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Yesterday, Eagles thrashed Mountaineers in the final round of group matches - today, in the Stanbic T20 final, Mountaineers turned the tables and gave Eagles a taste of their own medicine to claim the title after a highly entertaining tournament. Mountaineers won the toss and put Eagles in to bat, and the home side were simply unable to really get going as wickets fell regularly, with no-one able to form a foundation for the innings. Elton Chigumbura's 20 was the best of the bunch, as Eagles were removed for 105 in the 19th over. Greg Smith took 3/11 to lead the bowling figures for Mountaineers. In reply, Mountaineers were never in any trouble - Smith (1) was the only wicket to fall, with the score on 8, after which Hamilton Masakadza (64*) and Tatenda Taibu (37*) knocked off the required runs wit little fuss, reaching the target with 15 balls to spare. Masakadza was subsequently named Player of the Series and Batsman of the Series, with Vipers' Tony Palladino being named Bowler of the Series. Full scorecard below the cut.
Eagles 105 (18.4 overs; Chigumbura 20, Smith 3/11), Mountaineers 106/1 (17.3 overs; H Masakadza 64*, Hondo 1/19). Mountaineers win by 9 wickets.

In what could well be a prelude of tomorrow's final, Mountaineers and Mashonaland Eagles met in the first of today's matches in the Stanbic T20, and if the result was anything to go by, the trophy can be handed to Eagles already. Batting first after being put in to bat, Eagles only managed to score 141/9 from their 20 overs, with Greb Lamb's 40 being the only real innings of note as Greg Smith took an impressive 5/27 for Mountaineers to keep Eagles in check. If Eagles were poor, though, Mountaineers were some way below woeful - only Hamilton Masakadza (16) and Stuart Matsikenyeri (10) reach double figures as their side was skittled out for 59 inside 12 overs. Ray Price was the man who did the damage, surpassing Greg Smith's efforts with a haul of 5/12 from just 17 balls bowled. Now, what happens next depends on which version of the tournament table you're looking at. If CricInfo and Cricket Archive's table is correct, then Rhinos are still in with a shout of reaching the final if they beat Vipers this afternoon; SuperSport have been using a different table in their broadcasts, and if that's correct then it's already settled that Eagles will meet Mountaineers again tomorrow afternoon. We'll have to wait and see who's correct. Full scorecard for this match below the cut.
Eagles 141/9 (20 overs; Lamb 40, Smith 5/27), Mountaineers 59 (11.5 overs; H Masakadza 16, Price 5/12). Eagles win by 82 runs.

Day Six, and we're on the downward run towards the final in the Stanbic T20. The first matchup of the day was Mountaineers v Desert Vipers, with both sides in with a shout of a final spot depending how the result of this match went. Mountaineers won the toss and chose to bat, and openers Bernard Mlambo and Hamilton Masakadza made a good start, putting on 81 for the opening wicket before Mlambo departed for 24. Masakadza went on to score 52 himself before being bowled by Williams, and while the wickets began to flow fairly regularly from there (Stuart Matsikenyeri's 32 was the best of the rest) the side were still able to push on to 172/8 from their allotted overs. In reply, Vipers lost Rudolph (5) early, but then Raymond van Schoor and Craig Williams set off at a cracking pace - their run-rate was over 10/over until van Schoor departed for 31, while Williams hung around a while longer, adding 35 himself before being bowled by Mushangwe in the 11th over with the score on 91. At that point Vipers were well-placed, but that was also the point where the wheels fell off their innings somewhat, with a number of quick wickets making sure that they simply weren't able to get scoring again at anywhere near the required rate. Their innings finally petered out with the side closing on 150/9 after their 30 overs, handing Mountaineers a convincing 21-run yet. Full scorecard below the cut.
Mountaineers 172/8 (20 overs; H Masakadza 52, Williams 3/28), Vipers 150/9 (20 overs; Williams 35, Maruma 3/24). Mountaineers win by 21 runs.

Southern Rocks versus Mountaineers was the second match of the day, and in the end was far closer and far more tense than might have been expected at the half-way point. Batting first after winning the toss, Mountaineers powered their way to 190/2 from their 20 overs, easily the highest team total of the tournament so far, with Hamilton Masakadza staying at the crease for the entire innings and amassing 102 runs (from 56 balls faced) along the way, before finally holing out to Tafadzwa Kamungozi on the final ball. Add in a determined 71 from Tatenda Taibu, and it looked as though Mountaineers had the match all sewn up. Rocks weren't going to give up without a fight, though, and Chamu Chibhabha got their innings started at a cracking rate of 13/over. That wasn't sustainable, but Chibhabha (70) and #3 Steve Tikolo added 107 for the 3rd wicket in 70 balls, keeping the side within a shout of their target, before Chibhabha finally fell to the bowling of Prosper Utseya. Tikolo (65) kept Rocks on track from there, but the wickets began to fall around him, and the loss of his own wicket with 4 balls remaining in the match and 9 runs still required probably called time on Rocks' chances. Craig Ervine fell 1 run and 2 balls later, leaving Alester Maregwede and Ian Harvey to finish the job - and they fell an agonising 2 runs short of victory, closing their innings on 189/6. Still, it was a determined effort from the side that is generally considered the weakest in the tournament, and I wouldn't be surprised to see them spring a few surprises yet. Full scorecard below the cut.
Mountaineers 190/2 (20 overs; H Masakadza 102, Mahwire 1/18), Rocks 189/6 (20 overs; Chibhabha 70, Chitara 1/20). Mountaineers win by 1 run.

I'll confess, I haven't been a fan of many of the steady stream of 'rebel' players returning to the Zimbabwe cricket scene, especially those who hadn't played competitively since leaving the side - before most of them appeared, I had big doubts about how many of them could live up to their reputations after so long out of the saddle, and Andy Blignaut certainly slotted into that category. Today, in his first match for Tuskers, he answered his doubters in dramatic style. Tuskers were put into bat after Mountaineers won the toss, and were merely okay until Blignaut arrived at the crease. At that point, the side were on 62/4 with just under 9 overs to face, and looking at a mediocre score. Blignaut and his partner Greg Strydom saw out the innings, though, with Strydom adding 29 from 26 balls, while Blignaut flayed the Mountaineers bowlers to all parts of the ground - and out of it, on several occasions - as he powered his way to 63* off just 32 balls - a rate of almost 2/ball. His fireworks display saw Tuskers to 157/4, and left Mountaineers with a mountain to climb - a mountain they immediately stumbled on, when they lost their openers (the brothers Masakadza) for just 12 on the board. Tatenda Taibu (62) and Stuart Matsikenyeri (35) did their best to rebuild the innings, but they barely managed to keep up with the required run rate, and once their partnership was broken a steady stream of wickets made the result inevitable. Mountaineers finished on 143/8 giving Tuskers a 14-run win and a much needed morale boost. Full scorecard below the cut.
Tuskers 157/4 (20 overs; Blignaut 63*, Maruma 1/9), Mountaineers 143/8 (20 overs; Taibu 62, Mpofu 3/18). Tuskers win by 14 runs.

Mountaineers got their quest for the domestic T20 title off to a flying start with an 8-wicket win over MidWest Rhinos in the opening match of the Stanbic Bank Zim Twenty20 this morning. Rhinos were put into bat after Mountaineers won the toss, and amassed 125/6 from their 20 overs, largely thanks to the efforts of Malcolm Waller (55) and Graeme Cremer (35), but that wasn't enough to put them out of the Mountaineers' reach - led by Hamilton Masakadza (74), the Mutare side chased down their target with over 4 overs to spare. Full scorecard below the cut.
Rhinos 125/6 (20 overs; Waller 55, Ncube 2/15), Mountaineers 126/2 (15.4 overs; H Masakadza 76, Stevens 1/21). Mountaineers win by 8 wickets.

A draw against Matabeleland Tuskers in Bulawayo saw Mountaineers lose some ground on Eagles in the tournament table. Batting first, Gregory Strydom (54) and Thabo Mboyi (50*) helped Tuskers to 236 in their first innings, after which Tatenda Taibu's 95 led Mountaineers' reply, as the side posted 265 to claim a small first-innings lead. Tawanda Mupariwa took a career-best 6/52. Dion Ebrahim (114) led Tusker's reply, with enough coming from the other players for the side to reach 303/8 before declaring - although the declaration came with the knowledge that Mountaineers had little chance of reaching their target (275) in the time remaining. Sure enough, the clock ran out with the visitors on 104/4, led by Hamilton Masakadza's unbeaten 57. Full scorecard below the cut.
Tuskers 236 (77.5 overs; Strydom 54, Maruma 3/31) & 303/8 decl (88.4 overs; Ebrahim 114, Utseya 4/70), Mountaineers 265 (92.3 overs; Taibu 95, Mpofu 3/67) & 104/4 (31 overs; H Masakadza 57*, Meth 3/26). Match drawn.

I have to stop with the punning. But not today. Mountaineers proved their class by beating the hapless Rocks by an innings and 114 runs, with the match almost being the Masakadza family show, as Hamilton and Shingi both made key contributions to the win - Hamilton with a first-innings 183, and Shingi with a ton of his own and seven wickets in the match. Rocks, put into bat, put on 263 in their first innings, led by Craig Ervine's 55, while Timycen Maruma's 5/107 also impressed, but in reply Mountaineers racked up 562 before declaring with 9 wickets lost. That left Rocks needing 299 just to make Mountaineers bat again, and they barely got halfway there - barring a fighting 79 from Alester Maregwede, Rocks' batting imploded under sustained fire from the younger Masakadza and Prosper Utseya, and the side were bowled out for 185. Full scorecard below the cut.
Rocks 263 (95.1 overs; Ervine 55, Maruma 5/107) & 185 (62.4 overs; Maregwede 79, Utseya 5/28), Mountaineers 562/9 decl (131.5 overs; H Masakadza 183, Kamungozi 4/124). Mountaineers win by an innings and 114 runs.

Eagles managed to hold off Mountaineers to secure a draw in their latest Logan Cup meeting - Mountaineers were only denied victory by lack of time, and would be right to feel disappointed. Mountaineers won the toss on day one and opted to field, seeing Eagles put on 266 in their first innings. Elton Chigumbura led the scoring with 77, with Greg Lamb next on 44, but the rest of the innings was a story of starts but no-one pushing on. Njabula Ncube took 3/48 for Mountaineers to help keep Eagles in check. In reply, though, Mountaineers were unable to capitalise on their early advantage, only managing to score 241 themselves and handing Eagles a 25-run lead. Tatenda Taibu's 60 was the best of the bunch, while Douglas Hondo (3/35) and Trevor Garwe (3/36) kept the match under control for Eagles.

Come the second innings, the loss of Eagles' opener Alois Tichana on the second ball wouldn't have been the most inspiring of starts, but 101 by #2 Prince Masvaure, many as part of a 93-run partnership with Forster Mutizwa (50), helped Eagles to 264 and cushioned the side against the almost-inevitable lower-order collapse. Propser Utseya's 3/86 led the bowling for Mountaineers. With time running out, Mountaineers were left a target of 290, and if more time had been left to them would have been in with a good shot at chasing it - at close of play, they were 190/4, with Tino Mawoyo (75) and Tatenda Taibu (63) both having had good knocks. It wasn't enough to change the result, though, and a draw it was, with both sides leaving the match with 12 points. Full scorecard below the cut.
Eagles 266 (90.5 overs; Chigumbura 77, Ncube 3/48) & 264 (92.5 overs; Masvaure 101, Utseya 3/86), Mountaineers 241 (95.1 overs; Taibu 60, Hondo 3/35) & 190/4 (64.4 overs; Mawoyo 75, Garwe 1/23). Match drawn.

Both of this week's matches in the Faithwear MetBank one-day series wewre dead rubber that could make no difference to the final tournament table, but with the semi-finals just a few days away there was at least momentum to play for. Mountaineers have set the running for most of the series, and went into this match with an unbeaten record, but it was Rhinos who came away victorious - and by a convincing margin. Mountaineers were put into bat after Rhinos won the toss, and were it not for the efforts of Stuart Matsikenyeri (86*) and Shingi Masakadza (57*) would have posted a frankly embarrasing total - Mountaineers were at 104/8 when the pair joined forces to put of a partnership of 108 that saw the side through to the end of their allotted overs and to a total that they had a chance of defending, at least on paper. Wickets were well spread around the Rhinos bowlers, with Michael Chinouya leading the pack with 3/39.

Chasing, Rhinos got off to an inauspicious start with the early losses of Innocent Chikunya and Friday Kasteni, but Brendan Taylor at 3rd became the anchor for the innings, seeing it through to the end and closing just one short of a ton, with Vusi Sibanda, Malcolm Waller and Graeme Cremer providing support. Rhinos reached their target with 3 1/2 overs to spare, and a boost to morale ahead of their semi-final against Mashonaland Eagles. Full scorecard below the cut.
Mountaineers 212/8 (50 overs; Matsikenyeri 86*, Chinouya 3/39), Rhinos 215/4 (46.3 overs; Taylor 99*, Musoso 2/33). Rhinos win by 6 wickets.