TUSKERS TRAMPLE RHINOS
First-innings centuries from Thamsanqa Khumalo and Michael Erlank and a day four five-wicket haul from Stefan Tait helped AET Tuskers clinch an emphatic win of an innings and 72 runs over Mpumalanga Rhinos in their CSA 4-Day Challenge match at Pietermaritzburg Oval on Sunday afternoon.
On day one, Tuskers won the toss and chose to bat first, putting up an imposing 441 for eight before declaring.
Khumalo and his captain Michael Erlank batted Tuskers into a strong position with an imposing 241-run second-wicket partnership. Khumalo stroked 26 fours on his way to 141 runs that came off 242 deliveries to register his maiden first-class century. Erlank registered his ninth first-class century, 118 runs, with a fluent knock that lasted 211 deliveries. A procession of wickets hampered Tuskers' progress, with Malcolm Nofal running out of partners and left stranded on 69 from 98 balls.
In their reply, Mpumalanga Rhinos batters failed to get used to the Tuskers' pace attack. Alindile Mhletywa, Keith Dudgeon and Stefan Tait made inroads early on, dismissing Rhinos' top three for a combined 83 runs.
In the Rhinos’ batting lineup, only four batters scored more than 20 runs and only one batter went past 30. Blake Schraader was Rhinos' top scorer with 34 runs. Because of the suboptimal effort by the Rhinos' batting lineup, the Rhinos were bowled out for 151.
Smelling blood, Michael Erlank asked the Mpumalanga Rhinos to follow on late on day three. Rhinos openers Blake Schraader and Tumi Koto successfully navigated the tricky period before stumps and left Rhinos unscathed.
However, the pair were unable to build from where they left off on Friday at stumps. Koto only managed to add six runs to the 13 runs he had compiled on Friday. The 27-year-old was dismissed by Stefan Tait for a 54-ball 19. Tait doubled the wicket tally when he dismissed Rhinos' No 3 batter Muhammed Mayet for a duck two balls later.
Schraader combined forces with Yasser Cook to mount a resistance against the Rhinos' bowling attack. Their defence lasted for 16.5 overs and provided enough time for Schraader to register his maiden first-class half-century. Unfortunately, the 28-year-old opener was unable to add to his milestone as he was dismissed shortly afterwards. Schraader was trapped lbw for 50 from 110 by Stefan Tait.
In the 53rd over, Malcolm Nofal joined Tait in the wicket-taking. The experienced campaigner removed Rhinos' captain Yasser Cook after Cook had shared a 20-run partnership with Rubin Hermann. Eight overs later, Nofal was back at it again, this time dismissing Benjamin van Niekerk for a 25-ball duck.
Twenty-five-year-old Alexandar Kok set up a stall and was part of a 25-run partnership with Hermann. Kok contributed 10 runs to that partnership before Keith Dudgeon ended his 50-ball vigil.
Michael Erlank joined in the festivities with two quick strikes in the 88th and 90th overs. The Eastern Storm captain trapped tailenders Lizo Makhosi and Kieran Kenny lbw for two and eight runs respectively. Twenty-two balls and nine runs after the second of Erlank's two wickets, Stefan Tait brought down the curtain on the Rhinos' second innings with his fifth wicket of the day. Tait dismissed Jon Hinrichson for eight runs from 12 deliveries.
Stefan Tait was Tuskers' star bowler on Sunday. The left-arm pacer registered his maiden first-class five-wicket haul with figures that read: five wickets from 17 overs at an economy of 3.94 runs an over.
Eastern Storm v Garden Route Badgers
SIMELANE HELPS EASTERN STORM CLINCH VICTORY
Tumelo Simelane was in sublime form on day four, clinching his third first-class five-wicket haul, as he helped Eastern Storm secure a comfortable 73-run win over Garden Route Badgers at Willowmoore Park on Sunday.
Simelane, who was phenomenal with the ball, also took a five-wicket haul in the first innings. With the performance, Simelane registered his career-best figures in a four-day match: 10 wickets for 105 runs.
On day one, Eastern Storm put up 291 runs after being asked to bat first by the Badgers. Their score came courtesy of a batting masterclass from Shane Dadswell who romped his way to a maiden first-class century. Dadswell hit the only six of Eastern Storm's innings and 18 fours on his way to 136 runs off 169 balls.
Besides Dadswell, no other batter from the Eastern Storm lineup was able to score 30 runs or more. That was in part thanks to great bowling by Badgers' Sean Whitehead and Marcello Piedt. Eastern Storm closed their innings on 291.
The Badgers' innings slightly mimicked that of Eastern Storm. Only Matthew Christensen scored big while the rest floundered. Christensen played a patient knock to register his third first-class century but did not have much support in his quest for a big total. The Badgers' second-highest run-scorer was Andre Malan with 30 runs, while Onke Nyaku was third with only 22 runs. The rest of the lineup failed to reach 20.
The Badgers were dismissed for 220 in their first innings.
Aron Visser was Eastern Storm's hero with the bat in the second innings. The former St. Benedicts student scored a controlled half-century late on day three and was unbeaten at stumps. However, Visser was unable to inflict more damage on the morning of day four. The 23-year-old faced 10 deliveries and had to vacate the crease after adding only two runs to his overnight score of 61 runs. Visser was dismissed by Basheeru-Deen Walters for 63 from 121.
Visser's overnight partner Shane Dadswell did not last long either. Seven balls after Visser's dismissal, Dadswell followed Visser back to the dressing room. Dadswell had added 19 runs to his overnight score and was dismissed for 23 from 19.
Experienced wicketkeeper Mangaliso Mosehle was next to go. The 32-year-old gloveman hardly troubled the scorers before he was dismissed for four runs that came off 10 deliveries. Divan Posthumus and Mekyle Pillay combined for a 20-run partnership before Jarred Jardine dismissed Posthumus for a watchful 13 runs that came off 35 deliveries.
In the aftermath of Posthumus' dismissal, Storm suffered a collapse. Two balls after Posthumus' dismissal, Pillay was the next man to head back to the dressing room. An over later, Nico van Zyl was run out by Pheko Moletsane for a duck. On the next delivery, Jardine closed out the innings by dismissing Amaan Khan for a three-ball duck.
Eastern Storm was bowled out for 159.
Marcello Piedt was Garden Route Badgers' most successful bowler with 3-14 overs at an economy of four runs an over. Sean Whitehead and Jarred Jardine also contributed with two wickets each.
Garden Route Badgers had a nightmare start to their second innings when first innings hero Matthew Christensen was dismissed for a seven-ball two runs by Amaan Khan. With Christensen unable to replicate his first-innings heroics, Storm needed a new hero.
Wicketkeeper Jhedli van Briesies could not be that man for the Badgers. The 21-year-old, who came through the South Western Districts pipeline, fell to Nico van Zyl's bowling for one run off eight balls.
Five overs and 24 runs later, Blayde Capell was the next batter heading back to the hutch after his dismissal by a marauding Tumelo Simelane. Simelane was back in business again eight overs later when he dismissed allrounder Andre Malan.
Hanno Kotze was in one-day mode and scored a brisk 14 runs that came off 12 balls. His lightning innings ended as briskly as he was batting when he became Simelane's third victim of the innings. Five overs after Kotze's dismissal, Onke Nyaku was run out by Divan Posthumus while trying to take a tight single. Three balls later, Amaan Khan claimed Sean Whitehead's scalp, reducing the Badgers to 84 for seven.
Twenty-one-year-old former SA Under-19 player Jarred Jardine could not do much in the face of an in-form Simelane. The youngster, playing in his maiden first-class match fell to Simelane's bowling in the 37th over. By then, the writing was on the wall for the visitors.
Pheko Moletsane and Marcello Piedt offered some sort of resistance against the Eastern Storm bowlers. The pair shared a 58-run ninth-wicket partnership, the Badgers' highest partnership of the innings. The partnership was broken by Kabelo Sekhukhune in the 50th over when Sekhukhune dismissed Moletsane for 30. Three balls later, Simelane wrapped up proceedings by dismissing Piedt for 33.
The Badgers were bowled out for 157. They were 73 runs shy of the required total.
Tumelo Simelane was Eastern Storm's most successful bowler with five wickets from 20.3 overs. He bowled four maidens and conceded 61 runs. Simelane ended the match with 10 wickets from 39.4 overs for 105 runs.