Brilliant work from Dafabet Boland openers Blayde Capell and Gavin Kaplan upstaged a maiden T20 century from Hollywoodbets Dolphins batter Hanu Viljoen, as the visitors claimed a hard fought seven wicket win in their YesPlay Pro20 Cup Super 8 match at Hollywoodbets Kingsmead in Durban on Sunday.
The win was built around a fantastic 119-run opening partnership between Capell, 90 off 53 balls (6x4; 5x6), and Kaplan, 55 off 44 (6x4), that set the platform for Lehan Botha, 26no off 14 (3x4; 1x6) to finish from as they powered home with three balls to spare.
Boland finished on 178/3, which bettered the 174/4 in their 20 overs from the Dolphins, who were led by Viljoen’s superb 114 off 59 balls, featuring 11 fours and seven sixes.
In the end it was a day for personal and team records, as both Viljoen and Capell struck career best scores, while the Dolphins set a record fourth wicket partnership in T20s.
The 162 off 96 balls between Viljoen and Ntando Zuma, 42no off 41 balls (3x4), eclipsed the previous best of 93 between Vaughn van Jaarsveld and Dwayne Bravo set against the Warriors back in 2014, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough in the end for the hosts.
The Boland chase got off to a great start as they cruised to 59/0 in the powerplay, and moved onto a solid 90/0 by the halfway mark.
Both openers brought up their half centuries in the 12th over from Prenelan Subrayen, Capell of 32 balls and Kaplan off 40, while they also crossed the 100-run mark.
Subrayen finally made the breakthrough in the 14th over, having Kaplan caught by Bryce Parsons at long on, but Capell then upped the ante and by the time he fell, caught in the deep by Keshav Maharaj off Okuhle Cele near the end of the 18th over, the score was 159/2 and job almost done.
A tight penultimate over from Ottneil Baartman, which went for just four and included the wicket of Neil Brand (4), meant 11 was needed from the final over, but Botha slammed the visitors over the line with a six and two fours off Cele.
At the start of play Boland won the toss and chose to bowl, which looked to be a great decision as they got off to a great start, reducing the Dolphins to 12/3 after four overs.
First Romashan Pillay (2) skied Glenton Stuurman to Botha at the start of the third over, followed by a double wicket maiden from Lizaad Williams putting the visitors on top, as Parsons (6) flashed at a wide ball and edged to the keeper, followed by the huge wicket of Jason Smith for a third ball duck, after he edged straight to short third man.
But that brought Viljoen in to join Zuma at the crease and they set about the rescue effort, as they finished the six over powerplay on 21/3, before moving their side to 52/3 by the halfway mark.
It was then a cracking second half of the innings from the Dolphins as Viljoen unleashed as they smashed another 122 runs, which included 66 coming off the last five overs.
But a huge game changing moment happened in the 14th over, when Williams returned to the attack with figures of 2/4 off two overs, and saw his first ball hoicked by Viljoen, who was on 41 off 31 at that stage, to Akhona Mnyaka at cow corner, only for him to shell the catch which proved to be incredibly costly.
That allowed Viljoen reached a 34-ball fifty by ramping Williams for four and then pulling him over deep square leg for six, followed by another boundary at the end of the over seeing 16 off it and the 100 brought up.
Viljoen continue tearing into the Boland bowlers, launching three sixes off Imraan Manack in the 17th with 20 coming off it, while in the 19th he reached a 53-ball hundred in style, as he pulled a ball over cow corner four six, powered a four through the covers and ran a two to reach the milestone.
He then finished with a flourish hitting a six and four down the ground off Williams as 15 came off the last over, including Viljoen being run out off the last ball going for a two that wasn’t on.
DOLPHINS: Bryce Parsons, Romashan Pillay, Ntando Zuma, Jason Smith, Hanu Viljoen (wkt), Gomolemo Phiri, Andile Simelane, Keshav Maharaj (capt), Prenelan Subrayen, Ottneil Baartman, Okuhle Cele .
BOLAND: Blayde Capell (wkt), Gavin Kaplan, Lehan Botha, Neil Brand, Ferisco Adams, Jhedli van Briesies, Glenton Stuurman (capt), Imran Manack, Lizaad Williams, Akhona Mnyaka, Siyabonga Mahima .