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Paarl Rocks clinch home final

cricket08 December 2019 12:02| © MWP
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Isuru Udana and Kyle Verreynne © Gallo Images

Paarl Rocks will host next week’s Mzansi Super League 2.0 final after beating the Nelson Mandela Bay Giants by 12 runs in their final group match at Boland Park in Paarl on Sunday.

Chasing 169 for victory, the Giants could only manage 156 for six in reply despite a fighting 58 from Heino Kuhn in the middle order.

Kuhn and Marco Marais (21) managed to put together a stand of 63 in 36 balls for the fifth wicket but in the end they were left with too much to do in the face of some impressive bowling by the Rocks.

The teams finished tied on 27 points but the Rocks qualified in pole position because of their superior head-to-head record during this campaign where they beat the Giants home and away.

The Rocks will now wait to see who they face in the final as the Giants travel back to Port Elizabeth to likely face either the Tshwane Spartans or the Durban Heat in the playoff match.

In-form Ben Dunk scored 27 at the top of the order and Kuhn hit four fours and one six off his 43 balls but it was the home team bowling that was more impressive.

Led by spinners Bjorn Fortuin (0-19 in four) and Tabraiz Shamsi (2-25) the Rocks’ attack strangled the life out for the Giants’ chase in the middle overs.

Ferisco Adams was the most successful of the home team bowlers taking three for 36.

Earlier, Kyle Verreynne and Isuru Udana shared a vital, unbeaten partnership for the sixth wicket to help the Paarl Rocks post 168 for five.

After a flying start that saw the Rocks reach 101 for two in 12.3 overs, the Giants managed to pull it back through the ever-reliable Imran Tahir who produced the incredible figures of two for 14 in four overs.

That left the Rocks wobbling at 107 for five before Verreynne and Udana got together to rescue the innings. They thrashed 61 off only 39 balls to ensure their bowlers would have something decent to defend.

Verreynne finished on 36 not out while Sri Lankan Udana made an unbeaten 27.

Henry Davids and Cameron Delport were severe on the visitors’ bowling upfront, posting 56 runs for the first wicket. Delport was first to depart for 39 off only 22 balls caught by Smuts off a slower delivery from Akhona Mnyaka.

Smuts then removed Davids for 31 before

Mthiwekhaya Nabe, standing in for the injured Junior Dala, dismissed Faf du Plessis (22).

Tahir then executed his double strike from back-to-back deliveries removing James Vince (9) and Sibonelo Makhanya (0) before the Verreynne-Udana show took over to steer the Rocks through the final overs.


PAARL ROCKS: Cameron Delport, Henry Davids, Faf du Plessis (capt), James Vince, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Sibonelo Makhanya, Isuru Udana, Ferisco Adams, Bjorn Fortuin, Tabraiz Shamsi, Kerwin Mungroo

NMB GIANTS: Ben Dunk (wk), Matthew Breetzke, Jon-Jon Smuts (capt), Heino Kuhn, Ryan Ten Doeschate, Marco Marais, Chris Morris, Nandre Burger, Akohona Mnyaka, Imran Tahir, Mthiwekhaya Nabe

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