Dian Forrester and Meeka-eel Prince scored outstanding half-centuries to help the NMU Dragons reach 291/7 in their CSA One-Day Cup match against the Moothee Ram Tuskers at the Pietermaritzburg Oval on Sunday. The Tuskers need 292 runs in 50 overs to win.
Wayne Parnell, the Tuskers’ captain, had no hesitation in electing to bowl first after winning the toss. Hoping to use the overhead conditions to his advantage. His bowlers did well enough to restrict the visitors to less than 300 runs.
Forrester showed patience in the early part of his innings before going big in the last 10 overs to give the Dragons a strong finish with a brisk 67-ball 68 runs in the latter part of the innings. This is his fourth List A half-century, and he faced 57 deliveries to reach the milestone.
The allrounder, who arrived at the crease in the 26th over, ensured that he stayed in the middle for as long as possible. He shared a brilliant 79-run sixth-wicket partnership with Ruan de Swart. Forrester profited off the platform laid by Meeka-eel Prince earlier in the innings.
Prince, who spent 29 overs in the middle, held the Dragons’ innings together with a steady 61 runs from 75 deliveries. This is his second List A half-century and he faced 66 balls to get there. Like Forrester, Prince reached the landmark with a six.
The opener showed great adaptability in his approach; he was content to absorb the pressure when the situation required him to do so and attacked when the opportunity presented itself. Prince's industrious innings ended when he was trapped lbw while trying to reverse sweep a Michael Erlank delivery.
His best partnership was the 57-run second-wicket partnership he shared with Dominick Hendricks (34). The Lions’ man, who is on loan from the Lions, helped the Dragons consolidate after Wihan Lubbe’s dismissal in the sixth over.
Daryn Dupavillon was the pick of the bowlers for the Tuskers. The pacer, who kept things quiet in the powerplay, finished the match with three wickets for 52 runs in nine overs, while Hardus Viljoen and Michael Erlank contributed a wicket each.
However, Sean Gilson was the Tuskers' most economical bowler. The spinner, who went wicket-less in the innings, helped the Tuskers to maintain control of the middle overs with disciplined bowling. He conceded a mere 39 runs in 10 overs for an economy of 3.9 runs an over.
TUSKERS: Jonty Rapulana, Ben Compton, Malcolm Nofal, Michael Erlank, Wayne Parnell (capt), Andile Mogakane, Sean Gilson, Ntando Zuma (wk), Hardus Viljoen, Bamanye Xenxe, Daryn Dupavillon.
DRAGONS: Meeka-eel Prince (wk), Dominic Hendricks, Wihan Lubbe (capt), Rubin Hermann, Paul James, Dian Forrester, Caleb Seleka, Ruan de Swardt, Migael Pretorius, Onke Nyaku, Alfred Mothoa.