Jean Du Plessis brilliant unbeaten half century helped the Dafabet Warriors to a six wicket victory over the Hollywoodbets Dolphins in their CSA T20 Challenge opener at a windy Dafabet St George’s Park Cricket Stadium in Gqeberha on Sunday afternoon.
The 25-year Du Plessis hit four boundaries and four sixes for his 69 runs off 45 balls and helped Warriors reach 163-4 with fours balls to spare in reply to Dolphins 162-9 target.
Chasing 163, Warriors ran into early trouble and found themselves 21-2 in the third over, after opener Jordan Hermann(11) mistimed his cut shot off the bowling of Okuhle Cele and was caught at cover by Tshepang Dithole and his partner Andile Mogakane(7) was cleaned bowled by Eathan Bosch.
Du Plessis with JP King resurrected the Warriors chase and shared an 75 run fourth wicket partnership.
But King(41 runs off 29 balls) was caught at backward point by Marques Ackerman off Romashan Pillay’s bowling with the Warriors at 96-3 and in need of 67 runs to win with seven overs remaining.
Sinethemba Qeshile played a vital hand with 14 runs before giving away his wicket with to Prenelan Subrayen after his attempt reverse sweep was caught a backward point by Bosch.
Warriors Senuran Mothusamy joined Du Plessis in the crease with the Warriors needing 43 runs in 25 balls.
With Du Plessis the aggressor the pair managed to ensure the home side crossed over the line.
Earlier on the day, allrounder Bosch hit a quick fire 45 runs off 19 balls to help the Dolphins set the 163 after Warriors stand in captain Muthusamy won the toss and chose to bowl.
Bosch hit five sixes for his innings and played a vital part propelling the Dolphins 162-9 after 20 overs.
Bosch’s four maximums came from the bowling of Beyers Swanepoel in the 18th over which went for 27 runs. He came into crease with the Dolphins in big trouble at 95-5 after 13 overs after debutant CJ King and Siya Plaatjie ran through the visitors top order.
Dolphins openers Khaya Zondo and Bryce Parsons laid a strong foundation for visitors with bat, reaching 27 runs for the Dolphins in the first three overs before Parsons(7 off 11 balls) edged an back of a length ball from CJ King and was caught by Renaldo Meyer at short third man.
Zondo notched up four boundaries and a six for his quick 25 off 15 balls became Kings second victim of the day after he mistimed his scoop off a slow ball full toss and was caught behind by du Plessis.
Dolphins finished the first power play 49-2 and looked at project score of 170 for the first innings. Slade van Staden and Marques Ackerman found it hard in the middle to manoeuvre the spin of Siya Simetu and medium pace of Siya Plaatjie. Plaatjie bowled with great control and made use of the slow nature of the St Georges surface and accounted for both van Staden(15) and
Ackerman(15) dismissals. Van Staden couldn’t get his pull shot over deep square leg and caught Jordan Hermann while Ackerman mis-timed his shot to Muthusamy at deep mid wicket, leaving the Dolphins in deep trouble at 68/4 after nine overs.
Former Warriors captain JJ Smuts together with Tshepang Dithole steadied the Dolphins ship and avoided a quick middle order collapse with a run a ball 27 stand.
With the Dolphins five runs shot of 100 runs in the 13th over Smuts(11) edged Renaldo Meyer’s length ball to deep point, where King took an easy catch.
Dithole and Bosch helped the Dolphins pass the 100 run mark in 14th over but a few balls after Dithole(11) was caught at long off by Plaatjie after mistiming his drive from the bowling offspinner Muthusamy.
The Dolphins skipper Prenelan Subrayen stuck around shared a 24 run partnership for the seventh wicket with Bosch before his was caught behind by du Plessis from the bowling off Meyer for just ten runs, leaving the Dolphins 124-7 at the start of the 17th over.
From then it was the Bosch show, the 26-year old hit Swanepoel for two consecutive sixes in his first deliveries in the 18th over. He would do the same with the fourth and fifth ball in the over.
Swanepoel eventually got his men in the last ball of the over, caught by Meyer at cover after mistiming his drive. Romashan Pillay(1) became King’s third victim of the day on debut in the last over caught at extra cover by Mogakane.
King was the pick of the Warriors bowlers with impressive figures of 3-18 while Meyer(2-26) and Plaatjie(2-24) played the supporting roles well.
Dafabet Warriors; Jordan Hermann, Andile Mogakane ,JP King, Jean du Plessis (wk) Senuran Muthusamy (C), Sinethemba Qeshile, Beyers Swanepoel, Christopher King, Siyabulela Plaatjie Siya Simetu, Renaldo Meyer
Hollywoodbets Dolphins: Brad Porteous, Prenelan Subrayen (c), Banele Cele, Slade Van Staden, Bryce Parsons, Nqobani Mokoena, Jon-Jon Smuts, Tshepang Dithole, Eathan Bosch, Khaya Zondo, Romashan Pillay, Okuhle Cele, Marques Ackerman.