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Brandon Moyo, Sports Reporter
LOGAN Cup defending champions Tuskers will be looking at maintaining their perfect start to their title defence when they face Rhinos at Old Hararians tomorrow.

Having won their opening match of the campaign by 76 runs against Southern Rocks at the same venue, the Bulawayo based side will be hoping that their players come to the party once again to see them through in the capital.

Having lost Craig Ervine at the beginning of the season to Eagles, Tuskers batters managed to fill the void in the first match with four players scoring half centuries in the first innings. Tanunurwa Makoni, Clive Madande, Milton Shumba and Sean Williams all scored 50s to guide their team to a good total.

Williams fell for 99 off just 62 deliveries.

Returning from national duty, Williams was key in the team’s victory with both bat and ball despite falling one run short of a hundred in the first match of the season. The left arm spinner took a five-wicket haul in the first innings with figures of 5/93 in 32 overs.

With ball in hand, Williams was supported by the stand-in skipper, Ainsley Ndlovu who took three scalps.

Tuskers, going into the second match will be looking at their spinners to get the job done again as they did in the first.

The spinners’ brilliant performances did not only end in the first innings. With a victory target of 242 runs, Rocks were mopped up for 161 in their second innings courtesy of yet another brilliant performance by the Tuskers spinners. Williams had 6/47 in 18.1 overs. Ndlovu, who also bowls left arm spin, had three wickets for 56 runs.

Building up to tomorrow’s match, Tuskers will be in high spirits when they face a Rhinos team who have won one and lost one.

Tuskers are sitting in position three with 23 points from just one match while their opponents are on 29 points in second place.

In another four-day encounter which gets underway tomorrow, log leaders Eagles go up against Mega Market Mountaineers at Mutare Sports Club.  —  @brandon_malvin