Zimbabwe off to a flyer at the African Games with victory over Namibia

ASHLEY DUBE

ACCRA – The Zimbabwe men's cricket team started their campaign at the African Games on a high note with a comprehensive 35-run victory over Namibia in Ghana.

Image: iStock

On their quest to follow in the footsteps of the ladies who won gold the previous week, the Chevrons won the toss and elected to bat first. 

Some excellent controlled and aggressive batting culminated in the Chevrons scoring 197-6 in their 20-over innings. Solid performances from the top, including opener Rodney Mupfudza with 32 off 23, and Jonathan Campbell with 39 off 27, set a strong foundation. 

These contributions, coupled with aggressive lower-order hitting from skipper Clive Madande with 28 off 15 and Owen Muzondo's rapid 15 from just five balls he faced.

These scores were supported by Brian Bennett's impressive 65 runs. The 20-year-old's knock came from 39 deliveries, showcasing an impressive strike rate of 166.6. 

He hit seven boundaries (3 fours & 4 sixes) before being run-out on the last ball of the penultimate over while pushing for a second run.

Namibia, needing 198 to win, started aggressively as well, racing to 34 runs without loss after just three overs. 

However, Skipper Clive Madande reacted quickly and introduced spinners early on to stem the flow of runs. This strategy paid off as Owen Muzondo secured the wickets of Malan Kruger and danger man Nikolass Davin. 

The required run rate started to climb, and Namibia lost grip of their innings. Owen Muzondo finished with figures of 3-31, while Tashinga Musekiwa was equally impressive with 3-28. 

Takudzwa Chataira and Tony Munyonga contributed with one wicket each. Namibia finished on 162-8, well short of the winning target.

Owen Muzondo was named the player of the match. Zimbabwe will be back in action tomorrow morning against Tanzania at 11 AM.