Rhinos keeps Eagles in check
Story by Raynald Ngwarati
EAGLES and Rhinos remain the only unbeaten sides in the 2023/24 Pro 50 Championship after clinching crucial victories on Friday.
Belgium-born all-rounder Antum Naqvi continues to prove his mettle on the domestic cricket scene after providing a match-winning performance as Midwest Rhinos continued to pile pressure on Mashonaland Eagles in the Pro 50 championship on Friday.
The NPL T20 player of the tournament played a crucial role with both the bat and ball, claiming two wickets to move seventh on the bowling leaderboards before scoring a half-century to overtake former Zimbabwe international Peter Moor as the leading runscorer despite playing two innings less.
His knock together with skipper Prince Masvaure’s 73 was instrumental in guiding Rhinos to a deserved six-wicket victory over Matebeleland Tuskers at Queens Sports Club.
Meanwhile, the Eagles had a successful outing in Mutare as well and they maintained their unbeaten run of five matches after outshining the Mega Market Mountaineers by five wickets on the same day.
Victory helped the Eagles to maintain their lead on the Pro 50 standings, but the Rhinos’ victory helped them keep the heat on the Mashonaland-based side whom they trail by just four points.
Though the Eagles lead the pack, Rhinos have played two games less and currently possess a superior net run rate as both teams are the only undefeated teams this campaign.
With their position under threat from the Rhinos, Eagles will be in action this Sunday against the Mountaineers at Mutare Sports Club, while Rhinos face Matebeleland Tuskers on the same day at Queens Sports Club.
With both sides facing the bottom sides respectively, they will both be under pressure to maintain their perfect records, before they face-off on the 10th and 12th of this month respectively.
Meanwhile, Sikander Raza has been named as the new Chevrons T20 captain taking over from Craig Ervine who was retained as the One Day International captain as well as taking the test reigns.