Mountaineers pulled off a remarkable one-wicket victory over Southern Rocks after Ronak Patel and Victor Nyauchi guided their team to a last-ball triumph in a dramatic Pro50 encounter at Mutare Sports Club on Sunday.
Having won the toss and elected to bowl first, Mountaineers found themselves under pressure as Southern Rocks capitalised with the bat to post 245 runs in their allotted 50 overs, losing eight wickets.
Nathaniel Hlabangana was among the standout performers for Southern Rocks, scoring 64 runs off 78 deliveries at a strike rate of 82.05 to help his side establish a challenging total.
However, Southern Rocks total proved far from comfortable to defend as Mountaineers produced a determined fightback in the second innings.
Mountaineers’ chase got off to a difficult start, with wickets falling regularly as Southern Rocks’ bowlers dismantled the top order. Mountaineers struggled to build momentum, leaving the responsibility of keeping the chase alive to the lower order.
With the innings threatening to collapse, Patel stepped up with a crucial century, scoring 106 runs off 102 balls, including eight fours and two sixes. He anchored the chase and formed valuable partnerships with his teammates to keep Mountaineers within reach of the target.
After the match, Patel said: “My plan was to keep a positive mindset despite the falling of wickets. When wickets were falling, I wasn’t overthinking,” he added.
The pressure intensified when Nyauchi walked in as the last batter, with Mountaineers requiring 45 runs from 36 deliveries. With nine wickets already down, Mountaineers were staring at defeat, but Patel and Nyauchi refused to surrender.
Nyauchi made his presence felt with a crucial six in the 49th over, while Patel continued rotating the strike through singles. Their efforts brought the equation down to seven runs from the final six balls.
“Im happy for the team because everyone contributed something for us to win,” said Patel.
Southern Rocks entrusted Tanatswa Chisvo with the responsibility of defending the total in the final over. However, with two runs required from the last delivery, Patel struck the ball towards Owen Muzondo before the umpire called a no-ball. The batters completed a single, taking Mountaineers to 246 for nine in 49.5 overs and sealing a stunning one-wicket victory.
Mountaineers manager Tinashe Mbundure was happy with the way the team showed character and not giving up.
What appeared to be a comfortable victory for Southern Rocks turned into a heartbreaking finish, as Patel’s resilience and contribution from the tail proved decisive in a contest that went down to the final delivery.
