ASHLEY DUBE
ACCRA – The Zimbabwe men's cricket team, also known as the Chevrons, sealed gold at following a resounding victory over Namibia by eight wickets in the final at the African Games in Ghana on Saturday.
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| Image: Zimbabwe Cricket |
Opting to bat first after winning the toss, Namibia faced an early setback with the quick dismissal of Nikolaas Davin for a mere three runs in the opening over.
JP Kotze stepped in and managed to put up a solid performance, despite being granted a lifeline as he was dropped by Trevor Gwandu. Kotze's contribution of 26 runs was second only to Dylan Leicher, who top scored for Namibia 29.
Zimbabwe's disciplined bowling performance kept the Namibian innings in check—as their run-rate was hovering over the 5 run mark throughout their innings.
Namibia finished with a total of 113 runs for the loss of seven wickets.
On the batting front, Zimbabwe initially faced a slow start as the ball proved challenging to score off.
However, the opening duo of Tadiwanashe Marumani and Rodney Mupfudza changed the pace with aggressive stroke-making, revitalizing the innings.
Marumani's commanding knock, highlighted by three consecutive boundaries off Handre Klazinge in the fifth over, set the stage for Zimbabwe's successful chase.
Despite Blignaut dismissing Mupfudza for 24, breaking their 55-run partnership, Marumani continued to dominate with a stellar 58-run contribution.
Teaming up with the dynamic Johnathan Campbell, Zimbabwe's run rate escalated through quick singles and twos, sealing their victory with 25 balls to spare.
With this triumph, both the Zimbabwe men's and women's teams snagged the gold medal as cricket made a memorable debut at the African Games.
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