The Logan Cup is coming to town

Posted by brmtaylor.com admin on March 08, 2008

All the excitement of the Logan Cup is returning for 2008, and this year promises more action than ever. Zimbabwe's national team players are expected to be available for at least the first round of the competition, meaning potentially the highest quality competition since the early 2000's.

Since we last updated the fixtures for this competition, the dates have been shifted slightly to allow for the national team players participating in the MTN series to take part in the first round.

All Bulawayo matches will be played at Queens Sports Club, while Harare Sports Club will host the Harare matches. The Northerns match for Round 1 was initially scheduled to be played in Harare, but Cricinfo report that the groundmen have been temporarily suspended for allowing rain to get on to the pitch during the last MTN series match.

Round 1 (Mar 12-15) - Easterns vs Southerns (Played at Masvingo), Northerns vs Westerns (Bulawayo)

Round 2 (Mar 19-22) - Easterns vs Northerns (Mutare), Westerns vs Centrals (Kwekwe)

Round 3 (Apr 3-6) - Easterns vs Centrals (Mutare), Northerns vs Southerns (Harare)

Round 4 (Apr 14-17) - Centrals vs Northerns (Kwekwe), Westerns vs Southerns (Bulawayo)

Round 5 (Apr 21-24) - Southerns vs Centrals (Masvingo), Westerns vs Easterns (Bulawayo)

brmtaylor.com's Logan Cup prediction: The Westerns will win the 2007-08 Logan Cup competition. The boys from Bulawayo boast some of the promising fast bowlers in the country, and could potentially enter the first round with a fast bowling attack consisting of Chris Mpofu, Tawanda Mupariwa, Brendon Marsh and Khawulani Ntuli.

The batting is equally as powerful, boasting Greg Strydom, Charles Coventry, Matthew Williams, Bonaparte Mujuru and Freedom Takarusenga, with the possibility of star batsman Sean Williams and allrounder Keith Dabengwa in the first round.

brmtaylor.com takes a quick look at the players worth watching in the Logan Cup:

The dangerman: Khawulani Ntuli
Khawulani Ntuli has been the talk of the Zimbabwe cricket community. Seen as the future of Zimbabwean fast bowling - some call him the fastest bowler in the country - he is in good form, having been named man of the series in the recently played Faithwear "B" division with 22 wickets to his name.

The allrounder: Freedom Takarusenga
After a successful National League - including 4 wickets and 95 runs in the final - in which he troubled both opposition batsmen and bowlers, Freedom Takarusenga would have to be on the fringes of Zimbabwe A team selection. The opening batsman for Westerns will be looking to score his maiden First Class century this season.

The wildcard: Tinashe Hove
The former Zimbabwe A batsman averaged less than 15 in last years edition of the Logan Cup, and was even overlooked by his club, Bulawayo Athletic Club, for the National League final. But with a First Class century to his name - one of an elite few in Zimbabwean domestic cricket with such a feat - he and Takarusenga could do damage to the opposition at the top of the order.

The real wildcard: Mark Vermeulen
The true wildcard of the Logan Cup would have to be Mark Vermeulen. He wants to make a return, he has form for Old Hararians. The only thing he needs is Zimbabwe Cricket's approval. Should he get it, he could single handedly win matches for his team. His team is - you guessed it - Westerns.

The magician: Graeme Cremer
In 2006-07, he had moderate success in the Logan Cup, his unbeaten 171 gaining more recognition than his spin bowling. But more recently, he tore apart the South African competition. He even gained selection for the national team in the 45 over MTN series, despite being seen somewhat as a Test match specialist. Turning into a genuine allrounder, Cremer will most likely be an automatic selection for the Northerns, and as their most experienced player he will need to continually weave his magic should Northerns win the Logan Cup.

The young gun: Kyle Jarvis
A better than average player in a lower than lower than average team (sic), he performed well for the Zimbabwe under 19's in Malaysia - he took 9 wickets in 6 matches at under 21 apiece. If he manages to get a game, it will most likely be for the Northerns, but the selectors may decide it is best for him to play another season at club level.