Eagles head coach Eric Chauluka is keeping his sights on future accomplishments, even after his team’s record-breaking performance in the Logan Cup match against Tuskers in Bulawayo.
Eagles scored an impressive 716/9 in 149.4 overs, surpassing Mountaineers’ previous record of 631.
Four centuries from the top and middle-order batsmen contributed to this achievement.
Dion Myers scored the highest with 179 from 198 balls, followed by Craig Ervine with 171 from 226 balls, Kudzai Maunze with 113 from 193 balls, and Tadiwanashe Marumani who remained unbeaten on 107 from 112 balls. The Eagles declared their innings at 716/9.
In response to Tuskers’ first innings score of 321 all out in 92.1 overs, the Eagles managed to bowl out their opponents twice. Alex Russell emerged as the star of the show, taking his second five-wicket haul of the match and restricting Tuskers to 190 all out in 34.3 overs. The Eagles won the match by an innings and 205 runs, with Russell taking a total of 10 wickets for 140 runs from 34.1 overs.
Despite this remarkable feat, Chauluka remains focused on the bigger picture. He told The Standard Sport, “Our goal was to win both the Pro 50 and the Logan Cup games against Tuskers. Breaking the records was just an added bonus. As Eagles, we pride ourselves on playing positive cricket and dominating in all three aspects of the game, which we did in Bulawayo. Everyone contributed to this victory and breaking records will definitely help us in our quest for the league title.”
Veteran batsman Craig Ervine seems to have regained his form, scoring big in both the Pro 50 Championship and the Logan Cup. Ervine scored 103 not out in the drawn Logan Cup encounter against Southern Rocks and 171 against Tuskers. He also scored 135 and 88 against Rocks and Tuskers in the Pro 50 matches.
Younger players have also made significant contributions to the team.
Chauluka added, “We have a good balance in the team, and everyone knows their roles. When selected in the team, you know what is expected of you and what you need to do to help the team win. Craig has been around for a while and is showing his class. He is in good form, but the ultimate goal is to make the national team. His performance with the Eagles is a reflection of what he can do for Zimbabwe going forward.”
The Eagles currently lead the Logan Cup standings with 39 points after two rounds of matches. Rhinos are in second place with 31 points, while Mountaineers are in third with 23 points from one match. Southern Rocks are in fourth place with 18 points, and Tuskers are at the bottom with 14 points. The Eagles also lead the Pro 50 Championship charge on net run rate.