Coca-Cola Pro50 in Kwekwe: Mash Eagles 308/5 v MidWest Rhinos 169

The one-day match between two of the most successful teams of the season so far ended in a convincing victory by Mashonaland Eagles, the visiting team.  The balance was tilted strongly in their favour, though, by the performances of two newly recruited overseas stars, Rob Nicol, a member of the present New Zealand touring team but not playing in the concurrent T20 match between Zimbabwe and New Zealand, and Ryan Bishop, a South African-born Englishman who has yet to play first-class cricket.

The Zimbabwe and New Zealand national teams are wearing arm-bands during the first match of the Econet Twenty20 Series that starts at Harare Sports Club on Saturday.

Alan Butcher, Zimbabwe’s head coach, expressed confidence in the inclusion of Natsai M’shangwe into the Zimbabwe Twenty20 squad. Zimbabwe hosts the Black Caps in the Econet Twenty20 series which is a two match series starting on Saturday the 15th of October at Harare Sports Club.

The New Zealand cricket team landed at Harare International airport on Wednesday the 12th of October for their tour of Zimbabwe. The tour comprises two Twenty20 and two One-Day International matches at the Harare Sports Club in the capital and a one-dayer and a one-off Test Match at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo.