Nyasha Mayavo of Midlands Rhinos has a first-class career batting average of only 20, but he showed his true ability on Wednesday against Rising Stars at Harare Sports Club with a magnificent and courageous fighting century that took his team to a first-innings total of 378.
Stars made a spirited response, however, thanks to dashing eighties from Tinashe Kamunhukamwe and Tarisai Musakanda, and they reached 203 for three wickets by the close of play.
Rhinos resumed their first innings on another mild sunny morning at their overnight score of 270 for six wickets, with Mayavo on 37 and Trevor Gwandu yet to score.
Mayavo continued to score quietly but fluently, scoring all the first 13 runs of the day to reach his valuable fifty off 106 balls.
Honest Ziwira and Tinashe Muchawaya then settled down to tight, accurate bowling and runs became more difficult to obtain.
It took almost an hour before the 300 was brought up, after 13 more overs had been bowled.
Njabulo Ncube again resorted to bowling several balls an over at the batsmen’s heads, and this finally brought about the dismissal of Gwandu, fending off a ball into the gully for a valuable defensive innings of 10.
Mayavo faced Ncube’s barrage courageously and struck him for three successive boundaries, a flick over the slips, a pull to midwicket and a slash through point, in an over in which all six deliveries were bouncers.
Mayavo finally pulled yet another bouncer for four to reach a superb century, which took him 174 balls, but then, surprised by one of full length, chipped the next ball into the covers to be caught.
His 103, off 175 balls, contained a six and 13 fours.
Lunch followed a few minutes later, when the score was 375 for eight, with Michael Chinouya, who was playing with great determination, on 18 and Jabulisa Tshuma yet to score.
Tshuma played defiantly after the interval until he was finally trapped lbw to Brandon Mavuta for four.
The innings came to an unsatisfactory end after Chinouya (21) was struck on the upper body by another short ball from Ncube, which bounced on to his stumps.
The total was 378, Ncube finishing with five wickets for an expensive 109, while Mavuta had three for 88.
Ziwira took two for 51 off 24 overs, but he was the best of the seam bowlers, always keeping the batsmen under pressure with his fine line and length.Kamunhukamwe and Tafadzwa Mupariwa opened the batting for Rising Stars, against the bowling of Chinouya and Gwandu.
In the first over Chinouya moved the ball away off the pitch and Mupariwa (1) edged it to be caught in the slips; five for one.
Kamunhukamwe continued in aggressive fashion, but, after he had settled in, Musakanda took the attack to the bowlers in fine style, looking in his best form.
Without ever looking to rush, Musakanda went to his fifty off only 39 balls, with a lofted drive and a pull, both for four, off Chingwara.
So fast was the scoring that the hundred came up in the 15th over, and at tea, after 18 overs, the total was 121 for one, with Kamunhukamwe on 45 and Musakanda 73.
Kamunhukamwe drove the third ball after tea for six, to bring up his first fifty in first-class cricket off 55 balls.
Musakanda again fell short of his century, though, out for 80 off 61 balls when he finally skyed a ball from Chingwara to long-off; 143 for two.
It had been a brilliant innings, but to fulfil his potential he needs to make big hundreds; his highest first-class score is still only 87.
Now joined by Tafadzwa Tsiga, Kamunhukamwe continued the assault on the bowlers, and Mupariwa made a brisk start to his innings.
But now the bowlers began to tighten up and runs became harder to get.
As so often happens, the drinks interval brought a wicket, this one being Kamunhukamwe, who immediately after the break was trapped lbw by Tendai Chisoro for 83.
He faced 103 balls, hit nine fours and four sixes, and left with the score 193 for three.
With Tsiga and Ryan Burl batting, the scoring rate slowed right down, and by the close of play, they had taken almost 17 overs to add just 10 runs.
At this stage the score was 203 for three wickets, with Tsiga on 27 and Burl seven off 44 balls
