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In only his second first-class season, 24-year-old Mid
West Rhinos skipper Antum Naqvi created history by being the first player from
a Zimbabwean team to score a triple century in any form of representative
cricket.
Naqvi was already on 250 when play began on the third
day of the Rhinos vs. Matabeleland Tuskers Logan Cup encounter in Harare on
Friday. Rhinos had responded with 461 for 3 to Tuskers’ 128. Naqvi expanded on
that, reaching 300 before lunch and setting a number of records in Zimbabwe in
the process.
He broke Cephas Zhuwao’s record for the greatest
individual score in the Logan Cup first class, set in 2017–18, when he passed
265 points. The next to be surpassed was Ray Gripper, who set a record for the
greatest individual score by a Zimbabwean player in first-class cricket in the
1967–1968 Currie Cup in South Africa with 279 not out. Ultimately, he had
surpassed Brian Davison’s 299 from 1973–74, the greatest Logan Cup score prior
to it being a first-class competition, when he reached 300.
In first-class cricket, Graeme Hick and Murray Goodwin
had both scored triple hundreds, but they had done it for English county teams
rather than Zimbabwean squads.
But Mark Richardson, who hit 306 for the visiting New
Zealanders against Zimbabwe A in the 2000–01 season in Kwekwe, holds the record
for the highest first-class score in Zimbabwe. Though Naqvi could have exceeded
that, Rhinos declared at 538 for 3, pressing for the victory with him on 300.
By the end of the third day of play, Rhinos held a commanding lead of 410 and
Tuskers were at 143 for 2, still 267 behind.
Naqvi batted for 444 minutes, hitting 30 fours and 10
sixes before needing to face 295 balls to reach his triple century.