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Kyle Simmonds Crowned Overall Division 1 SACA MVP

The 2025/26 domestic cricket season concludes with Western Province all-rounder Kyle Simmonds named Division 1 Overall SACA MVP. Simmonds earned…

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TWELVE YEARS OF RESEARCH-BASED PLAYER SERVICE

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SACA CONGRATULATES DOMESTIC MVP WINNER DWAINE PRETORIUS

The South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) today congratulated Bizhub Highveld Lions all-rounder, Dwaine Pretorius, on winning its Most Valuable Player (MVP) title for his performances over the three domestic competitions in the 2015/16 season.  Pretorius finished on a total of 468, 282 points.

The SACA MVP is a cumulative points system that rewards franchise players for every run scored, wicket taken and catch held in the three franchise domestic competitions, and also takes into account the context of the match and in which the performances are achieved. Each of the CSA domestic competitions has a unique weighting for each discipline, dependant on what is considered more important in that format (for example strike rate and economy rate in the T20 format).

Following his remarkable start to the season, Pretorius’ hard work with bat and ball earned the Lion’s all-rounder a total of 641 runs and 60 wickets in all competitions. Despite picking up an injury half way through the season, Pretorius was a strong contender for the top spot throughout, and in the end, he took the overall MVP title, 31.929 points ahead of Sunfoil Dolphins left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj who finished second.

“The SACA MVP is something all of us franchise cricketers strive to win because it combines what you do with bat, ball and in the field in all three competitions.  It is recognised by players as a measure of consistency throughout the season.  I’m proud to have won this but must also give some credit to my Lions teammates in helping me to do it” said Dwaine Pretorius.

The SACA MVP rankings also focus on performances in each particular competition.  Bizhub Highveld Lions paceman, Hardus Viljoen clinched the top spot in the four day Sunfoil Series MVP rankings from team mate Pretorius, doing so in the Lions final match against the Warriors. Viljoen’s performance kept him in the running for the title as he held his position at the top of the ranking for five of the nine Sunfoil Series matches he played.  He finished the Sunfoil Series as the top wicket-taker with 47 wickets.

Alviro Petersen was a runaway winner of the Momentum One-Day Cup MVP award after a record-breaking season in which he scored 726 runs, an astonishing 31% of all his teams runs. His remarkable total included five centuries, four in consecutive matches, and was compiled at an equally remarkable strike rate of 100.13 runs per hundred balls. His was the outstanding contribution in the Lions’ successful Momentum One Day Cup campaign.

The Unlimited Titans T20 captain, Albie Morkel, started the RamSlam T20 with a bang and stayed within touching distance of the top spot throughout the tournament. Morkel’s steady flow of runs and wickets, as well as his captaining proficiency, saw him edge out the VKB Knights international star, Andre Russell, by just 0.92 points.

“I’d like to congratulation Dwaine on winning the overall SACA MVP,” said SACA chief executive, Tony Irish.  “To achieve the top spot a player has to perform for his franchise pretty much week in and week out throughout the season.”

“I would also like to congratulate Hardus, Alviro and Albie for leading the way in each of the domestic competitions.  There were some pretty impressive individual performances from a number of players this season and I think Heino Kuhn’s 1126 runs in the Sunfoil Series and Alviro Petersen’s five hundreds in the Momentum One Day Cup deserve special mention.  Well done also to the entire Titans squad for winning the Sunfoil Series and the RamSlam and to the Lions Squad for taking the Momentum One Day Cup.”

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MOMENTUM ONE-DAY CUP CHAMPIONS

Half-centuries by Stephen Cook and Alviro Petersen helped the bizhub Highveld Lions complete a comprehensive eight-wicket victory over the Cape Cobras to clinch the Momentum One-Day Cup title in emphatic fashion at PPC Newlands on Sunday.

The two senior visiting batsmen were not the only key contributors for their side with the bowlers also playing a vital role in Cape Town, where the Johannesburg side won with a massive 98 balls to spare. The plaudits will be taken by Cook, who ended unbeaten on 77 (94 balls, 9 fours) at the end, and Petersen, after his 55 (56 balls, 8 fours), but the real graft was done by the Lions’ bowlers.

After winning the toss and opting to field first, they turned in a splendid display with the ball to topple the hosts for just 169 in 42 overs. Pumelela Matshikwe and Aaron Phangiso claimed three wickets apiece, while there was one each for all the other frontline bowlers. Medium-pacer Matshikwe was particularly impressive with his 3/28 in eight overs, including two maidens. Phangiso bagged 3/33 in nine overs on a memorable day for the Lions.

Only one batsmen made a significant contribution for the Cobras. That was captain Justin Ontong with 60 (77 balls, 2 fours). But their total looked significantly short at the halfway stage, and so it told.

The Lions made light work of the chase and raced to 67 for none in the 15th over, before Rassie van der Dussen (29) fell. But Petersen and Cook, killed off any hopes that may have been raised by that wicket with a 96-run second wicket stand. Former Proteas opener Petersen took his season aggregate beyond the 700 mark, before he eventually fell with less than 10 to get, and Cook struck the winning runs to hit the 500 mark when they achieved the target in the 34th over.

Victory in the one-day competition was the first outright title for the Lions since the 2003/04 season when they did so as Gauteng in the pre-franchise era.. They did share the prize with the Cobras in 2012/13.

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LIONS THROUGH TO NEWLANDS FINAL

 

An unbroken 128-run stand between Rassie van der Dussen and Dominic Hendricks proved decisive as the bizhub Highveld Lions booked their place in the Momentum One-Day Cup final with a comfortable eight-wicket Duckworth/Lewis win over the Warriors in Johannesburg on Wednesday.

Opener Van der Dussen struck a commanding 83 (89 balls, 1 six, 6 fours) to set the early foundations, while Hendricks added later impetus with his attacking 70 (56 balls, 2 sixes, 7 fours) to aid their side to comfortably chase down the revise 174 target with 18 deliveries to spare.

There were two lengthy rain delays that also influenced the game. The first one arrived early in the Warriors’ innings – after 10.4 overs to be precise – forcing the match to be reduced to a 41 overs per side affair.

By that stage, the Warriors had lost both openers for 27 and they were dealt a further double blow after the resumption when Nono Pongolo removed key middle-order pair, captain Colin Ingram (10), and Yaseen Vallie (14), to slip to 61/4.

An 89-run stand between Jerry Nqolo, who struck a career best 63 (68 balls, 4 fours, 1 six), and Christiaan Jonker (42) lifted the Eastern Cape side to 202/8.

Pongolo (2/25) was one of four bowlers to take two wickets each. The others were Dwaine Pretorius (2/23), Hardus Viljoen (2/42) and Aaron Phangiso (2/38).

Andrew Birch, with 2/34, then grabbed the big wickets of Stephen Cook (13) and Alviro Petersen (2) to raise the Warriors’ hopes. But that was as good as it got for the visitors. Another long delay 13.5 overs into the innings and with the total on 81 meant there was a further adjustment to the total and with only 93 needed from 18.1 overs, the hosts cruised home.

They will now face the Cape Cobras in the competition finale at PPC Newlands this Sunday.

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COOK, BOWLERS PUT LIONS IN QUALIFIER

The bizhub Highveld Lions booked their place in the Momentum One-Day Cup qualifier after a comprehensive four-wicket win over the VKB Knights at the Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein on Saturday.

After winning the toss and bowling first, the Johannesburg side knocked over their hosts for a below-par 169 in 38.3 overs, before chasing down victory with 61 balls to spare. There were several stand-out performances with the ball for the Lions, including six wickets shared between Matt McGillivray and Eddie Leie.

Rookie fast bowler McGillivray was the pick of the bowlers with 3/32, while leg-break bowler Leie claimed 3/43.  But it was the single wicket by Aaron Phangiso (1/32) of Letlotlo Sesele (29) with the total on 109/2 that triggered a collapse of eight wickets for 60 runs.

Another inexperience bowler Carmi le Roux collected 2/29 to mop up the tail, while top scorer for the Knights was Reeza Hendricks (41).

The Lions lost stand-in opener Temba Bavuma (5) early in their chase, but his partner Stephen Cook anchored the chase with 64 (96 balls, 8 fours) to take his side to the brink. Nicky van den Bergh (43 not out) finished the job, while Alviro Petersen (36) provided some earlier support for the captain as the visitors moved to second on the table.

With the Warriors losing to the Cape Cobras also on Saturday, the result means that the Lions cannot be caught in second and will therefore host the February 24 qualifier. The Cobras also secured themselves an automatic berth in the final they will host on February 28 by winning in Port Elizabeth.

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BOWLERS SET UP EASY COBRAS WIN

Beuran Hendricks led a splendid all-round bowling display as the Cape Cobras took a huge step towards the Momentum One-Day Cup final with a comprehensive six-wicket win over the bizhub Highveld Lions at Boland Park in Paarl on Sunday. The left-arm seamer claimed 3/18 to help the hosts dismiss their visitors for a paltry 133 all out in 40.3 overs.

There were also 2 wickets each for Dane Piedt (2/20), Dane Paterson (2/26) and Wayne Parnell (2/35). The hosts then cruised home with just 4 wickets down and 16.5 overs to spare, thanks to an unbeaten 63 off 86 balls from Andrew Puttick. Stiaan van Zyl made 35, but the real work had been even before the Cobras had gone out to bat with their bowlers firing.

All but one of the Lions batsmen struggled after they had lost the toss and were asked to bat first by home captain Justin Ontong.

The Johannesburg-based team were 3/1, 5/2 and then 7/3 with three of their key batsmen in Rassie van der Dussen (2), Alviro Petersen (2) and Temba Bavuma (0) gone for next to nothing on the scoreboard.

They failed to recover from that and when captain Stephen Cook (9) fell to make it 24/4, they were left scrapping. Dominic Hendricks top-scored with an unbeaten 44, while extras was joint next best with 15, along with three other players.

Defeat left the Lions in second place on 19 points and as the only side with a chance of overhauling the Cobras (29), who also claimed a bonus point. But they will need to win their remaining two games with bonus points and hope the Cape side lose their last two matches.

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PRETORIUS STRIKES IN LIONS VICTORY

Dwaine Pretorius struck four crucial blows to give the bizhub Highveld Lions the sweet taste of revenge as they beat the Sunfoil Dolphins in a RAM SLAM T20 nail-biter at Bidvest Wanderers on Sunday.

Pretorius’ 4 for 22 gave him a personal best in the format, but most importantly included the wickets of David Miller, Dwayne Bravo and Ryan McLaren as the Lions clung on to win by six runs.

The victory was all the more satisfying for the fact that the Lions had lost to the Dolphins by one run in the second round of the competition – a defeat that clearly set the young side back as they went on to lose their next two games.

This victory moved them up to fourth on the table with 12 points from six games, and gave them fresh hope of catching the top three – they are now four points behind the third-placed Cobras, who the Lions will host at the same venue in a week’s time.

By contrast the Dolphins have now failed to win in four games, and although they remain in second place, they lead the Cobras by just two points, having played a game more.

While Pretorius’ bowling swung the game in the second innings, Alviro Petersen’s unbeaten 60 from 41 balls kept the Lions in the game during the first innings as they posted 145 for six.

With Devon Conway (28) the only other real contributor, the hosts were unable to form any meaningful partnerships, as much because of their mistakes as the Dolphins’ good bowling – both Conway and Andre Malan were guilty of pulling long-hops straight to fielders.

With Morne van Wyk (20) and Vaughn van Jaarsveld putting on 45 for the first wicket while the ball was still hard, and Van Jaarsveld going on to score 42 from 28 balls, the Lions’ total looked short.

Aaron Phangiso pegged the Dolphins back by dismissing Van Jaarsveld and Khaya Zondo, but David Miller got himself in and put the visitors on track when he took 17 off an Eddie Leie over.

However, Hardus Viljoen pulled things back for the Lions with a quiet over that saw him finish with figures of 1 for 15 from four overs, and in the next over Pretorius cleaned up both Miller and Bravo to leave 23 runs required from the final two overs.

McLaren’s two fours off Lonwabo Tsotsobe in the penultimate over left 13 required off the last, which was whittled down to seven off the last two balls before Pretorius bowled McLaren to seal the game – much to the delight of the home side.

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