Brilliant Zondo sets up Dolphins’ victory

Khaya Zondo struck a brilliant 49 in just 23 balls to give the Hollywoodbets Dolphins’ innings a rocket launch as they clinched a five-wicket victory over the Dafabet Warriors in their CSA T20 Challenge semifinal at Kingsmead in Durban on Thursday night.

Set a challenging target of 162 for victory, Zondo struck five fours and three sixes as he helped the Dolphins to 64 in just 32 balls for the first wicket.

There was a sublime moment in the third over delivered by paceman Beyers Swanepoel in which Zondo twice reverse-scooped fours followed by a conventional scoop for three consecutive boundaries.

In addition, he cracked three huge sixes in an innings that rightly earned him the batter of the match award.

After his dismissal, run out one run short of his fifty, it was a question of the Dolphins maintaining a good but not reckless pace towards victory.

Jon-Jon Smuts and Marques Ackerman began the process with 40 off 30 balls and although Ackerman, Smuts (34 off 26 balls) and Andile Phehlukwayo fell to soft dismissals, a calm Jason Smith belted 16 off the 18^th over from Swanepoel, finishing appropriately with a square drive for six off the final ball of the over to clinch victory.

HOLLYWOODBETS DOLPHINS BLAZE THEIR WAY INTO THE FINAL WITH A WORLD CLASS PERFORMANCE 🤩👏

Hollywoodbets Dolphins reach the final in fine style chasing 162 in 18 overs thanks to an outstanding innings from Zondo (49 off 23), a vital 34 from Smuts and a brilliant 30 from Smith pic.twitter.com/1jQs2pTmyW

— Dolphins Cricket (@DolphinsCricket) April 25, 2024

The all-rounder finished unbeaten on 30 off 18 balls.

The Dolphins, who beat the Warriors in their final pool match on Sunday to secure a home semifinal, will now travel up to Johannesburg where they will meet the DP World Lions in the final at the Wanderers on Sunday.

CAREER BEST FOR MOKGAKANE

Earlier, former Northwood High School pupil Andile Mokgakane struck a career-best 77 in 45 balls to enable the Warriors to reach a challenging 161 for four after they had been asked to bat first.

The 24-year-old Mokgakane’s spectacular knock was much needed after the Warriors had made a slow start to their innings, only reaching 27 in the powerplay for the loss of Jiveshan Pillay, well caught at fine leg by Daryn Dupavillon off the bowling of fellow fast bowler Bosch.

Thereafter, the Warriors’ batsmen pressed hard on the accelerator. Matthew Breetzke (38 in 35 balls) and Mokgakane set the innings up with a second-wicket partnership of 78 in 56 balls before Breetzke was caught by Bosch at long-on off the bowling of Jon-Jon Smuts.

Mokgakane then joined forces with Jordan Hermann and the pair added 53 off 31 balls with the 24-year-old Mokgakane cracking four fours and four sixes in his innings before lofting an attempted hook to Prenelan Subrayen at mid-off.

The Dolphins’ captain only introduced himself in the 13^th over, much later than usual, and went for 22 in his two overs.

The Warriors’ batters ran superbly between the wickets, turning many ones into twos. In all they completed 25 twos.

Breetzke and Hermann achieved batting landmarks in their respective innings, with the former reaching 2000 career T20 runs and the latter 1000.

The Dolphins, for their part, dropped three catches and often looked leaden in the outfield with Ackerman an exception.

Bosch was the most economical of the Dolphins’ bowlers, finishing with an impressive 1-14 in his four overs and earning himself the bowler of the match award.

DOLPHINS: Grant Roelofsen (wk), Khaya Zondo, Jon-Jon Smuts, Marques Ackerman, Jason Smith, Andile Phehlukwayo, Eathan Bosch, Andile Simelane, Prenelan Subrayen (capt), Daryn Dupavillon, Okuhle Cele

WARRIORS:Jiveshan Pillay, Jordan Hermann, Sinethemba Qeshile (wk), Matthew Breetzke (capt), JP King, Andile Mogokane, Patrick Kruger, Beyers Swanepoel, Siya Simetu, Nealan van Heerden, Sean Whitehead