MASHONALAND Eagles captain Tinotenda Mutombodzi believes the extra responsibility of captaining the Harare-based cricket franchise played a pivotal role in his stellar season on the domestic franchise season.
BY DANIEL NHAKANISO
The 24-year-old leg-spinning all-rounder was a surprise choice as Mash Eagles captain at the start of the season as he was selected ahead of senior players such as Elton Chigumbura and Prosper Utseya.
However, looking back at the decision, Mash Eagles would fell they made the right choice as Mutombodzi justified his selection with a number of match-winning performances throughout the season.
On Saturday Mutombodzi was it his best yet again as he steered Mash Eagles to victory in the Pro50 Championship final with a match winning knock of 79 from 76 balls.
Leading from the front as the skipper of the side he anchored the run chase well before wicketkeeper Joylord Gumbie and Wellington Masakadza got their side to their target with three balls to spare.
“I give all the glory to God. He is the one that makes everything come to pass in my life. If it wasn’t for him I would be nothing,” Mutombodzi told NewsDay Sport.
“I’m really happy we managed to win a major trophy and it’s always nice when you play well as the captain of the side. I’m happy I was able to make a significant contribution for the team. Being the captain of the side it’s something that I have been striving to do all season because of the extra responsibility that comes with leading the side,” he said.
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Mutombodzi’s brilliant display in the Pro50 Championship final came hard on the heels of brilliant individual performances in the country’s premier first class cricket competition, the Logan Cup.
Despite Mash Eagles’ failure to win the Logan Cup title for the fourth season running, Mutombodzi was the leading scorer in the competition, scoring 630 runs in nine matches.
The major highlight of his season was his maiden double century (230) against Mountaineers, sharing a record partnership of 352 runs with Englishman Mark Pettini – who scored 142.
“I was really happy with the way I played this season but it would I credit all the success with the bat to hard work and the discipline to play each delivery on its merit.
“Obviously, I will always relish the moment I scored my first double century it’s a milestone achievement that not many players have achieved,” he said.
Having been called up to the national team before, earning three ODI and Twenty20 caps, Mutombodzi said his main focus at the moment was to enjoy his game and a national team recall would be a bonus.
“Obviously, I’d love to hope for better things, but at the moment I just want to continue improving my game and enjoy my cricket playing for the national team again would be a bonus,” said Mutombodzi, who played age-group cricket from Under-13 to Under-19 level.
