Matabeleland draw with Mashonaland in Bulawayo

Left arm spinners Grant Flower and Gavin Rennie stole the limelight with their bowling but it was not enough for their respective teams as the Logan Cup match between Matabeleland and Mashonaland ended in a draw on the fourth and final day at Queens Sports Club on Monday.

Rennie took five wickets as Mashonaland closed their second innings on 140 for the loss of eight wickets in 77 overs after Flower had grabbed six wickets when the hosts put up 264 in their second innings. Mashonaland had been set 235 to win in a minimum of 64 overs.

Earlier in the day, Andre Hoffman and Gavin Ewing gave Matabeleland a flying start, taking 28 runs from the first three overs. Mashonaland opened with Douglas Hondo and the pace bowler conceded 19 runs from his first two overs.

Hoffman and Ewing put on 54 for the fifth wicket before Hoffman played a Flower delivery straight back to the bowler, who took a catch off his own bowling to dismiss Hoffman for 42, which came off 80 balls. Ewing fell to the same bowler for 40 when Elton Chigumbura caught him at silly mid-on.

Matabeleland captain Heath Streak tried in vain to give his side a respectable lead but in the end he ran out of partners as the Mashonaland spinners continued to wreck havoc. Wisdom Siziba, after making just one run, was run out attempting a quick single, with Stuart Carlisle throwing in the ball for Tatenda Taibu to complete the dismissal before Siziba could make his ground.

Left-handed Keith Dabengwa made six with one four from 25 balls before becoming Flower's sixth victim when Chigumbura caught him. Matabeleland were finished when last man in Jordane Nicolle was given out leg before wicket to off spinner Prosper Utseya for a duck. Streak was left stranded at the crease with 30 runs to his name.

Flower finished with the best bowling figures of six for 53 from 31 overs with 13 maidens, with Hondo, Waddington Mwayenga, and Utseya taking one wicket apiece.

Responding to their target, Mashonaland started off on a disastrous note when Streak grabbed tow quick wickets. With only eight ruins on the board, Streak struck, trapping Stuart Carlisle for a duck. His opening partner Gripper followed the same way after putting up eight runs. Mashonaland were three down with nine runs on the board when Dion Ebrahim, yet to open his account, was dismissed by Rennie, caught by Charles Coventry.

The game had changed completely with Mashonaland, who had a better chance of winning the match, now looking on their way to their first defeat in years. Streak and Rennie piled the pressure on the Mashonaland batsmen. Flower and Taibu offered some resistance but it was not long before their partnership was broken. Taibu was out for nine when a delivery from Rennie came off his gloves to be caught by Mark Vermeulen at first slip but the Mashonaland skipper was not happy with the decision.

If Taibu was not happy with the way he was dismissed, he had not seen much yet, as Flower also thought he was a victim of bad umpiring when he was given out leg before wicket to Rennie for 21. Flower was not amused with that decision and stood at the crease, seeming to tell the umpire that he was not out, but when the umpire told him that he was out, he lashed out by whacking the bat against the stumps and left the field. It was not exemplary behavior by the senior player.

Veteran Craig Evans and Chigumbura rescued Mashonaland from the gallows of defeat when they shared a 68-run partnership before Evans was bowled for 46 by Hoffman. Chigumbura went on to make 40 before he let fly at a delivery from Rennie to be caught by Coventry.

Rennie claimed his fifth scalp when he clean bowled Prosper Utseya for 4 runs, and Douglas Hondo finishing unbeaten without scoring while Maungwa made one run, with Mwayenga not getting the chance to bat. The visitors were 140-8 in 77 overs, still needing 95 runs to win the match, but time did not permit and they settled for a draw.

Rennie was the pick of the Matabeleland bowlers with a haul of five wickets at the expense of 55 runs with 17 maidens from 32 overs. Streak picked up two for 28 in 16 overs with seven maidens, and at one stage went for six overs without conceding a run.