Durban Qalandars take on the Joburg Buffaloes in Qualifier 1 of the Zim Afro T10 League. The match will be played at Harare Sports Club, Harare.

In the first Zim Afro T10 playoffs, the Durban Qalandars take on the Joburg Buffaloes in the first qualifier at Harare Sports Club in Harare.

The Qalandars finished the league stage at the top of the points table. They won five of their eight games and ended up picking up ten points. They beat the Bulawayo Braves in their last league game and will be looking to continue that momentum.

Only Asif Ali (32) and George Linde (28*) hit double digits first as they finished with 10308. They then limited the Braves to 96-7, with Tendai Chatara finishing with numbers of 3-9 in his two overs.

The Buffaloes, meanwhile, turned the tables and made it to the Round of 16 of the 2023 Zim Afro T10, winning three straight games and finishing the league stage in second place. They comprehensively beat the Harare Hurricanes and finished in the top two.

Mohammad Hafeez and Noor Ahmad each took two wickets to limit the Hurricanes to 81-7. Tom Banton (31*) and Will Smeed (44*) added to the chase as the Buffaloes crossed the finish line in 6.4 overs. They will try to repeat that feat on Friday.

Match Preview

Durban Qalandars will take on the Joburg Buffaloes in the first qualifier of the Zimbabwe Afro T10 on July 28 at Harare Sports Club in Harare. Durban Qalandars have won five out of eight games and finished the league top of The Table. On the other hand, the Joburg Buffaloes played eight games, winning and losing four games each, and were tied for second place after the group stage ended.

In their last game, Durban Qalandars faced Bulawayo Braves, where Durban Qalandars had won the throw and opted for the bat. Qalandars got off to a terrible start, dropping just four wickets on a score of 14, and things were looking bleak for them. Asif Ali and George Linde then joined forces to bring the team to a total of 103 runs. The Braves weren't too far behind their opponents, having already lost three wickets by the time they had 15 runs. While their middle class tried to score some runs, it proved too little and too late, and Durban Qalandars won the match by seven runs.

The Joburg Buffaloes had played the Harare Hurricanes in their most recent encounter, with the throw being won by the Harare Hurricanes, who opted to bat. Hurricanes didn't start particularly well and developed quite well. They continued to shed wickets at regular intervals, and by the end of the inning they had 81 runs for the loss of seven wickets. The Buffaloes lost a wicket early but didn't look back after the early loss. They had an unbeaten partnership of 72 runs, allowing them to easily win the match with nine wickets and almost four overs to go.

Pitch Report

Throughout the tournament, the pitch in Harare has proved to be a batter's paradise and we can expect another high-scoring game at this venue on Friday. The team that wins the toss will likely decide to bowl first and then chase the target in the second half of the game.

Weather Report

The temperature is expected to range between 8 and 24 degrees Celsius.

Toss Prediction

Teams should look to win the toss and bat, with the average first innings total being 120.

Match Prediction

Both the Qalandars and Buffaloes clinched a win in their last game and will have great confidence. Expect an exciting competition as both teams are tied.

The Buffaloes have performed well in recent games, so expect them to emerge victorious.

Prediction: Buffaloes will win

Probable Playing XI

Durban Qalandars

Hazratullah Zazai, Tim Seifert (wk), Andre Fletcher, Asif Ali, Craig Ervine (c), Nick Welch, George Linde, Brad Evans, Tendai Chatara, Azmatullah Omarzai, Daryn Dupavillon.

Joburg Buffaloes

Tom Banton, Mohammad Hafeez (c), Ravi Bopara, Will Smeed, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Yusuf Pathan, Wellington Masakadza, Noor Ahmad, Junior Dala, Blessing Muzarabani, Victor Nyauchi.

Top Fantasy Picks Dream11 Prediction

Durban Qalandars

Tom Banton is the Joburg Buffaloes' top runs scorer with 146 runs and a batting average of 155. He has hit 6 sixes and 15 fours. Mushfiqur Rahim also has 112 runs with a batting average of 172.

Mohammad Hafeez was the Joburg Buffaloes' top bowler, bowling in 12 wickets with an average of 9 and a save rate of 7.86.

Joburg Buffaloes

Tim Seifert is the Durban Qalandars' top runs scorer with 226 runs and a batting average of 211. He hit 17 sixes and 20 fours. Hazratullah Zazai also has 202 runs with a 150 batting average.

Tendai Chatara was the top bowler for Durban Qalandars, bowling 11 wickets with an average of 13 and a save rate of 9.77.