TAKASHINGA Patriots 1 captain Roy Kaia wants his charges to be clinical in every department when they make the long trip to Masvingo for a date against Scorpions Cricket Club at Masvingo Sports Club on Sunday.
After walloping Mbizo Cricket Club by 217 runs on Thursday at Takashinga Cricket Club in Highfield, Kaia is demanding more from his players.
“Every team when they play Takashinga, they bring their A-game because they all want to make a big statement by beating us, so we can’t afford to rest on our laurels,” said Kaia.
“The win over Mbizo is now behind us and our focus is now on the next game against Scorpions and the fact that they are playing in the NPL shows they deserve to play against the best clubs in the country. We therefore can’t take them lightly.”
Scorpions are tricky customers who have within their ranks, a formidable opening duo of Blessed Muzite and the hard-hitting Tafadzwa Mahachi.
Muzite scored 58 runs against Knights Cricket Club but the day belonged to his fellow partner, Mahachi who scored a brilliant 106 from just 70 balls to power his team to a two-wicket victory.
However, they will have their work cut out when they face Blessing Muzarabani who is in imperious form, especially with the new ball.
The Boyz Dzangu Analyst knows that Scorpions have an undercooked belly, their middle almost threw away the good start they had been given by the top order against Knights before scampering home to their first win of the 2024 NPL season.
If the Takashinga 1 fast bowlers do not get you, Tapiwa Mufudza will send you packing. He bamboozled the Mbizo batsmen on his way to a routine five-wicket haul.
Wellington Masakadza has come through with the bat by his lofty standards, you know it is just a matter of time before he dominates the opposition with his left-arm spin.
Takashinga 1 is yet to register a centurion after two games and it is something the batters want to make right, starting with their match against Scorpions.
All the top-order batters have had starts but no one has converted that good start into a big hundred, with Masakadza coming close against Mbizo with a belligerent 87.
They will have to be wary of Scorpions’ leader of the pack, Tafara Chingwara whose bowling performance of five for 35 helped restrict Knights to a chaseable total.
Alvin Chiradza’s stock for Takashinga 1 continues to rise as he is yet to be dismissed in this year’s NPL with a batting average of over 100.
Chiradza’s exploits have impressed his captain Kaia and is happy to see the young players taking all the responsibility and seeing the team home.
“Most people look at Alvin’s age and think he is inexperienced but he has been around for a long time, he has mustered a lot of experience over the years,” added the skipper.
“He is always calm under pressure and it’s good to see him winning games for Takashinga which augurs well for the future.”