World Sports Betting Eastern Storm clinched their first win of the YesPlay T20 Super Eight phase, an eight-run DLS-assisted result against the Hollywoodbets Dolphins to basically dump them out of the playoff running at Willowmoore Park in Benoni on Friday night.
The Storm are already unable to reach the semifinals, but the Dolphins still have a slim mathematical chance of making the knockouts as they have to win their last game, preferably with a bonus point, and hope several other results go their way.
The match will largely be remembered for some terrible fielding from both teams, with some howlers, including six drop catches over both innings, showing why neither is in the playoff spots.
The Storm batted first and managed a decent 162 for two thanks to a superb 87 off 61 balls (9x4; 2x6) from opener Ronan Herrmann, while an 84-run opening stand with Kabelo Sekhukhune, 33 off 30 (2x4; 1x6), set the platform.
The Dolphins chase was powered by Hanu Viljoen’s 46 off 32 balls (2x4; 3x6), while opener Ntando Zuma hit 28 off 27 (2x4; 1x6), but when lightning and rain chased the players from the field in the 17th over, the visitors were short of the DLS score at that stage of 126, with them on 118 for five.
At the start of play, a dreadful fielding performance in the powerplay helped the Storm get off to a strong start, as they moved to 50 without loss by the end of the first six overs.
Three catches were dropped in the first 10 overs, two in the powerplay, with Herrmann the costliest after he was shelled on four, while Sekhukhune was dropped on 25 and 31.
It was finally in the 10th over that the Dolphins made the breakthrough, just after Sekhukhune was dropped. A few balls later, he perished as he charged at Bryce Parsons and missed the ball, with Viljoen whipping off the bails behind the stumps.
Herrmann brought up a well-played 34-ball 50 in the 12th over, followed by them crossing the hundred run mark in the 13th when Jurie Snyman (16) hit Ottneil Baartman for four, before moving on to 117 for one at the end of the 15th over.
In the 17th over, Snyman brought up the 50-run partnership with Herrmann by flicking Jason Smith for four, but immediately fell the next ball, skying it to Tristan Luus at long off, with the score 132 for two.
POOR FINISH FOR EASTERN STORM
It was then a poor finish to the innings from the Storm, largely because Herrmann spent the majority of the last two overs off strike, with him facing just three balls over it and hitting two of them for boundaries, while new man Dewan Marais struggled in scoring nine off 12 balls, as just 18 came off the last two.
The Dolphins innings got off to a tough start as they lost three wickets in the powerplay, falling in the fourth, fifth and sixth, to end the first six overs on 42 for three.
First, Tiaan Kuhn got a ball to rear up at Parsons (15), and he gloved behind to keeper Herrmann, with the score 25 for one.
Amaan Khan then got the big wicket of Jason Smith (3) caught at mid-on, and he was soon followed back by Sean Gilson who was yorked by Kuhn for a third-ball duck in the sixth over, as they slipped to 33 for three.
Zuma and Viljoen tried to dig the Dolphins out of trouble with a 41-run partnership, but they were assisted by some disastrous fielding.
First Viljoen was dropped on four, then Zuma was given a lifeline after he was caught on 25 after skying the ball off Aryan Gopalan, but the third umpire spotted keeper Viljoen’s gloves past the stumps before the batter connected with the ball, reprieving him.
But Zuma was unable to capitalise as he fell in the next over, pulling Thabiso Lekhoana to Marais at deep midwicket, leaving them on 74 for four.
Comical fielding then took centre stage, as Viljoen was dropped two more times on 30 and 36, both off Lekhoana; first in the 13th over after hitting a straight six, his next ball went straight to long-on, who dropped it through his own legs for four.
In the 15th, he skied the bowler, and Khan should have taken the catch but lost the ball and missed it completely, which allowed Viljoen to launch a six out of the ground the next ball, while the last ball also went for six off the bat of Gomolemo Phiri (14no), as 16 came off it.
But in the 16th over Viljoen finally fell, caught at short fine leg by Khan off the bowling of Thumelo Simelane, which essentially ended their chances before the weather ended proceedings.
EASTERN STORM: Ronan Hermann (wkt), Kabelo Sekhukhune, Jurie Snyman, Dewan Marais, Brayden Hicks, Christopher Britz (capt), Aryan Gopalan, Tiaan Kuhn, Amaan Khan, Thabiso Lekhoana, Tumelo Simelane.
DOLPHINS: Bryce Parsons, Ntando Zuma, Jason Smith, Sean Gilson, Hanu Viljoen (wkt), Gomolemo Phiri, Andile Simelane, Prenelan Subrayen (capt), Tristan Luus, Nqobani Mokoena, Ottneil Baartman.