Photo Credit: Zimbabwe Cricket
Johannesburg Buffaloes – 127-4 in 10 overs (Tom Banton 36, Mohammad Hafeez 32, Yusuf Pathan 25; Azmatullah Ormazai 1/8, George Linde 1/22, Tayyab Abbas 1/26)
Durban Qalandars – 129-2 in 9.2 overs (Hazratullah Zazai 43*, Tim Seifert 30, Andre Fletcher 29; Usman Shinwari 2/15)
Durban Qalandars won by eight wickets
The Durban Qalandars have been crowned the inaugural Zim Afro T10 champions after they cruised to a convincing eight-wicket victory over the Johannesburg Buffaloes in the final played at Harare Sports Club on Saturday evening.
The Buffaloes, put in to bat, were given a dynamic start by Mohammad Hafeez in particular, as he raced to 32 off 13 balls, with two sixes and four fours, before being out in the fourth over with the score already 53.
Tom Banton supported him well with 36 off 17 balls, while Yusuf Pathan (25 off 14) and Ravi Bopara (22 not out off 10) kept up the good scoring to the end.
Their final total was 127 for four wickets in their 10 overs, perhaps not quite as great a score as they may have been hoping for.
The Qalandars had Tim Siefert to open their batting, and he immediately put the Buffaloes under pressure by scoring 23 off Blessing Muzarabani’s first over, including three successive sixes.
It was a great relief to the Qalandars when Wellington Masakadza caught him off Usman Shinwari for 30 off 14 balls in the third over, with the score at 33.
André Fletcher took over the big hitting role and after five overs the Qalandars were well on course at 72 for one.
Noor Ahman then bowled a remarkable over for only four singles, and 52 were needed off the last four overs.
Fletcher was then out in just the same way as Siefert had been, for 29 off 11 balls.
But that was as far as the Buffaloes were able to get, as Hazratullah Zazai, who had been playing a supporting role, now began to indulge in some big hitting, while Asif Ali made some superb hits.
In next to no time this pair had dominated the bowling and with their unbroken partnership of 53 swept the Qalandars to victory with four balls to spare.
Zazai finished with 43 off 22 balls (four sixes and a four), Ali with 21 (two sixes), and the Qalandars celebrated.
Shinwari did a fine job in vain, taking both wickets to fall for only 15 runs in his two overs.
