Timm van der Gugten took 4-14 before Zain-ul-Hassan hit the last ball of the match for six as Glamorgan beat Northerns by three wickets in the second of their games in the triangular series with provincial teams at Harare Sports Club. (writes Andrew Hignell).
Northerns won the toss and opted to bat first with their captain Wesley Madhevere beginning with fours against Zain-ul-Hassan to deep extra-cover and backward square-leg, but he perished in the next over, delivered by Timm van der Gugten, attempting another lusty blow as he was caught by ul;-Hassan at deep square-leg. Tadimwanashe Marumani then lofted Andrew Salter to square-leg for four prior to stricking successive boundaries against James Harris. Later in the over Nkosana Mpofu also found the ropes at third man, but the opening batter was then smartly stumped by Alex Horton when Andrew Salter entered the attack, and the pair joined forces two balls later as Marumani departed in identical fashion.
35-3 then became 36-4 as Nyasha Mayavo was bowled by van der Gugten before Harry Podmore had Joylord Gumbie caught at deep mid-wicket by Salter as Northerns slipped further to 45-5 in the ninth over. Tony Munyonga and Shingi Masakadza then added 40 for the sixth wickwet until the former was caught by Callum Taylor at deep mid-wicket as he attempted another lofted drive against Prem Sisodiya. Shingi Masakadza also opted for the aerial route against van der Gugten but he holed out at long-on as ul-Hassan claimed his second catch of the innings with Northerns on 106-8. ul-Hassan then trapped Ainsley Ndlovu l.b.w. before Faraz Akram was caught at long-on by Sam Northeast with Northerns ending on 122.
Taylor and Northeast made a rapid start with the former hositing Richard Ngarava to deep mid-wicket before the latter struck successive balls from Akram through extra-cover and to the ropes at fine-leg. With the total on 21, Ngarava had Northeast caught at mid-wicket by Madhevere as Billy Root joined Taylor, who maintained the quick tempo by cover-driving and straight-driving Ndlovu.
It then became 31-2 as Carl Mumba, the quick bowler, had Root caught behind and after Kiran Carlson, who is leading Glmaorgan today, had driven the paceman through the covers, Masakadza removed Taylor who miscued to short fine-leg. The off-spin of Madhevere then accounted for Eddie Byrom as the fourth Glamorgan wicket fell with the total on 50. Eight runs later Carlson was trapped l.b.w. by Ndlovu before two balls later, Horton departed in identical fashion to Madhevere with Glamorgan on 60-6 after nine overs.
Ul-Hassan and Salter then steadied the ship with a series of one's and two's as the equation was whittled down to 26 from 24 balls before Salter was caught at mid-wicket by Madhevere off the bowling of Masakadza. Harris then joined ul-Hassan and continued the good work with the latter drilling a ball through backward point off Ngarava as the task became 9 from the final over, delivered by Masakadza. The bowler only conced two runs off the first four balls before ul-Hassan scrambled two from the penultimate ball so that Glmaorgan needed 5 from the last ball, with the all-rounder calmly hoisting the ball over deep mid-wicket for six to seal a thrilling victory.