Hermann stars as Dragons raze Tuskers to the ground

Rubin Hermann was in sensational form, scoring an imperious hundred, as he inspired the Auto Investments Dragons to an emphatic 126-run bonus-point win over the AET Tuskers in their CSA T20 Challenge match at the JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom, on Friday.

Hermann's effort shot the Dragons to 207 for three after being asked to bat first by Michael Erlank. In reply, the Tuskers limped to 82. The Dragons bowled out the Tuskers with 5.1 overs to spare and the win lifts them to sixth position while the Tuskers remain anchored in last place.

Hermann was unstoppable, picking up from his last match where he scored an outstanding 90 off 45 deliveries. The left-hander had his eyes on a maiden T20 ton and would not be denied this time, as he carved 11 fours and three sixes on his way to 102 off 54 balls.

The 27-year-old constructed an impressive 141-run opening stand with Meeka-eel Prince that wrestled the game away from the Tuskers. For most of the Powerplay, Prince had the best seat in the stadium as Hermann ran riot, scything the Tuskers bowlers every which way.

In the first 29 balls he faced, Hermann struck seven fours and a single six as he chalked 50 runs next to his name. Prince, who did not face many deliveries in the first seven overs, reached his maiden T20 half-century in the 12th over. The milestone came off 31 balls. 

The young man did not last long after his 50. He was dismissed for a well-played 58 off 34 in an innings that featured five fours and three sixes. His dismissal required Ruben Trumpelmann, stationed at the deep mid-wicket boundary, to pull off a catch fit for the highlights reel.

3.1 overs after Prince's dismissal, Hermann lost the companionship of Migael Pretorius in the middle. But, the loss of two partners did not slow him down. The opener faced five fewer deliveries to bring up his second 50 of the innings. His maiden T20 ton came off 53 balls, and he reached it in style, with a big six over deep mid-wicket.

The Tuskers looked like a team batting on a different surface when they came to the middle. Their opening pair of Cameron Delport and Kagiso Rapulana was unable to replicate what their opposite numbers did for the Dragons.

The pair were dismissed four deliveries apart in the first over of their innings. As they did with the bat earlier in the day, the Dragons dominated the Powerplay with the ball. The North West team strung together dot balls, dried up boundaries, and did not allow the Tuskers space to turn singles into twos.

In contrast to the Dragons who were coasting at almost 11 runs an over in the first six overs, the Tuskers were crawling at a rate of under seven in the Powerplay. The lack of boundaries saw the required run rate balloon to over 12. The pressure proved to be too much and they lost their third wicket in the last over of the Powerplay.

50 came in the 11th over and by then they had lost eight wickets. Smangaliso Nhleleba's run out by Duan Jansen and Bamanye Xenxe summed up the Tuskers' innings. The batters attempted to take a quick single, but Jansen was too quick, and Dudgeon was marooned in the middle of the crease when the ball was fired to the bowler's end. Cameron Shekleton (28) and Keith Dudgeon (23*) were the top scorers for the Tuskers in their dismal showing with the bat.

Suneran Muthusamy was the outstanding bowler of the match with three wickets for 16 runs in four overs. Caleb Seleka matched his captain's economy with two wickets for 16 runs in four overs. Kerwin Mungroo, who struck early to give the Dragons the upper hand also took a brace but conceded 14 runs in two overs. Migael Pretorius and Bamanye Xenxe bagged a wicket each.

Tuskers: Michael Erlank(c), Cameron Delport, Kagiso Rapulana, Yaseen Valli, Cameron Shekleton, Ruben Trumpelmann, Mondli Khumalo, Keith Dudgeon, Ntando Zuma, Alindile Mhletywa, Smangaliso Nhlebela.

Dragons: Meeka-eel Prince (wk), Rubin Hermann, Raynard van Tonder, Wihan Lubbe, Lesiba Ngoepe, Senuran Muthusamy (c), Ruan de Swardt, Migael Pretorius, Bamanye Xenxe, Caleb Seleka, Kerwin Mungroo.