Board XI — 139 in 19.4 overs (Chamu Chibhabha 49, PJ Moor 28, Prince Masvaure 21; Kyle Jarvis 3/22, Chris Mpofu 2/15, Wellington Masakadza 2/21)
Zimbabwe Select — 140-3 in 15.2 overs (Brian Chari 74*, Tarisai Musakanda 17, Cephas Zhuwao 15; Chamu Chibhabha 1/21, John Nyumbu 1/27, Brandon Mavuta 1/44)
Zimbabwe Select won by seven wickets
The Zimbabwe Select team completed a clean sweep of victories in this 20-over tournament by beating the Board XI with ease, by a margin of seven wickets and almost five overs to spare, in the final played at Harare Sports Club on Tuesday afternoon.
The Select entered this match with six wins, all quite comfortable, while the Board XI had only two victories behind them, both over Kenya, and four defeats, three to their opponents in the final.
The Select won the toss and decided to field first.
They opened their bowling with two spinners in Tendai Chisoro and Wellington Masakadza, against the batting of Tinashe Kamunhukamwe and Chamu Chibhabha.
In the second over Kamunhukamwe swept rashly across the line and was trapped lbw by Masakadza for five.
Hamilton Masakadza went cheaply for nine, a soft dismissal as he steered a ball from Kyle Jarvis into the hands of cover; 28 for two in the fifth over.
Ryan Murray (1) fatally checked a drive off Donald Tiripano and skyed a simple catch to mid-off in the following over, and at 29 for three the Select were in some trouble.
PJ Moor briefly looked like turning the match around, playing himself in and then attacking the bowling.
He drove Wellington Masakadza for two straight sixes that hit the media centre, but the bowler had his revenge, trapping him lbw with the next delivery for 28 off 17 balls, and the Select were now 62 for four in the ninth over.
Chibhabha, however, was still there, batting sensibly on 12 not out, without having faced much of the bowling.
The team hundred came up in the 15th over, with Prince Masvaure at the crease with Chibhabha.
Masvaure made 21 off 20 balls before he miscued a drive off Ryan Burl and skyed a catch to backward point; 107 for five in the 17th over was not looking good.
Richmond Mutumbami did not last long, missing a reverse sweep to be bowled by Chisoro for two.
Chibhabha was now playing a more attacking game, and drove Jarvis over long-on for six to reach 49, but the next ball was a yorker that bowled him out after a very meritorious innings; 130 for seven.
Neville Madziva was run out for one, Brandon Mavuta made three and John Nyumbu five as the innings ended sharply for 139, with two balls to spare at the end.
Jarvis returned the best figures, three for 22, while Masakadza and Mpofu took two each.
The Select had a none-too-difficult target to chase, but quickly lost Bothwell Chapungu, caught at the wicket off Nyumbu for four in the first over.
In Nyumbu’s second over, though, Chari hit his first four balls for three sixes, all hit between long-on and midwicket with the spin, and a four.
He and Cephas Zhuwao launched a fierce attack on the bowlers as if they were chasing a target twice the size, and after four overs 45 runs were on the board.
Zhuwao for once was being outscored, and he had made only 15 of the 61 on the board when he slashed a ball from Mavuta to be caught at backward point in the sixth over.
Chari, with two successive sixes off Mavuta, brought up the team hundred in the 11th over, and also his own fifty, which came off 24 balls.
Tarisai Musakanda was giving him good support, scoring 17 off 20 balls, but then drove a catch to extra cover off Chibhabha.
Ryan Burl came in, but with victory certain the batsmen now took their time, until Chari went for glory and hit his eighth six, this time a mighty cut over backward point off Tendai Chatara, to bring the match and the tournament to an end.
Chari’s 74 not out came off 37 balls and also included three fours; Burl was unbeaten with 13 off 12 balls, and none of the bowlers did particularly well.
The Select thoroughly deserved their victory, as they had dominated the tournament from beginning to end.
