Southern Rocks

Franchise History

Following the decline of the standard of cricket in Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Cricket used a new set of teams for all the first-class, List A and the Twenty20 formats of the game. The Southern Rocks were based in Masvingo and Matabeleland South area.

2009-10 Logan Cup

The Southern Rocks debut in the Logan Cup was disastrous. The Rocks played 12 matches and lost six, while drawing six. These included heavy defeats such as a 234-run defeat to Mash Eagles, an 8-wicket loss to Mountaineers, a defeat by an innings and 214 runs to Matabeleland Tuskers, an innings and 87 runs defeat to the Tuskers, an innings and 114 runs defeat to Mountaineers, an innings and 19 runs defeat to Mashonaland Eagles, etc. The team's first draw was against Mid West Rhinos, achieved at Masvingo Sports Club.

2009-10 Faithwear Metbank One-Day Competition

Southern Rocks lost their first ever List A match to Mountaineers by 5 wickets at Mutare Sports Club, but duly bounced back to finish in fourth place in the group stage and qualify for the semi-final. In the semi, they were crushed by Mountaineers by seven wickets to eliminate them from the competition, despite Steve Tikolo providing some resistance to Mountaineers with a 37 in a Rocks total of 131 all out.

2009-10 Stanbic Bank 20 Series

Rocks had a worse Stanbic Bank Twenty20 tournament in 2009-10 and finished in last place with just 1 win and four losses from five matches. Their only win came in a 43-run win over Matabeleland Tuskers, which was possible due to excellent batting from openers Chamu Chibhabha and Sikandar Raza.

2010-11 Logan Cup

The Southern Rocks again had a very poor Logan Cup, with five defeats from 12 matches, and seven draws.

2010-11 Metbank Pro40 Championship

The Rocks had a brilliant campaign, becoming the champions of the Pro40 Championship. They were by far the strongest team of the tournament, first finishing third in the group, with three wins out of eight matches, then defeating the Tuskers in the semi-final by a massive nine-wickets. Brian Vitori, Rocks' standout bowler, took improbable figures of 5-26, as the Tuskers were shot out for 94. Then Chamu Chibhabha scored 45*, to lead the victory. In the final, Michael Chinouya took brilliant figures of 3-28, and despite Malcolm Waller scoring a 68, the Mid West Rhinos were shot out for 151. The Rocks cruised to the title by eight wickets with Sikandar Raza scoring 44 and Craig Ervine 42*. Rocks kept their nerve in the chase; the only real threat to their victory was the possibility of a storm. The rain never came though, and Rocks' batsmen were clinical in taking their team home with plenty of time to spare. It was the perfect way for Rocks to finish their season, and an important revival in their fortunes after they had a torrid Logan Cup in which they finished bottom of the table with no wins.

2010-11 Stanbic Bank 20 Series

The Rocks started the series with a bang. In an attempt to win the championship, the Rocks purchased former West Indian legend Brian Lara, former English fast bowler Ryan Sidebottom, and Zimbabwean-born Hampshire batsman Sean Ervine. The first match Rocks played was lost by 28 runs, despite Lara top-scoring with 65 on Twenty20 debut. Eventually, the Rocks finished fourth in the group pool.

As the Rocks did not proceed to the semis, they fought for third place in the group with Matabeleland Tuskers. In that match, they were crushed by nine wickets with Charles Coventry leading the way with a boundary-laden 67*.

2011-12 Logan Cup

The Rocks currently are having an awful Logan Cup, being at the bottom of the group with 4 defeats from 4 matches.

2011-12 Coca-Cola Pro50 Championship

The Southern Rocks are currently third in the group with 2 victories from 5 games. They have shown promise, including a remarkable tied game against Mid West Rhinos, with Rocks captain Tatenda Taibu scoring a hundred.

2011-12 Stanbic Bank 20 Series

Southern Rocks had an awful tournament, finishing in last place, without a single victory out of four games. The lost three, and one resulted in a no-result. They thus missed out on a place in the semi-finals, with Mashonaland Eagles sealing fourth place.

2014 suspension

In April 2014 the Southern Rocks franchise was suspended. From the 2014-15 season Southern Rocks will no longer compete, and there will be only four domestic teams in Zimbabwe.

Players

When the franchise was debuting in the 2009-10 Logan Cup, the team consisted of Zimbabwean international and domestic players, although some foreign internationals already started taking part, for example, Kenya's Steve Tikolo and Thomas Odoyo. Key players included Chamu Chibhabha (captain), Erick Chauluka, rising star and batting talent Craig Ervine, spinner Tafadzwa Kamungozi, Keith Kondo, fast bowler Blessing Mahwire, wicket-keeper batsman Alester Maregwede, spinner Hilary Matanga, Odoyo, Tikolo, and rising young fast bowler Brian Vitori.

For the 2009-10 Stanbic Bank 20 Series, the Rocks made their first big signings when they purchased Hampshire County Cricket Club stalwart batsman, Sean Ervine, and former Australian cricketer Ian Harvey.

They started the 2010-11 season with a bang. In a bid to win the 2010-11 Stanbic Bank 20 Series, the Rocks signed former West Indian legend Brian Lara, (who holds the record for the two highest ever scores in Test cricket: 400* and 375), and a former English great fast bowler Ryan Sidebottom. Sean Ervine also was retained from the previous season. Lara made his Twenty20 debut and scored 65 on his debut, top-scoring with 65, and added a further 34 runs from 2 innings, before leaving citing commitments elsewhere. Nevertheless, Southern Rocks finished third in the series.

For the 2011-12 season, the only substantial overseas signings were Jon Kent of South Africa and the Kenyan Alex Obanda. The results were not so bright, with Southern Rocks finishing bottom of the group pool at the 2011-12 Stanbic Bank 20 Series and thus getting eliminated. Their coach was former English O.D.I. cricketer, Monte Lynch.

Home stadium

The Southern Rocks played their home matches in the Masvingo Sports Club, Masvingo.

Administration