Durban Qalandars got their campaign off to a winning start in the 2nd match of the Zim Afro T10 tournament, defeating Cape Town Samp Army by 8 runs on Friday.
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Put in to bat first, the Qalandars were off to a flying start, with Hazratullah Zazai and Tim Seifert putting on an opening stand of 87. Zazai was the aggressor, hitting 38 off just 25 balls, while Seifert scored 49 off 22.
After the openers departed, Asif Ali took over the scoring, hitting 25 off just 10 balls to help the Qalandars reach 126 for 3 in their 10 overs.
In reply, the Samp Army got off to a good start, with Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Bhanuka Rajapaksa putting on 30 run-partnership for the first wicket. However, the introduction of Linde turned the game in the Qalandars’ favour.
Linde took major wickets in his 2-over of the spell, conceding 18 runs, including Gurbaz and Sean Williams, to help reduce the Samp Army to 118 for 5. The Qalandars never looked back, and they eventually dismissed the Samp Army for 118, with Linde finishing with figures of 2 for 18.
The win gives the Qalandars a perfect start to their campaign, and they will be looking to build on this momentum in their upcoming matches in the league.
Here are some other talking points from the match:
The Qalandars’ opening partnership of Zazai and Seifert was the key to their victory. The two batsmen put on a brilliant display of power hitting, and they were able to take advantage of the short boundaries at Harare Sports Club.
Linde was the star with the ball for the Qalandars. The South African all-rounder took 2 major wickets in his 2 overs, and he was instrumental in turning the game in his team’s favour.
The Samp Army were let down by their batting. The batting lineup lacked firepower, and they were unable to put on any significant partnerships.
Overall, it was a good day for the Qalandars. They played some excellent cricket, and they were deserved winners. The Samp Army will need to improve their batting if they want to challenge for the title.
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