Taibu leads from the front
A review of Zimbabwe's 2004-05 Logan Cup
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The captain Tatenda Taibu, Brendan Taylor, Barney Rogers and Stuart Carlisle were outstanding with the bat, while Waddington Mwayenga and the legspinner Graeme Cremer bowled really well in the last stages of the competition; Cremer seems to have learned a lot form the South African tour.
Back-to-back victories against Midlands and a surprise win against Mashonaland in the last round ensured that they finished second, a huge improvement from last season when they were bottom. Their captain Dion Ebrahim, Neil Ferreira and Hamilton Masakadza were in top form with the bat, but the bowling was a problem - although left-arm seamer Allan Mwayenga did well in the last stages.
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They started off their campaign with a 258-run defeat at home to Mashonaland but recovered to beat Manicaland by nine wickets. They were really affected by the departure of coach Pommie Mbangwa who took up a job as a commentator in South Africa. Captain Mluleki Nkala also missed out on the last four matches due to a nagging ankle injury, and Heath Streak was also not available due to county commitments. This left a lot of pressure on Tawanda Mupariwa and Christopher Mpofu to lead the bowling attack and they rose up to the occasion. Terrence Duffin was consistent with the bat at No. 1 and Keith Dabengwa and Sean Williams also impressed.
A very disappointing season for a side that has spent the last few years challenging for honours. Midlands finished this year's competition with six defeats in six. They were not consistent and relied on individual performances to bail them out: but these were never enough. For example Douglas Marillier's 202 in the second innings against Manicaland could not save them from a ten-wicket drubbing. Friday Kasteni scored a hundred on debut against Matabeleland but he failed to find such brilliant form again.