Advertisement

Sensational Dudgeon makes SA T20 history as Tuskers trample Lions

cricket23 March 2024 20:08| © MWP
By:CS Chiwanza
Share

Keith Dudgeon put on a masterclass in new ball-bowling as he registered new career-best bowling figures to inspire the AET Tuskers to an eight-wicket bonus-point win over the DP World Lions at the Wanderers Stadium on Saturday night. 

The Tuskers chased down the total with 20 balls to spare. They scored 94 for two in 11.4 overs.

The match was rain-affected and reduced to 15 overs a side. The win lifts the Tuskers from the bottom of the log and they are now ahead of the Gbets Rocks. They are now sitting on five points, while the Rocks are still to register a win.

This was the Tuskers' first win of the T20 Challenge and they did not bowl or bat as a team that had been rolled over by their opposition in their first three matches.

They were clinical, outplaying the Lions in all facets of the game. Their batters chased down the required runs at a canter led by Cameron Delport who scored 39 off 28 balls. Delport was awarded the batter of the match award for his effort.

But, the star of the show was the bowler of the match, Keith Dudgeon, who came to haunt his former province at his former home ground.
The seamer made history when he became the first bowler to take three wickets in the first over in the history of South African T20 cricket.
He is the eighth bowler to achieve the feat in T20 history.
The 28-year-old put on an exhibition of swing bowling with the new ball to pin the Lions down.
The pacer finished the match with career-best figures of four wickets for five runs in three overs. His previous best bowling figures were 3-23. He dismissed the Lions' top four for four ducks.

Dudgeon produced a once-in-a-lifetime spell to reduce the Lions to three for four in 2.4 overs.

The 28-year-old saw to it that the home team's top three made their way back to the dressing room without scoring.

SHELL-SHOCKED

Dudgeon struck with the first delivery of the match, dismissing Rassie van der Dussen.

He could have made it two in two had Cameron Shekleton held on to the catch. The dropped catch did not cost the visitors much as Dudgeon struck on the next delivery, inducing an edge off Temba Bavuma's bat.

The pacer made it three scalps in four deliveries when he dismissed Mitchell van Buuren, trapping him lbw with a toe-crunching yorker.

The early wickets left the home side shell-shocked and they did not recover from that.
The Lions retreated into their shell and grew more sceptical after Dudgeon had bossed the Powerplay.
The bright spark in the Lions' innings was the 53-run sixth-wicket stand between Wiaan Mulder and Evan Jones.
The two all-rounders fought to put runs on the board and give their bowlers a decent total to defend.
Mulder top-scored with 36 off 38 balls in a measured knock that featured a single four and two sixes.
Jones was in a more belligerent mood as he smashed two fours and two sixes for his 29 off 19.
Alindile Mhletywa was the other wicket-taker for the Tuskers. He took one wicket for 16 runs in two overs.
The wicket he took broke a fledgling 34-run fifth-wicket partnership between Mulder and Connor Esterhuizen.
Lutho Sipamla and Junaid Dawood were the wicket-takers for the Lions. They took a wicket each.

LIONS: Reeza Hendricks, Rassie van der Dussen, Temba Bavuma, Mitchell van Buuren, Wiaan Mulder, Connor Esterhuizen (wk), Evan Jones, Bjorn Fortuin (c), Junaid Dawood, Lutho Sipamla, Tshepo Moreki

TUSKERS: Michael Erlank, Cameron Delport, Kagiso Rapulana, Tian Koekemoer, Cameron Shekleton, Ruben Trumpelmann, Mondli Khumalo, Keith Dudgeon, Ntando Zuma, Alindile Mhletywa, Smangaliso Nhleleba

Advertisement