Linde stars as Western Province trounce Dragons
George Linde produced an outstanding all-round performance as Western Province secured a 41-run win over the North West Dragons in their CSA T20 Challenge Eliminator match at the DP World Wanderers on Wednesday night.
Western Province, who were put in to bat first, registered a total of 166-5 in 20 overs.
The Dragons capitulated for 125 in 15.3 overs.
Western Province qualify for the second qualifier on 25 October, where they will go up against the Multiply Titans.
It's a victory for the Boys In Blue!😍🔥💙 We have won by 41 runs.
— Western Province Men (@WP_Blitz) October 23, 2024
We are off to Qualifer 2 at SuperSport Park on Friday.
Dragons 125 all out (15.3). Peters (0*). Lubbe 46, Prince 25.
Simmonds 3/14, Linde 3/15, Hendricks 2/9. #WPcricket #westernprovince #WSBNewlands… pic.twitter.com/h0xAUDkMq6
The winner of that match will play the DP World Lions in the final on Sunday.
Linde set Western Province up with a brilliant unbeaten 49 off 23 deliveries.
He arrived at the crease in the 14th over and took his time to find his feet. The all-rounder revived what looked like a lost cause with some imperious hitting.
Linde smashed five sixes and a single four in his innings.
Three of those sixes came in the 19th over as he took down Kerwin Mungroo for 20 runs in an over that leaked 26 runs.
Linde provided an outstanding rearguard fightback with Abdullah Bayoumy.
The duo constructed a brilliant 65-run sixth-wicket stand as Bayoumy finished with 14 off 12.
Before Linde and Bayoumy's hitting at the death, 140 looked like a distant total.
The Western Province top order had enjoyed starts, but none had been able to convert them into substantial scores.
Mihlali Mpongwana, Eddie Moore, Daniel Smith, Valentine Kitime and Jono Bird all reached double figures, but fell before reaching the 25-run mark.
DRAGONS' BLITZKRIEG HALTED
When the Dragons came out to bat, Linde made his presence felt with an outstanding catch as Beuran Hendricks delivered the first blow in the Dragons' innings.
The catch left the Wihan Lubbe-captained side reeling on 6-1 after 2.2 overs.
The Western Province captain made things worse for the Dragons with another wicket three deliveries later.
Meeka-eel Prince took a liking to Wesley Bedja and bludgeoned 19 runs off him in the fourth over.
That was the beginning of a blitzkrieg that brought up Prince and Lubbe's 50-run partnership off 19 balls.
The match was looking done and dusted with Prince and Lubbe in the middle.
Lubbe scored a brilliant 20-ball 46. However, things turned when the duo was dismissed within four balls of each other.
Things went downhill from there. Craig Alexander’s side was ahead of the game, but played as if they were chasing a bonus point.
It also did not help that they had chosen to go with a short batting lineup, after opting to play Bamanye Xenxe in place of in-form opener Ludwich Schuld.
The Dragons lost six wickets for 20 runs between the 11th and 16th overs.
The chief destroyer of the Dragons' batting lineup in that period was Kyle Simmonds, who registered career-best figures of three wickets for 14 runs in four overs.
Linde, who was having a night to remember, also bagged a three-wicket haul.
He finished with three wickets for 15 runs in 3.3 overs.
NORTH WEST DRAGONS: Janneman Malan, Taheer Isaacs, Meeka-eel Prince (wk), Wihan Lubbe (capt), Lesiba Ngoepe, Marco Jansen, Migael Pretorius, Bamanye Xenxe, Caleb Seleka, Kerwin Mungroo, Gideon Peters.
WESTERN PROVINCE: Daniel Smith, Jono Bird, Valentine Kitime, Eddie Moore (wk), Mihlali Mpongwana, George Linde, Abdallah Bayoumy, Kyle Simmonds, Beuran Hendricks (capt), Mthiwekhaya Nabe, Wesley Bedja.
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