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Zimbabwe secured a 3-0 sweep of the SuperSport Challenge today with a 134 run win over SA Composite XI - and after the side's wobbles earlier in the match had made it look like there was a chance of Composite taking the game, it ended up as a rather pedestrian win. Beginning the day with just 1 wicket in had, Zimbabwe didn't last too long, with Ray Price the last man out, leaving Zim on an impressive 417, giving Composite a target of 321 runs. Based on their first innings, thy should have had a chance of reaching that or at least batting out the day to secure a draw, but in truth they never came close.

Chris Mpofu began the rout with two quick wickets early in the day, as Kreusch and Akoojee fell cheaply, and the rest of the Zimbabwean attack all did their bit as wickets fell regularly through the morning session. Prosper Utseya was best of the bunch again, taking a hugely effective 3/10 in under 4 overs, while Ray Price was the only bowler without a scalp to his name. Jeggels and Bossenger steadied the ship in Composite's mid-order, but a short rain break during the afternoon session seemed to work wonders for Zimbabwe, with the remaining wickets falling within just 15 balls of the restart.

Zimbabwe now go in to the Pakistan series with a morale-boosting set of results under their belts - even if the opposition wasn't the greatest - but with selection issues and the issue of racial quotas hanging over the side, it's too early to predict a competitive tour yet. We'll see.

Next match: Namibia v Zimbabwe Provinces in Windhoek (SA Provincial Challenge), 10-12 January 2008.
Zimbabwe 256 (Dabengwa 79, Kreusch 3/28) & 417 (Williams 107, Walters 4/114), South African Composite XI 353 (McLaren 80, Koortzen 80, Utseya 5/70) & 186 (Jeggels 46, Bossenger 46, Utseya 3/10). Zimbabwe win by 134 runs, win series 3-0. Scorecard below the cut.
Previous days' reports: Day One | Day Two | Day Three

Zimbabwe 256 (Dabengwa 79, Kreusch 3/28) & 412/9 (Williams 107, Walters 3/111), South African Composite XI 353 (McLaren 80, Koortzen 80, Utseya 5/70). Zimbabwe lead by 315.
Every time we really put the boot into Zimbabwe, it seems they come up with the goods, and today was no exception. At the close of play, Zimbabwe had batted through the day (when was the last time that happened?) and were on 412/9 (when was the last time they passed 400?), and looked to have at least secured the draw in this match. Sean Williams led a great day's work with an impressive 107, but for once it wasn't a case of one man doing all the work - Tatenda Taibu (78), Elton Chigumbura (71) and Prosper Utseya (57) all made significant contributions, although in doing so they again showed the top-order up as non-performers.

Composite struggled in the field, with Walters being their leading wicket-taker for the innings (3/111). Yes, they only have one more wicket to take before they can begin their run-chase, but a 300+ target will be a major battle - especially with Utseya in rare form with the ball at the moment. Should be a good day's play tomorrow.

Scorecard for the day below the cut.

Zimbabwe 256 (Dabengwa 79, Kreusch 3/28) & 42/2 (Masakadza 22*, Mjekula 1/17), South African Composite XI 353 (McLaren 80, Koortzen 80, Utseya 5/70). Composite have 1st-innings lead of 97.
Composite built themselves a useful lead during their innings, taking advanatge of a Zimbabwean bowling attack that was a tad on the tame side - although Utseya's recent run of good wicket-taking form continued as he took a decent 5/70. Composite reached tea with four wickets still in hand, but Zimbabwe cleaned them up without too much trouble to give themselves some time with the bat before close of play. They didn't get off to the greatest of starts, either - Vusi Sibanda headed back to the pavilion before any runs were scored, while Chamu Chibhabha followed at the close of play, leaving Zim on 42/2 and still 55 runs behind. They have a lot of work to do tomorrow...

Scorecard for the day is below the cut. Feel free to discuss the match here or in the forums. Live scorecard available from SuperSport. More later.

Zimbabwe 256 (Dabengwa 79, Kreusch 3/28), South African Composite XI 47/0 (Kreusch 22*, Akoojee 24*)
After Composite XI won the toss and elected to field, Zimbabwe were put in to bat, and suffered something of a mixed day at the crease. Zimbabwe opted not to play their strongest side for this match - it's possible that, with the series tied up, they're resting some key players ahead of the Pakistan tour, but it seems more likely that this is a quota issue. Whatever the reason, they suffered for it early on, with some cheap wickets falling early to leave the side looking weak on 104/5 - Hamilton Masakadza (1) and Tatenda Tiabu (0) disappointed, although Keith Dabengwa (79) steadied the ship and helped Zimbabwe into respectable territory with some help along the way from Prosper Utseya (28) and Timycen Maruma (23). For the home side, Walters, Kruger and Kreusch took 3 wickets each on the way to bowling Zimbabwe out for 256. All things considered, Zim will be happy with that score, but with some notable batsmen either not firing or not playing at all, the total was still some way short of what could have been achieved.

Composite faced 15 overs of Zimbabwean bowling before the close of play, but again with big guns like Gary Brent not in the match and the attack heavily reliant on spin, Zim were unable to make any early headway. Composite closed the day on 47 without loss.

This one's far from being a one-sided contest, but with Zimbabwe playing a weakened side it's up to them to prove themselves - which as yet, they haven't done in any convincing manner. Full scorecard for the day below the cut, and we'll be back tomorrow for Day Two.
Sides:
SA Composite XI: W Bossenger (captain, wicketkeeper), M Akoojee, JP Kreusch, AP McLaren, PJ Koortzen, RR Jeggels, J Symes, AK Kruger, T Tshabalala, BD Walters, S Mjekula
Zimbabwe: H Masakadza, V Sibanda, CJ Chibhabha, T Taibu (wicketkeeper), SC Williams, P Utseya (captain), KM Dabengwa, E Chigumbura, T Maruma, RW Price, CB Mpofu

After a so-so final session yesterday, Zimbabwe roared into the final day of the SuperSport Challenge opener. Prosper Utseya and Timycen Maruma took sole charge of the bowling, a move that paid quick dividends as the pair accounted for 7 of Composite's remaining 8 wickets before lunch. Composite were one man short for the innings, as Cliff Deacon was unable to bat due to injury, and ended their innings on 261 - a lead of just 56. Utseya took 3/92 in the innings and Maruma 3/93 - great contributions from both men that left Zimbabwe within striking distance of the win.

Brendan Taylor and Vusi Sibanda opened for Zimbabwe, and were all the batting power that the visitors needed - the pair saw Zimbabwe safely home inside 9 overs. This win gives Zimbabwe the best possible start in the series, and puts down a marker to those who doubt the side's abilities, with good performances being put in by both batsmen and bowlers. Full scorecard, and links to match reports for days 1-3, below the cut.
South African Composite XI 288 (Hector 79, Maruma 4/68) & 261 (Hector 96, Maruma 3/91), Zimbabwe 493 (Utseya 115*, Symes 4/191) & 57/0 (Taylor 35*, Sibanda 19*). Zimbabwe win by 10 wickets, lead series 1-0 with 2 to play.

South African Composite XI 288 (Hector 79, Maruma 4/68) & 137/2 (Snijman 70, Brent 1/11), Zimbabwe 493 (Utseya 115*, Symes 4/191). Composite trail by 68 runs with 8 wickets in hand.
A great morning's work by the Zimbabweans, with Utseya gaining a deserved century along the way to their eventual total of 493 - an innings lead of 205. From there, it was up to the bowlers to take some early wickets and help keep the total that Zim will need to chase down to a minimum, and with Cook falling with the score on just 12 it seemed that the visitors would get what they wanted. Unfortunately, Snijman and Hector spoiled the party with a 2nd-wicket partnership of 113 - Brent broke the partnership by clean-bowling Snijman shortly before the close, but Composite were able to put on 137/2 by close of play, leaving them with a deficit of just 68 and 8 wickets still in hand.

Zimbabwe's aim for the final day is clear - they'll be looking to dismiss Composite as quickly as possible to leave themselves with a chasable total come their own turn to bat again. I've got much more faith in Zim's bowlers than their batsmen, so I'd have to say there's a possibility of Zim winning this - although at this stage the draw is probably the most likely result.

South African Composite XI 288 (Hector 79, Maruma 4/68), Zimbabwe 262/7 (Masakadza 88, Sandri 3/59). Zimbabwe trail by 26 with 3 wickets remaining.
Zimbabwe continued from where they left off last night, and bowled Composite out for the addition of 52 runs to their overnight score. Timycen Maruma ended up the best of the bunch for the visitors, taking 4/68 at just 3.26/over (with only Prosper Utseya being more economical). In reply, Zimbabwe have started reasonably well - openers Brendan Taylor and Vusi Sibanda put on 56 before Sibanda holed out to Snijman off the bowling of Mjekula; 3rd man in was Chamu Chibhabha, who put on 9 before his wicket fell, signalling lunch.

The second session didn't get off to the greatest of starts, either, with two more Zimbabwean wickets falling in quick succession - Taylor (41; 98/3) and Matsikenyeri (2; 106/4) - seeing momentum shift towards Composite. The partnership of Tatenda Taibu and Hamilton Masakadza - which saw the two adopt very different styles, with Taibu being noticeably more aggressive - saw the ship steadied with a 55-run partnership, and after Taibu's departure (caught Hector off Symes) Masakadza and Tino Mawoyo continued the good work, building an impressive partnership of 100 runs before both wickets fell just before the close of play - first Mawoyo (33, 260/6), then Masakadza (88, 262/7) .

After some wobbles during the day, Zimbabwe ended on top of the competition and within striking distance of a first-innings lead - while the ideal would have been for Mawoyo and Masakadza to have still been there in the morning, they did some good working throughout the afternoon session and have left Zimbabwe's challenge in good shape. Come start of play tomorrow, it will be up to Elton Chigumbura and Prosper Utseya to kick Zim on to hopefully a decent lead. See you then.

Cricket South Africa have released the dates for the remaining SuperSport Challenge fixtures:

20-23 December 2007     2nd Match     Boland Park, Paarl
3-6 January 2008        3rd Match     De Beers Diamond Oval, Kimberley

Cricket South Africa - Venues finalised for Zim SuperSport challenge matches

SA Composite XI won the toss and elected to bat.
South African Composite XI 236/6 (Hector 79, Chigumbura 3/54), Zimbabwe yet to bat.
Zimbabwe got off to a flyer of a start when Elton Chigumbura removed Blake Snijman in the third over (12/1), but after that Composite settled and began patiently working on building a decent score. Stephen Cook was next out, caught by Matsikenyeri off the bowling of Timycen Maruma (2/94), and Petrus Koortzen went to a catch by Masakadza to give Chibumura his second wicket of the match. At this point, it seemed that Composite had the upper hand, but Koortzen's departure signalled the beginning of a collapse by the home side, as Hector, van Zyl and Makalima were removed for the addition of just 44 more runs. Composite finished the day on 236/6, with the game well balanced but the initiative in the hands of the Zimbabweans. A good start tomorrow could see Zimbabwe gain the upper hand.

Teams:
Zimbabwe Select XI: Prosper Utseya (captain), Gary Brent, Chamu Chibhabha, Elton Chigumbura, Timycen Maruma, Hamilton Masakadza, Stuart Matsikenyeri, Tino Mawoyo, Vusi Sibanda, Tatenda Taibu (wicketkeeper), Brendan Taylor
South African Composite XI: Benji Hector (captain), Stephen Cook, Cliffie Deacon, Athenkosi Dyili (wicketkeeper), Petrus Koortzen, Dumisa Makalima, Sinethemba Mjekula, Pepler Sandri, Blake Snijman, Jean Symes, Stiaan van Zyl

Cricket South Africa have now confirmed that the 4-day match beginning on Thursday will be the first leg in a three-match series, the SuperSport Challenge, between Zimbabwe Select XI and South African Composite XI. The Composite XI will comprise the six top players from SA's franchise sides, and a further six players from the tier below (the SAA Provincial competition), with players chosen by the national selection panel. The Challenge will carry full First Class status. Details of the 2nd and 3rd matches in the series will be announced shortly, but all games will be played in South Africa.

Composite's squad for the first match is: Benji Hector (capt), Stephen Cook, Cliffie Deacon, Athenkosi Dyili (wk), Petrus Koortzen, Dumisa Makalima, Sinethemba Mjekula, Pepler Sandri, Blake Snijman, Jean Symes, Stiaan van Zyl, Timmy Gamade (12th man)

In related news, CSA have also reached agreement with the franchise sides for Zimbabwe's inclusion in the MTN Domestic Championship (50-over series) and the Standard Bank Pro20 competition. Revised fixture lists for both competitions will be issued shortly.

Announcing the series, CSA Chief Executive Gerald Majola said:

"Following a series of meetings between the CEOs of CSA's Affiliates and the South African Cricketers' Association, agreement was reached at assisting Zimbabwe players to participate in a more competitive level of cricket.

This is in terms of a request by the ICC to provide Zimbabwe players with an opportunity to play more competitive cricket in their bid to play Test cricket again. The South African players, through SACA, also wish to assist Zimbabwe players in this regard and also for the participation to be beneficial to South African cricket.

The Zimbabwe Cricket Union has welcomed this initiative, and has agreed to field Zimbabwe's strongest team for every match. This new set-up will be reviewed at the end of the 2007-8 season".

Hopefully this time, nothing will derail the initiative. CSA had promised to arrange first-class matches for Zimbabwe after their participation in the SuperSport Series fell through - good to see they're true to their word. Noting the name of the new series, I don't think it's too much of a stretch to expect SuperSport to be televising it....
Cricket South Africa - Zimbabwe to play SA franchise cricket