MASHONALAND Eagles put on a perfect show during the round robin phase of the domestic Twenty20 (T20) competition, but head coach Steven Mangongo believes they would have to play even better if they are to beat Mountaineers in the Castle Lager T20 final at Harare Sports Club on Sunday.
REPORT BY DANIEL NHAKANISO
Eagles won all their seven matches during the round robin phase to finish top of the log on 34 points and in the process securing a home final while Mountaineers finished second on 20 points.
However, while Eagles managed back-to-back wins over their rivals in Twenty20s earlier this season, Mangongo believes the one-off final will not be easy for his side.
“We might be struggling in the longer version of the game (Logan Cup), but we have done very well in the limited overs matches. In the Twenty20s we have won all our seven matches and we need to make sure that we bring our best on Sunday because we are playing against a very good side in Mountaineers.”
“That impressive record during the round robin phase won’t count for anything if we don’t bring our best for the final and that’s what we have been emphasising to the players,” Mangongo said.
The Castle Lager T20 final presents Eagles with an opportunity to win their second major piece of silverware in less than a month after the Pro-50 Championship win over Tuskers last month.
Mangongo said they would adhere to the winning formula which worked during the round robin phase as well as the final against Tuskers.
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“The boys are very confident of themselves and our aim is to stick to the same formula which has worked for us in previous matches in which we have done well.
“Obviously another important aspect is that the mentality of the players has to be right because Twenty20 is a very fast game and any slip-up can be very costly. You can either win or lose matches in a space of two overs, so the players need to concentrate at all times,” he said.
Eagles received a boost this week with the return of pace bowler Kyle Jarvis from a stint in New Zealand where he has been playing for Central Districts.
The Harare-based franchise will also base their hopes on the batting duo of Chamu Chibhabha and Sikandar Raza — who both top the scores charts in the competition — while the spin trio of Tino Mutombodzi, Prosper Utseya and Ray Price have also won matches for Eagles with the ball.
While Eagles have had the luxury of solely focusing on Sunday’s final because of a bye in the Logan Cup, Mountaineers have had their immediate attention on their Logan Cup match against Southern Rocks which ends today.
The Mutare-based franchise will go into the final without the services of their most senior batsman Hamilton Masakadza.
Masakadza, who was Mountaineers’ top run getter in the competition, is currently featuring in the Bangladesh Premier League.
In his absence, the Gary Brent-coached side will look to their other senior players such as Tino Mawoyo, Timycen Maruma and seamer Shingi Mpofu, who has been the highest wicket taker in the competition with 19 wickets from seven matches.
