Parida century gives Rajasthan the lead

Rajasthan 306 for 6 (Parida 108, Bist 85, Pandey 4-65) lead Madhya Pradesh 256 (Bundela 53, Rameez 54, Rituraj 4-68, Pankaj 4-63) by 50 runs
Scorecard

Rashmi Parida has been playing domestic cricket since the mid-1990s and during that time he has grown used to being the unsung hero. Whether for his home team Orissa or for the adopted Rajasthan, Parida's contributions in the middle order have usually been overshadowed by those of his team-mates.

When Parida was holding one end up for Orissa for 15 seasons, he was playing second fiddle to the likes of Pravanjan Mullick and SS Das. And when he joined Rajasthan as a professional, his two professional colleagues Aakash Chopra and skipper Hrishikesh Kanitkar walked away with much of the credit for their rags-to-riches story in the last two seasons.

One of the few times Parida got his due was during the 2010-11 final, when his 56 and 89 earned him the Man-of-the-Match award. But even though he doesn't make headlines as much he should, Parida has been Rajasthan's go-to man over the last three years. And he did his reputation no harm by scoring his 16th first-class century on the second day of Rajasthan's Group A match against Madhya Pradesh at the KL Saini stadium in Jaipur.

With Chopra having ended his association with Rajasthan after two years, and the captain Kanitkar missing the game because of a calf strain, it was up to Parida to help Rajasthan overhaul MP's first innings total of 256 and keep them in the hunt for a much-needed outright victory. Along with contributions from his team-mates, especially Robin Bist who made 85, Parida did his job to near-perfection. He was dismissed for 108 in the penultimate over of the day, and Rajasthan finished on 306 for 6, ahead by 50 runs.

After Vineet Saxena and Robin Bist had begun Rajasthan's recovery from 7 for 1, the stand-in captain Saxena was trapped lbw by Ishwar Pandey, who was the pick of the MP bowlers, around an hour before lunch. Two balls later Ashok Menaria fished at one that was pitched slightly outside off to offer a regulation catch to wicketkeeper Naman Ojha.

At 87 for 3, Parida joined his Air India junior Bist. With a rookie batsman, a wicketkeeper and a long tail to follow, Rajasthan needed significant contributions from both batsmen, and they delivered.

"The manner in which Paddy bhai [Parida] started off took all the pressure off me. He bats with such ease that it just makes you feel how easy batting is," Bist said. "He bats in a manner like, ball ko chot na lag jaaye [the ball shouldn't get hurt]."

Even after Bist was caught down the leg side off Anand Rajan, Parida continued to flourish. Puneet Yadav was getting a rare outing due to Kanitkar's injury and Rajasthan were still 85 runs adrift of the lead. Parida not only gave his young partner confidence but also took pressure off him by going after the bowlers a bit. After playing some fluent cuts, Yadav was dismissed against the run of play when Anand Singh caught at well-timed flick at forward short leg.

Though his partners kept changing, Parida continued towards a deserving century. And when he finally got there, with a push to mid-off for a single, Parida was cheered loudly and given a standing ovation by his team-mates. He had failed to score one last season, despite having scored more than 500 runs. "The fact that I couldn't score a century last season was playing on my mind all along," he said. "It's good that the monkey is off the back early in the season."

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Baroda continue to pile on the runs

Baroda 525 for 7 (Rayudu 131*, Chauhan 113, Panchal 72*) v Delhi
Scorecard

Baroda, led by centuries from captain Ambati Rayudu and Abhimanyu Chauhan, continued to pile on the runs against a listless Delhi attack, reaching 525 for seven at stumps on the second day. There were no signs of declaration and it now seems a foregone conclusion that the visitors will be playing for three points on a track that is getting slower. Baroda will back themselves, given Delhi's inconsistent batting over the last two games.

Rayudu and Chauhan laid the foundation for a big score, and were backed by important contributions from the lower middle-order batsmen. Gagandeep Singh entertained the small Sunday crowd with some big hits while Ketan Panchal also batted sensibly, putting on 126 runs for the eighth wicket. Together, Gagandeep and Panchal hit half a dozen sixes and 14 fours.

The eighth-wicket partnership further hurt the Delhi bowlers, who had been deflated by the benign Feroz Shah Kotla surface. Rayudu has been a consistent performer in domestic cricket and he notched up his 13th first-class century. Chauhan, who put on a 213-run stand with Rayudu, batted in a manner reminiscent of Wasim Jaffer, with his confident on-side strokeplay, and reached his second successive century this season.

For Delhi, it was a pity that seamer Parvinder Awana, who worked up brisk pace and used variations effectively, picked up only two wickets in 32 overs. The delivery with which he dismissed Rayudu was a beauty. It pitched on the leg and middle line and completely squared up the batsman, who lost his middle stump.

Rajat Bhatia was economical but his wicket-to-wicket bowling yielded just one wicket on the second day. Pawan Suyal strived for extra pace, and was targeted by Rayudu.

Manan Sharma's performance left much to be desired. His left-arm spin was taken on by Gagandeep and Panchal, who gave him the charge repeatedly. The ball was keeping low and one expected him to use the arm ball, but it seemed he didn't.

Baroda have a sizeable score and they could go on for more, but Delhi, too, have batsmen who can bat big and bat long. Shikhar Dhawan and Mithun Manhas are among them.

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Seamers caught us by surprise - Ford

Sri Lanka coach Graham Ford has said the swing New Zealand's seam bowlers generated caught Sri Lanka by surprise on the second morning in Galle. Tim Southee reaped three wickets for 18 from his first spell of seven overs, while Trent Boult took the wicket of Kumar Sangakkara at the other end. Both bowlers moved the ball considerably, with Southee, in particular, finding vicious swing in the air in addition to deviation off the seam.

Sri Lanka resumed on 9 for 1, after debutant left hander Dimuth Karunaratne had been trapped in front for a duck by a Southee inswinger the previous evening, and they were reduced to 50 for 5 inside the first hour on day two. The other opener, Tharanga Paranavitana was also dismissed for zero, and neither nightwatchman Suraj Randiv, nor Kumar Sangakkara made it out of single-figures.

"This morning they swung it considerably and more than we expected," Ford said. "It was a lovely clear morning and we didn't think it would move as much as it did, when they bowled. It perhaps did catch us a little bit by surprise."

Despite bowling which often bordered on unplayable, Sri Lanka found regular boundaries in the first hour and maintained a much better run rate than New Zealand did during their innings on day one. Ford said the hosts had not been too aggressive in their approach during the opening spell.

"It's always easy to say that they could have played tighter, sitting on the sidelines, but everybody who watched closely realised they did bowl very well.

"It's a fine balance. If you can get a few balls away, it changes their length and once they change their length they don't swing it much. You can't just be negative about the way you play. You've still got to look for scoring options. I think we stayed positive in our play."

Sri Lanka recovered through a 156-run partnership between Angelo Mathews and Mahela Jayawardene, as the pair saw out the swinging new ball and batted through the second session. When they were only five wickets down and 15 runs behind New Zealand's first-innings score, Sri Lanka might have had their sights set on a large first innings lead, but Mathews' demise heralded another poor period for Sri Lanka, and they finished only 26 runs ahead in the first innings.

"We would have been certainly happy for a bigger lead but again you can't be greedy when you are 20-4 and 50-5. At that stage you think you're going to be a little bit behind. We've got to be grateful for the work the guys did, and we've got to give credit to New Zealand who did bowl fantastically well up front and kept the pressure on the whole way through the innings.

"It was a brilliant fightback by Mahela and Angelo which has got us right into the game, and we've everything to play for in the morning. The game's very even at the moment."

New Zealand finished the day nine runs in the lead, with nine wickets in hand, and Ford said his side had not worked out a maximum target that it would like to chase in the fourth innings. "At this stage it's about making sure that disciplines and our skills are really good with the ball. We have to bowl really well and we have to make New Zealand fight really hard for every single run they want to set for us to chase. At this stage it's more about taking it one session at a time looking at the big picture."

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Bowlers lead Cobras to crushing win

Cape Cobras 95 for 0 (Levi 52*, Puttick 35*) beat Knights 94 (Kemp 4-20, Louw 2-13, Langeveldt 2-17) by ten wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

An impressive combined bowling performance by Cobras, led by allrounder Justin Kemp's four wickets, took them to a 10-wicket win against Knights in Paarl. After bowling Knights out for 94, opener Richard Levi struck a quick, unbeaten half-century to take them home in ten overs.

Cobras, after being asked to field, put their opponents under pressure from the first over itself through an effective spell of swing bowling in helpful conditions by seamers Charl Langeveldt and Johann Louw. Langeveldt struck in the first over, inducing an edge to the keeper off his third delivery. By the seventh over, two more wickets had fallen and Knights were struggling at 14 for 3.

Kemp started to make his presence felt when he was introduced in the 12th over. He immediately dismissed No. 3 Rilee Rossouw, and then ran through the middle order to crush the chances of a fightback by Knights. By the 28th over, Knights had lost their eighth wicket, that of Johann van der Wath. This was Knights' lowest total in List A cricket.

Openers Levi and Andrew Puttick played aggressively to go past the target in the 11th over. Levi scored 52 off 33 deliveries, with eight fours and two sixes.

With the emphatic win, Cobras gained a bonus point.

Titans 273 for 8 (Behardien 99, Morkel 66, Kuhn 59, Birch 3-53) beat Warriors 268 for 9 (Jacobs 63, Parnell 48, Thyssen 46, Richards 3-49) by five runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

In a tight contest in Port Elizabeth, Warriors put on a spirited fight in their chase of 274, but lost by four runs to Titans. Middle-order batsman Craig Thyssen scored 46 off 35 balls and was guiding his team towards the target in the final overs, but needing 6 off 2 deliveries for victory, he was caught at long-on. No. 11 Makhaya Ntini was run out amid confusion off the next ball. Left-arm seamer Rowan Richards bowled a miserly final over, conceding three runs.

Warriors began their chase poorly, losing opener Michael Price for a duck off the second delivery of the innings. At 90 for 4, the captain and wicketkeeper Davy Jacobs, who scored 63, and Wayne Parnell put on a 98-run stand to keep their team's hopes alive.

Four wickets then fell quickly to peg them back. At 206 for 8, the contest looked to be over, but Thyssen, with a quick, responsible knock, almost took them to the target. He dominated the strike, with the No. 10 batsman Basheeru-Deen Walters at the other end. Needing 18 off 12, and then 9 off the last six, Warriors fell short in a tight last over by Richards.

Titans' innings followed a different pattern. After being reduced to 9 for 2 through seamer Andrew Birch's strikes, they reached 273 thanks to two big partnerships. Opener Heino Kuhn added 64 with captain Martin van Jaarsveld. But the bedrock of the innings was the 129-run partnership between Albie Morkel and Farhaan Behardien, who fell for 99.

Kuhn, who had scored a century against Knights in Centurion a week ago, is now among the highest run-getters of the competition.

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We needed to bat more positively - McCullum

New Zealand opener Brendon McCullum believed an early burst of wickets and tight bowling in the afternoon session from Sri Lanka's spinners cornered the visitors into reticence on day one, despite having suggested they would target Sri Lanka's bowling before the match. The captain Ross Taylor had said his side would look to employ a belligerent approach against spin in the first Test, but New Zealand were cautious throughout much of their innings, scoring at only 2.66 in the 82.5 overs they faced.

Shaminda Eranga dismissed Martin Guptill and Kane Willamson in the sixth over, before Taylor fell to Nuwan Kulasekara in the ninth to leave New Zealand at 40 for 3, leaving McCullum and Daniel Flynn little choice but to rebuild steadily. Their partnership of 90 - New Zealand's highest of the day - came in 198 deliveries, before scoring almost ground to a standstill in the second session after McCullum departed.

"Our mindset was still very much being aware of the fact that the ball was turning, and the game situation as well played on our minds as we were 3 for 60 when spin came on," McCullum said at the end of the day's play. "Until my dismissal we were going pretty well. At that point Rangana Herath, who is a very good bowler, managed to seize the initiative and prize out some wickets from us. They probably looked up at the scoreboard after I got out and saw an opportunity where it was pretty delicately poised and I think they stepped up really well during that stage and put a lot of pressure on."



Flynn and James Franklin progressed at less than a run an over during their 13-over association, with Franklin making 3 from 43 deliveries. None of New Zealand's batsmen who made more than a dozen runs had a strike rate of more than 60, and the highest economy rate among the Sri Lanka's bowlers was 3.66 for Angelo Mathews, who only delivered three overs.

"From our point of view, when we are under pressure, we probably need to be more positive and grab the situation rather than let the opposition dictate terms," McCullum said. "I thought Daniel and myself were efficient against them. We were picking them up nicely and attacking the balls that they did miss on. We were putting them under pressure for periods of time, we just weren't able to do that for long enough."



Herath and Randiv bowled 51 overs between them for 127 runs, inducing plenty of turn from the Galle pitch despite it being the first day of the Test. Randiv was instrumental in subduing Flynn and Franklin during their partnership, as he spun it sharply away from both left handers from around the wicket, and Herath finished the innings with 5 wickets for 65 - his fourth five-wicket haul in as many matches at the venue. McCullum however, did not fault the surface for a New Zealand batting performance he described as disappointing.

"Absolutely no blame on the pitch. At Galle when you win the toss and bat first, you're after a total in excess of 400. We weren't able to do that today, but I thought the pitch was good. It turned a lot more than we probably anticipated it would on day one of a Test match, but that's what you expect when you come over to the subcontinent. 


"It didn't turn and bite, it was slow turn and we expect that that turn will become quicker as the Test goes on and we've got Jeetan and a couple of other guys who can bowl spin. With our seamers, our ability to reverse swing the ball, which we saw from some of their guys today, will probably be our main weapon of attack."



The first Test began just five days after the limited-overs leg of the tour finished, but McCullum said the lack of time for a warm-up match had not affected New Zealand's batting greatly. 



"In this day and age you get used to having to chop and change between various formats. Over half our squad have been at home playing four-day cricket as well, so they're very well prepared. The rest of us are pretty adaptable in terms of having to change between formats." 



New Zealand picked three seam bowlers in their attack, and will rely on wickets with the new ball to prevent Sri Lanka from taking a first-innings lead. Tim Southee and Trent Boult swung the ball considerably in five overs near the close of day one, with Southee removing debutant Dimuth Karunaratne for a duck with a hooping inswinger. 



"We've got a big first hour in the morning to try and expose the Sri Lankan middle order and if we can do that, today's misfortune will be a little bit easier to handle," McCullum said.

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Pankaj and Rituraj run through Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh 256 (Bundela 53, Rameez 54, Rituraj 4-68, Pankaj 4-63) v Rajasthan
Scorecard

Pankaj Singh, 27, has been on the domestic circuit for nine seasons, while Rituraj Singh, 22, had played only nine first-class matches before Rajasthan's Group A game against Madhya Pradesh. The right-arm seamers complemented each other in Jaipur, like they did repeatedly last season, and took four wickets each to dismiss the visitors for 256 on the first day.

Rajasthan could have finished the day in a stronger position had Rameez Khan and Anand Rajan not added 88 for the eighth wicket after MP were 150 for 7.

Pankaj and Rituraj utilised the bowler-friendly conditions after stand-in captain Vineet Saxena chose to field, and they were ably supported by left-arm pacer Aniket Choudhary. Most of the wickets didn't come off exceptional balls; the accuracy of the seamers forced the MP batsmen into committing mistakes. While Naman Ojha and Jalaj Saxena, MP's aggressive batsmen, threw their wickets away by chasing wide balls, the two standout dismissals were those of Zafar Ali and the captain Devendra Bundela.

Both the Singhs hardly got the new ball to swing, but once the senior partner had a word with Rituraj after Ojha's dismissal, the younger Singh started bending his back. The result was some extra bounce, which induced an edge from Ali to the keeper.

In the second session, when Bundela and Rameez Khan had begun to form a partnership, Pankaj struck. Despite bowling an immaculate line and length, Pankaj gone wicketless in his first two spells, but moments after Bundela made his 36th first-class fifty with an edge through the slip cordon, Pankaj managed to get one in sharply and trapped Bundela lbw.

Rajasthan were primed to end MP's innings, but with the blazing sun taking its toll on the three seamers, who had bowled more than 50 overs collectively in the first two sessions, Rameez and Rajan dominated the final session.

The moment the second new ball became available after 80 overs, Saxena gave it to Pankaj, who had been resting while the part-timers were operating. Rituraj had taken three wickets in his first spell, and Pankaj did the same in his last, dismissing Rameez, Rajan and Ishwar Pandey to end MP's innings.

"The wicket did ease out after the early morning moisture evaporated but still, it was commendable on Rituraj and Aniket's part to keep asking questions of batsmen," Pankaj said. "After the kind of first session we had [MP were 90 for 5 at lunch], we would have ideally liked to dismiss them for 200, but nevertheless we have done our job."

Pankaj has been a successful bowler on the domestic circuit for the last five years and has had a bigger role to play in this game after the captain Hrishikesh Kanitkar was sidelined by a calf injury. "We discussed it in the meeting [ahead of the game] that I shall have to bear the additional responsibility of not just leading the bowling attack but also being more involved by interacting with the bowlers more than before. It is expected that it will take time to get accustomed to what a new captain is thinking and we managed it well, I think."

Rituraj was cramping after bowling an eight-over opening spell followed by a nine-over spell either side of lunch. Pankaj then told him to cut back a little. "Since he had bowled a long spell, I asked him to hold himself back a little and bowl in short spells," Pankaj said. "And anyway we had decided to rotate the three of us. As a result, while Rituraj bowled a long first spell up front, I bowled a shorter one and then bowled a seven-over spell after lunch. The more we interact with each other, the better we perform as a team."

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ICC reviewing stance against government interference

The ICC is reviewing its stance against government involvement in the administration of cricket in its Members, the ICC president Alan Isaac has said. Removal of government interference had been one of the Woolf report recommendations approved by the ICC but Isaac said it had recognised the role governments played in developing cricket in several countries and is rethinking its position.

"In the ICC annual conference, we made some changes and introduced some onerous penalties if they [issues related to government interference] are not complied with," Isaac said in Dhaka. "In the last meeting, we discussed the issues and the realities are we need to reflect on perhaps the draconian nature of some of those requirements.

"In this part of the world and lots of other countries, quite honestly, cricket and other sports depend on the government. We are having a little bit of post-change review. I am not making any comment about what those changes might result to, but I think we are having a period of reflection."

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is one of those bodies that has historically had its president appointed by the government. Current BCB president Nazmul Hasan was also appointed by the government after Mustafa Kamal was made the ICC vice-president and had to relinquish his position with the board.

Among other boards, Sri Lanka Cricket board members are elected, however major financial expenditures must be approved by the government, and the sports minister must also approve squad selections. This power was most conspicuously used in 2008, when the sports minister intervened to revive the career of Sanath Jayasuriya, who became a Member of Parliament with the governing party in 2010, while he was still playing. The PCB president is also appointed by the patron of the board, who is the President of Pakistan.

The Woolf report had stated that "governments taking an interest in the development of cricket and providing support and patronage to Member Boards may be acceptable or even desirable. It is a matter of achieving an appropriate balance between support and interference. It is important for the credibility of such safeguards that once defined, they are enforced rigorously and consistently." At its annual conference in 2011, the ICC gave its member boards two years to become democratised and free from government and political interference.

In this year's annual conference, the BCB had amended its constitution to include the election of its president, and put an end to the government appointment system. The National Sports Council, the sports regulatory body in the country, ratified this change but also stipulated that there must be three government-appointed directors.

Isaac said the ICC were in talks with the BCB to get acquainted with the board's constitution before recommending any changes. "It is not so much about the elected president; it's more the lack of government interference. The ICC staffs are in discussions with the BCB to understand what the constitution actually says to some of those aspects."

Isaac also reiterated the ICC's stance regarding the possibility of Bangladesh touring Pakistan in the near future, saying they would provide match officials if the security arrangement met their standards. "These are bilateral matches. ICC's role was to provide match officials and referees and obviously it has some responsibility towards these people," Isaac said. "We are all keen to see cricket return to Pakistan as quickly as possible. I think David Richardson and the team has been working with the BCB officials and the PCB officials to do everything they can to get cricket back in Pakistan.

"That work has been done at the moment and an assessment is to be done of the security. If they have not been able to or the officials are not prepared to go, what is likely to happen is the ICC will allow Pakistan officials to stand. That was an arrangement we had agreed previously as a special exception to facilitate cricket returning to Pakistan."

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Injured Andrew McDonald out for the season

Andrew McDonald is expected to miss the rest of the season due to a hamstring injury that will require surgery. McDonald, the Victoria allrounder, will have an operation on Monday to repair an ongoing problem with his hamstring that has worsened in the past few weeks, ending any hopes of a recall to the national side this season after he captained Australia A against the touring South Africans earlier this month.

McDonald, 31, started the Sheffield Shield season in outstanding form with the bat, scoring 101 at better than a run a ball against Western Australia at the WACA, followed by 64 at the MCG against Tasmania. It's an unfortunate case of déjà vu for McDonald, who two years ago began the Shield season with three centuries in three games, but then broke his hand and was not able to capitalise on the strong form.

"Timing is everything in this game. Unfortunately I'm injured now so my timing's not great," McDonald told the Sunday Age. "What we put our bodies through in terms of playing cricket ... your body every now and then is going to let you down. Bowling's not great on the body, I think that's just part and parcel of playing cricket.

"One thing about this is I've got to get my body right. I feel as though I've got a lot of good years left in me. The way my batting's improved over the years, I think I can hold down a spot as a batsman, and once I get this hamstring problem fixed my bowling will be back to where it was a few years ago."

McDonald played four Tests, all against South Africa in early 2009, and would have come into strong consideration this summer had the selectors decided to replace the injured Shane Watson with another allrounder. He was also part of Australia's Ashes tour of England in 2009 but did not play a Test.

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Twin delight for Powell

On the fourth day of the Dhaka Test, Kieran Powell became the first West Indies batsman to score hundreds in each innings of a Test since Brian Lara achieved the feat against Sri Lanka in Colombo 11 years ago. The only other West Indies opener to hit twin Test centuries is Gordon Greenidge in 1976, but Powell was more concerned about what awaits his team on the fifth day than in history.

Powell wasn't even aware of who he stood a chance of emulating with his 117 and 110, saying he was reminded by a member of the support staff the night before. "Last night I was speaking to my massage therapist and he told me that this is perfect opportunity to do something like this," Powell said. "I am not too sure how often it happened but I am happy that it happened to me."

After fielding for a day and a half, Powell's second-innings century has been a reflection of his marked improvement as a batsman in the past year. He has now scored three centuries this year, solidifying his position in the Test side. Even in the space of two innings, Powell has showed the maturity that has escaped many West Indies openers when batting in the subcontinent. He adjusted perfectly to the match situation and the pitch, playing a lot straighter in the second innings while he had played all around the wicket in the first innings.

He was however part of the reason West Indies are in a position of weakness as they slipped from 212 for 3 to 244 for 6 at stumps. Powell was the fourth wicket to fall when he misjudged a straighter delivery from Shakib Al Hasan, exposing two new batsmen. That too in the absence of the experienced Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who was ill and resting at the team hotel on the fourth day.

West Indies are 215 ahead with four wickets in hand, which Powell felt was a score from which they could push for a win. "I think we are still in a good position. I think once we get to 300 tomorrow we should be in a good position to look for a win or even trying to save the game.

"All we need to do tomorrow is to bat through the first session. Once we do that we should be in a safe position and then push forward from there. I think we have enough time considering the [state of the] wicket."

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Vermeulen ton sets up big win for Rhinos

Mid West Rhinos 265 (Vermeulen 68, Mugava 52, Waller 42, Jarvis 4-37) and 433 for 7 dec (Vermeulen 146, Sibanda 89, Taylor 68) beat Mashonaland Eagles 245 (Utseya 77, Jarvis 48, Chibhabha 42, Chinouya 5-61) and 130 (Rainsford 3-36, Madziva 3-22) by 323 runs
Scorecard

A century by Mark Vermeulen and an effective second-innings bowling performance led to Mid West Rhinos' 323-run victory over Mashonaland Eagles in Harare. The contest was even after the first innings, with Rhinos gaining a slender lead of 20 runs. But Vermeulen, opener Vusi Sibanda - who scored 89 - and captain Brendon Taylor guided them to 433 for 7 before declaring the innings 25 overs into the final session on the third day. Eagles were derailed by six wickets from seamers Neville Madziva and Ed Rainsford, and folded after 46 overs on the final day.

After being put in to bat, Rhinos were struggling after regular strikes from Eagles but half-centuries from Vermeulen and Simon Mugava, and a knock of 42 from middle-order batsman Malcolm Waller, guided them to 265. Eagles' reply progressed similarly as No. 7 Prosper Utseya, who scored 77, No. 9 Kyle Jarvis, who had taken four wickets earlier, and opener Chamu Chibhabha led them to 245. Seamer Michael Chinouya claimed five wickets, following on from the ten-for he took against Rocks last week.

The balance of the game shifted when a 144-run second-wicket stand between Sibanda and Vermeulen was followed by a 134-run stand between Vermeulen and Taylor. At 304 for 2, Rhinos were in a position to set a huge target for their opponents, which was ultimately 435. Eagles couldn't bat to save the game or try for an improbable win, and ended up crashing to a big defeat.

Matabeleland Tuskers 380 (Querl 188*, Duffin 63, Coventry 50) and 67 for 0 (Duffin 37, Chari 30) beat Southern Rocks 152 (Slater 37, Burgoyne 30, Mpofu 6-21) and 292 (Mutumbami 75, Masvaure 72*, Slater 42, Querl 4-31, Moeen 3-73) by ten wickets
Scorecard

An unbeaten 188 and five wickets by allrounder Glen Querl helped Matabeleland Tuskers to an easy ten-wicket victory in Bulawayo. A 228-run first-innings lead, helped by Querl's ton and seamer Chris Mpofu's six wickets, helped them gain the big win despite a strong second innings by Rocks.

Mpofu ran through the top order and the lower order to help dismiss Rocks for 152 in their first innings. The last six wickets fell for 21 runs.

Tuskers built on that performance to set a strong total. Querl, who came in to bat at No. 3, played an aggressive knock, making his first first-class century and led Tuskers to a massive lead. He scored at a strike-rate of 84.68 and ran out of partners, remaining unbeaten 12 short of his double-century. His two major partnerships, both worth more than a 100 runs, came with opener Terry Duffin, and with wicketkeeper Charles Coventry.

Rocks were in danger of losing by an innings but that didn't happen thanks to a much-improved batting performance in the second innings. Wicketkeeper Richmond Mutumbami and Prince Masvaure scored half-centuries, with Masvaure remaining unbeaten at the end of the innings. However, with no one going on to score a big century, the small target of 65 wasn't going to challenge Tuskers, who eclipsed it without the loss of any wicket in the 16th over of their innings.

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