Harare: 24-year-old Antum Naqvi, leading the Mid West Rhinos, etched his name in Zimbabwean cricket history by becoming the first player from a Zimbabwean team to hit a triple century at any level of representative cricket.
The remarkable feat unfolded during the Rhinos vs Matabeleland Tuskers Logan Cup game in Harare. As play commenced on the third day, Naqvi, already standing tall at 250, propelled his team to 461 for 3 in response to Tuskers’ 128. Naqvi’s relentless march continued, reaching the 300-run milestone before lunch, rewriting several Zimbabwean records along the way.
His journey to 300 saw Naqvi break the Logan Cup first-class record for the highest individual score, surpassing Cephas Zhuwao’s 265 in the 2017-18 season. Not stopping there, he eclipsed Ray Gripper’s 279, the highest individual score by a Zimbabwean player in first-class cricket since the 1967-68 Currie Cup in South Africa.
The final milestone shattered was Brian Davison’s 299 in 1973-74, the highest Logan Cup score before it attained first-class status.
Graeme Hick and Murray Goodwin may have achieved triple centuries in first-class cricket, but Naqvi’s accomplishment holds a distinct honour as it unfolded for a Zimbabwean team, not in the English county circuit.
Although Mark Richardson’s 306 for the New Zealanders against Zimbabwe A in the 2000-01 season in Kwekwe stands as the best first-class score on Zimbabwean soil, Naqvi’s decision to declare at 538 for 3 with him on 300 showcased a strategic move to press for victory.
With a commanding lead of 410, Rhinos had Tuskers at 143 for 2 by the close of play on the third day, still trailing by 267.
Naqvi’s triple century, crafted over 295 balls in 444 minutes, featured an impressive array of 30 fours and ten sixes.
