as much information as you can. Whether it’s batting, bowling, fielding, the game, managing the game or whatever. Then you take that away with you. Then you just bring it into your game.”
Joburg Bangla Tigers was spoilt for choice with immense talent in their midst, which gave the coach all the confidence to go all the way and win.
“We’ve got loads of power and I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think I could win. I think (T10) it’s a different beast altogether. Everything is very instant. As a bowler, you’ve got to nail your skills straight away and as a batter, you’ve got to go from ball one,” he added.
“So I think in the development of cricket, the T20, I think it’s an absolute must now. The game is evolving quickly, and it continues to and it will. I don’t know where it will stop. It’s almost like baseball now. It’s 100 miles an hour. By the end of it, you’re absolutely shattered mentally, but it’s great fun.”
President Emmerson Mnangagwa graced the T10 closing ceremony as guest of honour, presenting the trophy to the winning team captain Sikandar Raza.
The event was also graced by Zimbabwe Cricket hierarchy including board chairperson Tavengwa Mukuhlani, managing director Givemore Makoni and several board members.
Owner of the tournament, Nawab Shaji Ul Mulk, was also present and acceded to Mukuhlani’s request that next year’s Zim Afro T10 be played in Bulawayo.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe U19 Women all-rounder Beloved Biza was named player of the tournament at the just-ended ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifiers Africa in Kigali, Rwanda.
The Herentals Chitungwiza campus student finished the games with 11 wickets and 156 runs.
However, Zimbabwe failed to qualify for next year’s U19 Women’s World Cup set for Malaysia after going down to Nigeria on head to head.
The final against the West African side was abandoned because of rain, with Zimbabwe in a commanding position.
