Mountaineers cricket team

Mountaineers
Captain: Zimbabwe Prosper Utseya
Coach: Zimbabwe Gary Brent
Overseas player(s): England Phil Mustard
England Liam Dawson
Australia Dirk Nannes (T20 only)
New Zealand Chris Harris (T20 only)
England Ned Eckersley (T20 only)
Founded: 2009
Home ground: Mutare Sports Club, Mutare
Capacity: 1,000
First-class debut: Mashonaland Eagles
in 2009-10
at Harare Sports Club

The Mountaineers is one of five cricket Zimbabwean cricket franchises. They are a first-class cricket team, based in the Manicaland and Mashonaland East area. They play their home matches at Mutare Sports Club in Mutare.[1]

Franchise History

Following the decline of the standards of cricket in Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Cricket decided to use a new set of teams for all the first-class, List A and Twenty20 formats of the domestic game. A total of 5 franchises were named, and the Mountaineers team was based in Manicaland.[2]

2009-10 Logan Cup

On their debut in this tournament, Mountaineers finished in third place in the group, with three wins from twelve games.[3] Their debut first-class match against Mashonaland Eagles was a draw, thanks mainly to captain Hamilton Masakadza's century.[4] Their first first-class win was against Southern Rocks, whom they crushed by eight wickets.[5] For their third-place finish, Mountaineers could not contest the final.

2009-10 Faithwear Metbank One-Day Competition

The Mountaineers had a brilliant tournament, winning the championship by defeating Mid West Rhinos in the final by three wickets. They underlined their dominance in the tournament, by finishing top of the pool with 6 wins from 8 games.[6] In the semi-final, they thrashed the Southern Rocks by seven wickets to enter the final. Players who starred for Mountaineers in that match included Hamilton Masakadza (44*), Tino Mawoyo (40), Stuart Matsikenyeri (36), and Shingirai Masakadza (3-20).[7] In the final against the Rhinos, Mountaineers restricted the opposition to a lowly first-innings score of 144, with captain Prosper Utseya taking 3-24. In return, Mountaineers themselves slipped down to 66-7, before a brilliant fightback by Shingirai Masakadza (41*) and Prosper Utseya (30*) in an unbeaten partnership and the winning runs were scored in style by Masakadza with a lofted six off Malcolm Waller. Rhinos captain Vusi Sibanda had tried nine bowlers, but nothing could break the partnership.[8]

2009-10 Stanbic Bank 20 Series

Despite the fact, that the Mountaineers emerged victorious in this tournament, they were pretty shaky in the group stage. They had 3 wins from 5 games, while counterparts Mashonaland Eagles (the group-toppers), had a better record than them, with 4 wins from 5 games.[9] The Eagles were more dominant, as was proved by the 82-run downing given to them by Eagles bowler Ray Price who took figures of 5 for 12 off just 17 deliveries and took his 5th wicket as Natsai Mushangwe was stumped and the match ended.[10] Mountaineers got better in the final, and put the aforementioned disaster behind them to score a massive nine-wicket win and upset, with the victory mostly possible due to Hamilton Masakadza (64*) and Tatenda Taibu (37*).[11]

Players

When the country was debuting in the 2009-10 Logan Cup, the team consisted of Zimbabwean international and domestic players. Key players at that time included Hamilton Masakadza (Captain), Timycen Maruma, Johnson Marumisa, Shingirai Masakadza, Stuart Matsikenyeri, Tino Mawoyo, Natsai Mushangwe, Njabulo Ncube (who later went on to join his home province Matabeleland Tuskers), Tatenda Taibu (who later on joined Southern Rocks), and Prosper Utseya.[12]

Dirk Nannes, the Australia and Royal Challengers Bangalore fast-bowler, has played the 2011-12 Stanbic Bank 20 Series with Mountaineers.

The Mountaineers made their first major overseas signing when they signed up South African all-rounder Greg Smith.[13]

The following season, there were many improvements in the squads. Former South African great fast bowler Allan Donald was named as the franchise's head coach,[14] while players like South Africa's Jonathan Beukes, Sean Ervine,[15] and more prominently, former South African great all-rounder Lance Klusener, who playing in 171 ODIs, had an average of 41.10 at an impressive strike-rate of 89.91,[16] Other signings include Liam Dawson, who scored, aged 21, scored 908 runs for Hampshire County Cricket Club, in the County Championship, and is supposed to have a long time contract with Mountaineers.[17]

For the 2011-12 season, Mountaineers signed overseas players such as Australian star fast bowler, Dirk Nannes, former Black Caps all-rounder Chris Harris, English wicket-keeper Phil Mustard, and Ned Eckersley.[18] Apart from that, former Zimbabwean seamer Gary Brent replaced Donald as coach.[19]

Current Squad

Players with international caps are listed in bold.

No. Name Nat Birth date Batting Style Bowling Style Notes
Captain
Forster Mutizwa Zimbabwe 24 July 1985 Right-handed Right-arm off break
Batsmen
Innocent Kaia Zimbabwe 10 July 1992 Right-handed Right-arm leg break
Tinashe Kamunhukamwe Zimbabwe 20 June 1993 Right-handed Right-arm off break
10 Hamilton Masakadza Zimbabwe 9 August 1983 Right-handed Right-arm medium
12 Tino Mawoyo Zimbabwe 8 January 1986 Right-handed Right-arm medium fast Occasional wicketkeeper
14 Charles Kunje Zimbabwe 27 May 1994 Right-handed Right-arm off break
14 Vusi Sibanda Zimbabwe 10 October 1993 Right-handed Right-arm off break Occasional wicketkeeper
All-rounders
11 Shingirai Masakadza Zimbabwe 4 September 1986 Right-handed Right-arm fast medium
Clive Chitumba Zimbabwe 11 February 1995 Right-handed Right-arm medium-fast
Roy Kaia Zimbabwe 10 October 1991 Right-handed Right-arm off break
Wicket-keepers
Kevin Kasuza Zimbabwe 20 June 1993 Right-handed Right-arm off break
18 Kudzai Sauramba Zimbabwe 24 January 1992 Right-handed
Bowlers
2 Tendai Chatara Zimbabwe 28 February 1991 Right-handed Right-arm fast-medium
3 Timycen Maruma Zimbabwe 19 April 1988 Right-handed Right-arm leg break, googly
13 Natsai Mushangwe Zimbabwe 9 February 1991 Right-handed Leg break
Tapiwa Mufudza Zimbabwe 20 September 1990 Right-handed Right-arm off break
Victor Nyauchi Zimbabwe 8 June 1992 Right-handed Right-arm fast-medium
Cuthbert Musoko Zimbabwe 24 April 1987 Right-handed Right-arm fast-medium
13 Tatenda Mupunga Zimbabwe 13 May 1994 Right-handed Right-arm fast-medium
15 Donald Tiripano Zimbabwe 17 March 1988 Right-handed Right-arm fast-medium

Source: ESPNCricinfo[20][21]

References

  1. ↑ Price, Steven (2009-05-08). "Zimbabwe rips up domestic structure and starts again". Cricinfo. ESPN. Retrieved 2010-11-23.
  2. ↑ Price, Steven (2009-05-08). "Zimbabwe rips up domestic structure and starts again". Cricinfo. ESPN. Retrieved 2010-11-23.
  3. ↑ Logan Cup 2009/10 / Points table ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 11 December 2011
  4. ↑ Mountaineers do their best to blow it ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 11 December 2011
  5. ↑ Logan Cup Mountaineers v Southern Rocks First-class match 2009/10 season at Mutare Sports Club ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 11 December 2011
  6. ↑ Faithwear Metbank One-Day Competition 2009/10 / Points table ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 17 December 2011
  7. ↑ Mountaineers thrash Rocks to enter final ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 17 December 2011
  8. ↑ Mountaineers lower order secures trophy ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 17 December 2011
  9. ↑ Stanbic Bank 20 Series, 2009/10 / Points table ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 29 December 2011
  10. ↑ Price downs Mountaineers ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 29 December 2011
  11. ↑ All-round Mountaineers scale Twenty20 peak ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 29 December 2011
  12. ↑ Mountaineers Squad Zimbabwe Domestic Season, 2009/10 ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 11 December 2011
  13. ↑ Mountaineers Squad Stanbic Bank 20 Series, 2009/10 ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 11 December 2011
  14. ↑ Allan Donald to coach Mountaineers ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 11 December 2011
  15. ↑ Sean Ervine Becomes a Mountaineer Hampshire County Cricket Club Official Website. Retrieved 11 December 2011
  16. ↑ Klusener to play in Zimbabwe domestic league ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 11 December 2011
  17. ↑ Dawson to play for Mountaineers ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 11 December 2011
  18. ↑ Gayle to play T20s in Zimbabwe ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 11 December 2011
  19. ↑ Gary Brent Replaces Allan Donald as Mountaineers Coach zimcricketnews.com. Retrieved 11 December 2011
  20. ↑ Mountaineers Squad Zimbabwe Domestic Season, 2011/12 ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 29 December 2011
  21. ↑ Mountaineers Squad, Stanbic Bank 20 Series, 2011/12 ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 29 December 2011
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