The Joburg Buffaloes will face  Durban Qalandars in the final match of the inaugural Zimbabwe T10 League 2023 on Saturday.

The Joburg Buffaloes take on the Durban Qalandars in the 2023 Zim Afro T10 Finals on Saturday, July 29. Harare Sports Club in Harare will host this exciting competition.

The Joburg Buffaloes qualified directly for the Finals after winning the first qualifier. They defeated the Durban Qalandars in a thrilling match to secure entry into the finals. They played brilliantly in the tournament and want to top it off for the last time on Saturday.

Noor Ahmad recorded figures of 2/9 in his two overs but the others struggled as the Qalandars recorded 140 runs on the board. Chasing a mammoth result, Yusuf Pathan hit an incredible 80* shot from just 26 balls to put the Joburg Buffaloes a ball clear over the finish line.

The Durban Qalandars, on the other hand, had to take the longer route to reach the final. They lost to the Joburg Buffaloes in the first qualifier, but recovered in the second qualifier against the Harare Hurricanes and advanced to the finals.

Brad Evans grabbed a four-fer as the Qalandars did a fantastic job limiting the Hurricanes to 82/8. Hazratullah Zazai scored the best hit with 25 at the top of the rankings and helped the team cross the finish line in the penultimate over. They'll be looking to repeat the performance against the Buffaloes in the Finals.

Match Preview

Durban Qalandars will take on the Joburg Buffaloes in the 2023 Zim Afro T10 Finals at Harare Sports Club in Harare on July 29. Durban Qalandars have won five games out of nine played and finished the league stage in second place. On the other hand, the Joburg Buffaloes played nine games in which they won five and were top of the table by the end of the group stage.

In their last game, Durban Qalandars faced the Harare Hurricanes, where Durban Qalandars had won the toss and opted to bowl. Of the entire batting side, only Robin Uthappa and Samit Patel managed to get a double-digit score. Samit Patel had the highest score at 39, bringing his team to a decent 82 run total. Qalandars lost two wickets fairly early but still appeared to be in command of the chase. They weren't dependent on a single batter, but several different batters contributed. Durban Qalandars easily won the game with four wickets and eight balls remaining.

The Joburg Buffaloes had played the Durban Qalandars in their most recent encounter, with the pitch being won by the Joburg Buffaloes, who opted to bowl. Qalandars got off to a good start, which continued to improve as the innings progressed. Their middle class played aggressively and scored the most runs. They posted a total of 140 runs on the board. The Buffaloes didn't shy away from such a big goal and started well. The team did score a few runs, but it was Yusuf Pathan who stormed Qalandars with a 26-ball 80 knock and won the game for the Joburg Buffaloes with the penultimate ball of the game.

Pitch Report

The pitch of the Harare Sports Club resembles a race track. The ball hits the racquet well and the batters have fun batting here. The bowlers often travel after missing their target and need to be careful when bowling at this venue.

Weather Report

Clear skies will greet both sides on Saturday. The temperature in Harare on Saturday is expected to hover between 10 to 26 degrees Celsius.

Toss Prediction

Winning the toss can be crucial in determining the match outcome. Durban Qalandars might opt to bowl first.

Match Prediction

Both sides faced each other in Qualifying 1 and the Joburg Buffaloes emerged victorious after a high-scoring duel. The Durban Qalandars must shoot together to avenge their loss to the towering Buffaloes in the 2023 Zim Afro T10 Finals.

The Joburg Buffaloes have a balanced squad and expect to clinch the title on Saturday.

Prediction: Joburg Buffaloes win Zim Afro T10 2023 Finals.

Head to Head

According to head-to-head statistics, Durban Qalandars hold a 65% chance of winning against Joburg Buffaloes’ 35%.

Probable Paying XI

Joburg Buffaloes

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

Durban Qalandars

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

Probable Paying XI

Joburg Buffaloes

Yusuf Pathan's willow and it came at the right time for the Joburg Buffaloes as the former Indian batsman scored a game-winning 80* runs in Qualifier 1. Overall, he hit 187 runs in 6 innings of this tournament with a batting average of 207.77.

Mohammad Hafeez is a strong contender for the Player of the Series award. He is the main face of the Joburg Buffaloes, having amassed 12 wickets and 162 runs in this tournament.

Durban Qalandars

Tendai Chatara is the second best wicket taker in this tournament. In 10 games he has won 12 wickets at the best odds of 3 to 9.

Tim Seifert can put bowler under pressure from the first ball. In 10 games of this tournament, he hit 241 runs with a batting average of 204.23.

Asif Ali is the ultimate finisher for Durban Qalandars. In 9 innings in this T10 league, he has 178 runs with a batting average of 209.41, including 8 fours and 17 sixes.