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Sean Williams

Mehluli Sibanda Senior Sports Reporter
MATABELELAND Tuskers captain Sean Williams starred with bat and ball to lead his franchise side to a 10-run victory over Mountaineers in a tensely contested Pro50 Championship cricket match played at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo on Saturday.The left handed Williams was the highest run scorer for Tuskers with 39 runs in their total of 227 runs for the loss of nine wickets in 50 overs and then took four wickets.
Williams, bowling his left arm spin saw Tuskers dismiss the visitors for 217 runs in 48.4 overs to hold on to their first win of the season.

Mountaineers skipper Tinotenda Mawoyo won the toss and sent Tuskers in to bat. The home side got their innings off to a terrible start when Brian Chari fell in the third over, dismissed by Shingirai Masakadza for five runs with Tuskers having 12 runs on the board.

Williams, who came in to bat at number four had his 39 runs coming off 36 deliveries with four fours in his innings. Second best for Tuskers with the bat was another left hander Keith Dabengwa who compiled 37 runs coming in to bat at number three while Bonaparte Mujuru was third best with a slow 34 runs off 75 balls.

National team bowler Tendai Chatara took three wickets for 18 runs in the nine overs that he bowled with three of those not costing a run. Fellow seamer Donald Tiripano also had three wickets which came at the expense of 51 runs in 10 overs with one maiden while another pace bowler Masakadza took two wickets for 43 runs in 10 overs.

Englishman Mark Pettini top scored for Mountaineers with a fighting 91 off 116 deliveries. Tuskers fought hard and when the visitors seemed to be running away with the game, the home side produced a spirited bowling show to emerge victorious.

Williams claimed four wickets for 34 runs in 8.4 overs, medium pace bowlers Tawanda Mupariwa and Thabo Mboyi had two wickets each.  Emotions did run high in the match with Timycen Maruma, recently named in the national team for the International Cricket Council World Twenty20 in Bangladesh next month, venting out his frustration when given out leg before wicket to left arm spinner Dabengwa.

Maruma dismantled the wickets and that is sure to earn him a fine from Zimbabwe Cricket as he appeared before a disciplinary hearing conducted by match referee Victor Mhlanga at the end of the match on Saturday and is understood to have been found guilty of misconduct.

Mountaineers fielded five players who were included in the national squad for the ICC World Twenty20 and will now have to call up for reinforcements when they take on Tuskers in a four-day Logan Cup encounter starting at the same venue today. The national team players go into camp in Harare tomorrow in preparation for the trip to Bangladesh.

Tuskers will also have to bring in a replacement for Williams who is also joining the national team camp. Meanwhile, Tuskers and Mountaineers today engage in the four-dayer, Logan Cup game.