AfricaPress-Tanzania: TEMBO Warriors cricketers have made it to this season’s Tanzania Cricket Association (TCA) Reliance T20 Super League’s final with comprehensive nine-wicket victory over Serengeti Giants in the last four clash, which took place in Dar es Salaam last weekend.
The semi-final’s eventual winners were set to lock horns with Ngorongoro Titans in the final the same weekend, given the Titans posted a six-wicket victory over Kilimanjaro Aces in the first of the last four stage’s fixtures.
In the second of the last four clashes, Serengeti Giants notched 105 runs for the loss of six wickets in 20 overs after they had batted first.
Gifted all-rounder Ejaz Aziz, who had opened the team’s innings, ended two runs short of a half century and played a pivotal role in seeing to it they record an imposing total.
He notched four fours in his innings, putting his aggressiveness with the bat to show.
He was so far the most impressive player during Serengeti Giants’ turn with the bat, with fellow players failing to live up to expectations.
The club’s quest for posting a much better score faced a blow the first few overs, considering Aziz’s fellow opener, Jumanne Mohamed, lasted a few overs with nine runs to his name.
A section of the squad’s reliable players, deployed as top order batsmen, were sent back the pavilion in quick succession to further weaken the team’s resolve.
Left handed batsman, Seif Khalifa, ended a run short double digit score, with his effort to make his presence count having been brought to a halt by Tembo Warriors’ Jatin Darji, who caught the performer from ‘s Alhaj Sadick bowling.
Youthful all-rounder, Salmini Yusuph, deployed as middle order batsman, chipped in with 19 runs not out, which included a four.
Experienced Tembo Warriors’ player, Vishal Patel, and Suraj Pala ended with two wickets apiece.
Pala gave away 14 runs in four overs, Patel gave away 28 runs in four overs.
Tembo Warriors, led talented all-rounder Ivan Ismail, comfortably got down to successful chase, posting 110 runs for one wicket in 13.5 overs. Ismail put his no nonsense quality to show, blasting 66 runs not out to catapult Tembo Warriors to victory.
They had a good start to the innings, given opening batsman Jatin Darji scored 28 runs.
Much as the experienced player’s presence at the crease was brought to an end by Serengeti Giants’ Mohamed, Tembo Warriors’ depth in batting gave them an edge.
Ismail ferociously cracked balls to push the squad’s total and he set up a solid partnership with Issa Kikasi to make certain of the side’s triumph. Kikasi scored six runs not out.
The semi-final, dubbed ‘ Eliminator’, involved teams which ended third and fourth in the TCA Reliance T20 Super League’s group stage.
Reliance Insurance are main sponsors for the tournament, which is organized by the national cricket governing body in a bid to boost cricket promotion at the domestic level.
The showdown’s co-sponsors are Sayona Drinks Ltd, Unity Computers, Sterling, Pepsi, Harab Motors and G1 Security.
