Mozambique secured a convincing 60-run victory over Seychelles with strong contributions from both bat and ball in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Sub-Regional Africa Qualifier B in Kenya.
Batting first, Mozambique posted a challenging total of 158/5 in their allotted 20 overs, led by a composed 47 off 35 balls from Francisco Couana, a famous part-time musician in Mozambique, and an aggressive knock of 34 off 32 from Joao Huo.
Mozambique had a slow start, losing opener Lourenco Salomone for a duck in the 6th over, lbw by bowler Rukmal. Positive enough, Joao Huo and Vieira Tembo 26(20) formed a crucial 45-run partnership to stabilise the innings. AfterJ.
Hou fell to Krishna in the 10th over, Couana took charge, smashing 3 fours and 3 sixes to propel Mozambique to a competitive total. Late additions from Agostinho Navicha 26(20) and captain Filipe Cossa 6(2) ensured the team finished on a strong note with a run rate of 7.90 at 158/5 in 20 Overs.
In response, Seychelles struggled to get going against a disciplined Mozambique bowling attack. Dario Macome was the standout, taking 3 wickets for 25 runs, while Joao Huo 2/12 and Agostinho Navicha 2/24 provided excellent support.
Seychelles’ top order crumbled early, with Mazharul Islam 17 off 14 the only batsman to offer brief resistance at the start.
Seychelles captain Tim Horpinitch 13(20) tried to anchor the innings but was caught behind off the bowling of Navicha.
Shanmugasundram Mohan 18(26) offered some hope in the middle order before falling to Camate Roposo. The rest of the batting lineup cracked-up, with no other player reaching double figures apart from Hirani Harji 14(9) as Seychelles were bowled out for 98 in 18.5 overs losing to Mozambique by 60 runs.
Zimbabwe rafted the Zambezi with a swift win of149 runs against Rwanda at Ruaraka Sports Club
Sikandar Raza took his maiden 5 wicket-haul in T20Is to guide Zimbabwe to a comprehensive 149-run victory over Rwanda in their third game of the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Africa Sub-regional Qualifier B tournament.
Opting to bat first after winning the toss, Zimbabwe got off to a shaky start, losing opener Brian Bennett for a golden duck. However, Tadiwanashe Marumani and Dion Myers quickly shifted the momentum.
Marumani played a blistering knock, smashing 44 off just 18 balls, including 4 fours and 4 sixes. Myers took charge after Marumani’s departure and put on a remarkable display of power-hitting, finishing with a stunning 96 off 45 balls. His innings, packed with 11 fours and 6 sixes, laid the foundation for Zimbabwe’s massive total of 240/8.
Zimbabwe’s fielding and bowling were top-notch, keeping Rwanda under constant pressure. Blessing Muzarabani and Ryan Burl also contributed with a wicket each, while Richard Ngarava’s economical spell (4-1-11-0) ensured Rwanda struggled for any momentum.
Wickets kept tumbling at regular intervals, and once Raza got into the action, Rwanda’s collapse was inevitable. From 66/6, the tail didn’t last long, and Rwanda were all out for 91 in 18 overs.
A third consecutive win for Zimbabwe means they are still on the top spot ahead of second-placed Kenya and definitely in the driving seat for a place in the regional finals.
Kenya’s bowling attack highlight of the day as Gerald Mwendwa takes 5 wickets at Nairobi Gymkhana
Gerald Mwendwa missed a hat-trick but tore through the Gambian lineup with an extraordinary spell of 4 overs, 1 maiden, and 5 wickets for just 7 runs as Kenya won by a massive 129-run victory.
Kenya’s innings began with an early hiccup, losing Neil Mugabe to an unexpected run-out. Despite the setback, Pushkar Sharma shepherded the herd with a composed knock of 43 off 34 deliveries, finding gaps and rotating the strike efficiently.
Rakep Patel stole the show with an explosive 63 from just 40 balls, smashing four boundaries and four sixes to power Kenya to a challenging total of 175/9. Gambia’s Andre Jarju was the standout bowler, taking three crucial wickets, including P. Sharma and R. Patel.
In the chase, Gambia never looked settled as they cracked-up under the pressure of Kenya’s variational bowling attack. Gerald Mwendwa’s first breakthrough came early, dismissing Gambia’s opener Andre Jarju for just 4 runs, and soon after, he sent Arjunsingh Rajpurohit and Abubacarr Kuyateh back to the pavilion in quick succession.
Gambia’s middle order collapsed under the weight of Mwendwa’s pace and movement, with Frank Campbell and
Ismaila Tamba falling cheaply.
Sachin Bhudia took the ball for the first time in ages and sent 3 Gambians back to the pavilion with his 3/0 in 1.4 overs , Shem Ngoche added 2/15 to wrap up the match on a high.
Match Summaries:
Mozambique v Seychelles
Mozambique won the toss and elected to bat first.
Mozambique: 158/5 (20 Overs)
Seychelles: 98/10 (18.5 Overs)
Mozambique won by 60 runs
Kenya v Gambia
Kenya won the toss and elected to bat first.
Kenya: 175/9 (20 Overs)
Gambia: 46/10 (12.4 Overs)
Kenya won by 129 runs
Zimbabwe v Rwanda
Zimbabwe won the toss and elected to bat first.
Zimbabwe: 240/8 (20 Overs)
Rwanda: 91/10 (18 Overs)
Zimbabwe won by 149 runs
Upcoming Matches:
Wednesday – 23rd October 2024.
Seychelles v Kenya – 09:30 – Ruaraka Sports Club
Mozambique v Rwanda – 13:50 – Nairobi Gymkhana Club
Gambia v Zimbabwe – 13:50 – Ruaraka Sports Club
Courtesy Photos
