Zimbabwe fail to fire

Gauteng 145 for 4 beat Zimbabwe Provinces 144 (das Neves 4-24) by six wickets
Scorecard

Gauteng punished Zimbabwe Provinces for a shambolic batting display with a six-wicket victory at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo. Zimbabwe did not bat their full allotment of overs and were bundled out for 144 with more than 12 overs remaining and Gauteng cruised home with plenty of time in hand.

Zimbabwe lost their first wicket in the second over, the under-the spotlight Tino Mawoyo top edging Brian Mathebula to fine leg. A second-wicket stand of 50 runs between wicketkeeper Regis Chakabva and Alester Maregwede gave Zimbabwe some hope but Johnson Mafa took two wickets in his first over and Zimbabwe slid from there on in.

Maregwede who was caught behind by wicketkeeper Dale Vilas for 29 and three balls later Steven Nyamuzinga was taken at first slip by Dumisa Makalima for a three-ball duck. Zimbabwe lost another three wickets without adding a run with the score on 103 and only a last-wicket partnership of 31 between Graeme Cremer and Tafadzwa Kamungozi boosted to the score to anything remotely defendable.

Gauteng romped to a comfortable victory with runs coming from Warren Swan, who top scored with 44, while opener Williams Motaung chipped in with 32.