The Durban Qalandars registered their second consecutive win of the inaugural edition of the Zim Afro T10 after they beat Joburg Buffaloes on Saturday.
The Durban Qalandars were led to victory by opening batter Hazratullah Zazai and won the match by seven wickets with five balls to spare.
Batting first, the Joburg Buffaloes got off to a fine start with Tom Banton firing on all cylinders. However, after a 22-run opening stand, Will Smeed was knocked over for one by George Linde.
The Durban Qalandars were on the hunt for more quick wickets, however, Mushfiqur Rahim and Banton came together and thwarted the bowlers, putting together a good 35-run stand for the third wicket. In the process the English cricketer completed a half-century, and helped his side post 94/4 in their 10 overs.
In the chase, the Qalandars lost the first wicket in Tim Seifert (7) as Noor Ahmed struck in the third over to break an opening stand of 22 runs. Nonetheless, Hazratullah Zazai and Andre Fletcher stitched together an important 25-run stand after that to keep the Qalandars in the driver’s seat in the game.
Fletcher though could not kick on and was dismissed by Mohammad Hafeez for 12, after which Asif Ali joined Zazai in the middle with the game on a knife-edge. In the final three overs, the Qalandars needed 22 runs to win with Zazai and Ali going strong.
In the final over, Zazai put the seal on the win with a huge six over mid-wicket, remaining unbeaten on 41.
Brief Scores:
Joburg Buffaloes – 94/4 in 10 overs (Tom Banton – 55*, Mushfiqur Rahim – 19; Tendai Chatara – 2/14, Azmatullah Omerzai – 1/16)
Durban Qalandars – 97/3 (Hazratullah Zazai – 41*, Asif Ali – 23; Mohammad Hafeez – 2/13, Noor Ahmed – 1/16)