Tag: Duanne Olivier

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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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Liam Alder Named Overall SACA MVP for Domestic Division 2

Following the completion of all domestic fixtures, Liam Alder of the Garden Route Badgers finished at the top of the…

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TWELVE YEARS OF RESEARCH-BASED PLAYER SERVICE

Over the past 12 years, the South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) has cemented its dedication to evidence-based practice through a…

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JOZI STARS BLAST CT BLITZ TO CLAIM FIRST MSL TROPHY

The Jozi Stars have claimed the inaugural Mzansi Super League, with the Gauteng based franchise easily taking the title with an 8 wicket win over the Cape Town Blitz at Newlands.

After winning the toss and opting to bat, the Blitz were in early trouble with Quinton de Kock back in the hut with the score on 6 in the second over.

Dawid Malan and Kyle Verreynne went about repairing the early damage with some cautious batting.

Malan then opened up against Duanne Olivier, striking him for a number of boundaries before the big paceman had his revenge, removing the Englishman for 17 to leave the Blitz at 28 for 2 after the powerplay overs.

Mohammad Nawaz (3) and Asif Ali (4) didn’t last long, falling to Dan Christian and Olivier respectively to leave the Blitz reeling at 48 for 4 in the 10th over.

They never recovered, regularly losing wickets to end on 113/7 after 20 overs with captain Farhaan Behardien top scoring with 23.

The pick of the Jozi Stars bowlers were Beuran Hendricks (2/11), Olivier (2/32) and Kagiso Rabada (1/16).

Although spinner Simon Harmer never picked up a wicket, his four overs only conceded 14 runs.

Dale Steyn struck early in the Jozi Stars innings, cleaning up Ryan Rickleton for 6 to leave the visitors on 13/1 in the third over.

That brought Rassie van der Dussen to join Reeza Hendricks and the Jozi Stars batting kingpins, after starting slowly in seeing off Dale Steyn, went about their business with great ease, guiding their side towards victory.

Hendricks (33) fell to Malusi Siboto with just 14 needed for victory but van der Dussen (59*) saw the Stars over the line for an emphatic victory.

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ROCKS KEEP THEIR HOPES ALIVE

Faf du Plessis struck his fourth half-century of the Mzansi Super League season to keep alive the Paarl Rocks’ hopes of reaching the playoffs with a key six-wicket victory over the Jozi Stars at Bidvest Wanderers Stadium on Sunday.

There was also a perfectly weighted unbeaten 71 (55 balls, 5 fours, 1 six) from Man of the Match Grant Thomson that anchored the innings of the visitors as they chased down a 171-victory target with three deliveries to spare in Johannesburg.

Kerwin Mungroo was their unlikely hero with the ball as the lanky fast bowler grabbed a rare chance in the competition by bowling out of his skin to claim three for 29, which included the key wickets of Chris Gayle, Reeza Hendricks and Pite van Biljon.

Victory in the end for the Paarl side enabled them to climb fourth on the table, with 17 points from nine games, four behind the Nelson Mandela Bay Giants, who they will now host in a virtual shootout on Wednesday.

The Tshwane Spartans (16 points) can still catch both, but they will need to also win their remaining two games to change the order on the standings.

Defeat for the second-placed Stars, meanwhile, assured the Cape Town Blitz an automatic ticket to a home final next Sunday, with the Stars staying second on 24 points and still having some work to do in their final match against the Spartans on Tuesday.

The Jozi stars, though, will no doubt be disappointed that they did not seal their playoff berth in front of their home fans, after posting a solid 170 for six after they were put into bat first.

Their innings was built around Rassie van der Dussen’s enterprising 83 (55 balls, 6 fours, 4 sixes). This after Mungroo pegged them back at the start by dismissing Hendricks (5) and West Indian superstar Gayle (9) inside the opening 3.2 overs.

A 73-run stand between Van der Dussen and captain Dane Vilas (23) dragged the home side back into a good position, before more quick wickets threatened to derail their innings.

But support for their main batsman came through Dwaine Pretorius (28) as they set a challenging total.

The Rocks’ innings followed a similar pattern with Duanne Olivier (3/30) claiming the early wickets of Cameron Delport (15) Aiden Markram (3), leaving them on 19 for two.

However, a key 120-run stand between Du Plessis, who made 61 off 34 balls (7 fours, 2 sixes), took them too far ahead for the Stars to bring them back, even after the skipper fell, 17 not out by Dwayne Bravo helping to carry them over the line.

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HAMZA CALLED UP FOR PAKISTAN TEST SERIES

Zubayr Hamza, the 23-year-old World Sports Betting Cape Cobras batsman, has been named as a potential new cap in the Standard Bank Proteas squad for the three-match Test series against Pakistan which starts at SuperSport Park, Centurion, on December 26.

The other matches will be played at PPC Newlands from January 3 and at the Bidvest Wanderers from January 11.

Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced a 13-man squad for the series today that also features the return of VKB Knights fast bowler Duanne Olivier in place of the injured Lungi Ngidi. Olivier was part of the squad for the previous home Test series against Australia and has represented the Proteas in five Test matches.

“Zubayr has been one of the standout cricketers in domestic cricket over the past year and carried that form into South Africa A tour to India where he averaged over 50 in the four-day series against tough opposition and under tough conditions,” commented CSA National Selection Panel (NSP) convener Linda Zondi.

“Before that, he had an outstanding season in the four-day franchise competition where he scored 823 runs, including three centuries, at the impressive average of 69.

“His selection is part of our vision for the future as we start to feed new players into the system. It is inevitable that some of our senior players will start thinking of retiring in years to come and it is vital that we have a good succession plan in place,” explained Mr Zondi.

“As unfortunate as Lungi’s injury is we are blessed to have outstanding depth in our fast bowling resources. Duanne has impressed on his previous appearances for the Proteas and has had a good franchise season to date with 20 wickets in his five matches at an average of 22.80.

“Tladi Bokako will work with the squad as a learning experience during the series in a continuation of the initiative we started with Kagiso Rabada and continued with Matthew Breetzke earlier in the season. He has had a good debut season for the Cape Cobras with 21 wickets at 26.33 to date.

“We will continue to identify young players with the potential to become future Proteas,” concluded Mr Zondi.

If Hamza gains selection in the final XI he will become the 100th player to represent the Proteas in the five-day format.

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MZANSI SUPER LEAGUE ANNOUNCES FINALISED T20 SQUADS

The inaugural Mzansi Super League (MSL) T20 Player Draft was held today at Montecasino in Johannesburg today.

Each team had already been allocated a Marquee Standard Bank Protea player. Today the teams made their picks from the six International Marquee Players and then filled the remaining 14 places in each squad from the foreign and South African players who had applied to enter the draft.

In the mini-round to select the International Marquee Players, the Durban heat had first call and went for Rashid Khan of Afghanistan, the No. 1 ranked bowler in the current ICC T20 rankings. They were followed by the Jozi Stars who went for Chris Gayle of the Windies. Paarl Rocks followed with another Windies player, Dwayne Bravo. Cape Town Blitz then took Dawid Malan of England followed by Tshwane Spartans with England white ball captain Eoin Morgan and Nelson Mandela Bay Giants with England opening batsman Jason Roy.

In round one proper, the Giants led off with Chris Morris, followed by the Spartans with Lungi Ngidi, the Blitz with Andile Phehlukwayo, the Rocks with Tabraiz Shamsi, the Stars with Kolpak star Dane Vilas and the Heat with David Miller.

Lutho Sipamla became the first rookie to be chosen in Round Eight by the Spartans and they followed with another rookie in Tony de Zorzi in Round Nine. Other rookies signed were Sinethemba Qeshile for the Stars, Dyllan Matthews for the Giants, Okuhle Cele for the Heat, Eathan Bosch for the Rocks, and Kyle Verreynne for the Blitz.

The resulting teams are a unique blend of both local youth and international experience which is sure to make for some very exciting cricket.

The Draft order was predetermined by a weighted Player Matrix system. The players who are eligible for the main Draft are those who entered into a binding agreement to enter the Draft.

FINAL SQUADS

(in order of Protea Marquee Player, International Marquee Player, and then the 14 draft rounds, making a total of 16 players per squad)

CAPE TOWN BLITZ: Quinton de Kock, Dawid Malan (England), Andile Phehlukwayo, Dale Steyn, Samuel Badree (Windies), Asif Ali (Pakistan), Farhaan Behardien, Anrich Nortje, Janneman Malan, Malusi Siboto, George Linde, Ferisco Adams, Jason Smith, Sibonelo Makhanya, Kyle Verreynne (rookie), Dane Piedt.

DURBAN HEAT: Hashim Amla, Rashid Khan (Afghanistan), David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen, Kyle Abbott (kolpak), Keshav Maharaj, Khaya Zondo, Albie Morkel, Marchant de Lange (kolpak), Vernon Philander, Brandon Mavuta (Zimbabwe), Temba Bavuma, Morne van Wyk, Okuhle Cele (rookie), Sarel Erwee, Tladi Bokako.

JOZI STARS: Kagiso Rabada, Chris Gayle (Windies), Dane Vilas, Rassie van der Dussen, Daniel Christian (Australia), Beuran Hendricks, Reeza Hendricks, Dwaine Pretorius, Eddie Leie, Pite van Biljon, Duanne Olivier, Ryan Rickelton, Sinethemba Qeshile (rookie), Simon Harmer, Calvin Savage, Alfred Mothoa.

NELSON MANDELA BAY GIANTS: Imran Tahir, Jason Roy (England), Chris Morris, Jon-Jon Smuts, Junior Dala, Christiaan Jonker, Aaron Phangiso, Ben Duckett (England), Sisanda Magala, Ryan McLaren, Heino Kuhn, Marco Marais, Dyllan Matthews (rookie), Lizaad Williams, Rudi Second, Carmi le Roux.

PAARL ROCKS: Faf du Plessis, Dwayne Bravo (Windies), Tabraiz Shamsi, Dane Paterson, Aiden Markram, Mangaliso Mosehle, Bjorn Fortuin, Vaughn van Jaarsveld, Grant Thomson, Paul Stirling (Ireland), Tshepo Moreki, Henry Davids, Cameron Delport , Eathan Bosch (rookie), Patrick Kruger, Kerwin Mungroo.

TSHWANE SPARTANS: AB de Villiers, Eoin Morgan (England), Lungi Ngidi, Robbie Frylinck, Jeewan Mendis (Sri Lanka), Theunis de Bruyn, Rory Kleinveldt, Sean Williams (Zimbabwe), Gihahn Cloete, Lutho Sipamla (rookie), Tony de Zorzi (rookie), Dean Elgar, Andrew Birch, Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe), Shaun von Berg, Eldred Hawken.

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SUPERB CLOETE HELPS WARRIORS END POOR RUN

A thrilling career-best century by Gihahn Cloete helped the Warriors arrest a three-match losing slide with a 60-run victory over the VKB Knights in their Momentum One-Day Cup clash at the Diamond Oval in Kimberley on Tuesday.

The opener blasted 143 (128 balls, 25 fours, 1 six) as the men from the Eastern Cape amassed 335 for nine, before bowling out the hosts for 275 to complete a comfortable win – their first since round one.

Left-hander Cloete was the undoubted star, leading from the front to reach the first List A ton of his career, which surpassed the 85 he made for Griquas against North West in 2012/13.

The Warriors had won the toss and elected to bat first, but no other batsmen crossed even the half-century mark.

Debutant Marco Marais, who earlier this season made world headlines after he recorded the fastest ever triple century, struck a noteworthy 41 off 28 balls on his franchise debut, while Clyde Fortuin also hit 41.

Duanne Olivier was the pick of the Knights bowlers with four for 65.

However, there was no real challenge by the home side with the bat.

Keegan Petersen top-scored with 53 (58 balls, 4 fours, 1 six), with the rest of the top eight all making good starts with 20s and a 37 for Ryan McLaren.

The loss of regular wickets eventually proved to be their Achilles’ heel as they were dismissed in 49.1 overs.

Anrich Nortje (2/49), Sisanda Magala (2/54) and Ayabulela Gqamane (2/55) all picked up two wickets apiece as the hosts were left still searching for a first win.

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DU PLESSIS TO MISS OPENING TEST

Standard Bank Proteas test captain, Faf du Plessis will miss the opening Test against England at Lord’s to remain with his wife after the birth of their first child. Dean Elgar will stand in as captain, leading South Africa for the first time.

Du Plessis will rejoin the squad later in the week to prepare for the second Test at Trent Bridge which begins on July 14.

In du Plessis’ absence, South Africa look set to pick Theunis de Bruyn ahead of newcomer Aiden Markram, who was included in the squad as cover for du Plessis. De Bruyn was preferred over Markram in the tour match at New Road last week, and made his debut in South Africa’s most recent Test against New Zealand after Stephen Cook was dropped from the opening berth. De Bruyn scored 12 runs in the match and selection convener Linda Zondi confirmed that when the batsman was reconsidered for a Test spot it would not be as an opener. This is, therefore, an opportunity to blood him in the middle order.

“Theunis played the one Test match in New Zealand. There’s been a sense of fairness to players,” Russell Domingo, South Africa’s coach, said. “We haven’t really discarded a player after one Test match, or two or three innings. At the moment he would be ahead in the pecking order, ahead of a guy like Aiden.”

Even if Markram is made to wait, South Africa will still have at least one newcomer to the XI come Thursday. Heino Kuhn is set to partner stand-in skipper Elgar at the top of the order which means half of South Africa’s top four will be fairly inexperienced. Hashim Amla, with 103 Test caps, will bat at No.3 with Temba Bavuma and JP Duminy at No.5 and 6 respectively.

South Africa can call on seniority in the bowling department, though. Vernon Philander was passed fit after sustaining an ankle injury during a county stint at Sussex. His availability was particularly pleasing to Domingo, who regards Philander as among the tougher prospects for batsmen.

“Vernon is a fantastic bowler for us. He is probably the hardest bowler to face in our side and when he is not there, we tend to struggle a little but because he gives us that control but also gives us the cutting edge if there is something in the wicket and also balances our side with his batting. He is a fantastic cricketer.”

Philander will form part of a three-pronged pack alongside Kagiso Rabada and Morne Morkel. Duanne Olivier, Chris Morris and Andile Phehlukwayo are the reserves.

With the focus on the make-up of their own XI as they “try to find out what the best combination is,” as Domingo put it, South Africa have not spent too much time weighing up their opposition. Like South Africa, England are under a new captain in Joe Root – although his is a permanent appointment – and Domingo suggested his side would look to a test a top order which continues to be juggled around.

“We haven’t looked too closely at their side. Ben Stokes, Joe Root, Alastair Cook, Stuart Broad, James Anderson are five seriously experienced players who are all match winners in their own right. They are a good side but they’ve also got some uncertainties,” Domingo said. “There’s a new opening batter in Keaton Jennings who has only played a handful of Tests and Gary Ballance has come back into the side. There are certain areas where they may be a little uncertain about that we want to expose.”

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SACA CONGRATULATES SACA MVP 2016/17 WINNERS

The South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) today congratulated Warriors all-rounder, Colin Ackermann, on winning the SACA Most Valuable Player (MVP) title in franchise cricket for his performances over the three domestic competitions in the 2016/17 season. Ackermann finished on a total of 435, 207 points.

The SACA MVP domestic rankings lists the top performing franchise players competing in CSA’s domestic competitions. Players earn points, based on an internationally recognised formula used by several players’ associations around the world, for batting, bowling, fielding and for contribution to matches won by their team. Points are weighted across the different formats to ensure that critical performances in each match earn a player the appropriate number of points.

The overall SACA MVP Rankings combine a players’ performance in all three domestic competitions and are an indicator of consistency of performance through the season. Performances in a particular competition are also recognised in the SACA MVP Rankings relating to each of the Sunfoil Series (four days), Momentum One-Day Cup (50 overs) and CSA T20 Challenge (20 overs) competitions.

Following a very good start to the season, Ackermann’s consistency with both bat and ball earned the Warriors all-rounder a total of 1431 runs and 16 wickets in all competitions. Ackermann took the overall SACA MVP title, 34.129 points ahead of VKB Knights paceman Marchant de Lange, who finished second, with Robbie Frylinck from the Hollywoodbets Dolphins rounding out the top three.

“The SACA MVP is something all of us franchise cricketers strive to win because it measures every aspect of the game across the three domestic competitions. It is recognised by players as a measure of consistency throughout the season. I’m proud to have won this award but must also give some credit to my Warriors teammates in helping me to do it” said Ackermann.

The SACA MVP rankings also focus on performances in each particular competition. VKB Knights opening bowler Duanne Olivier, clinched the top spot in the four-day Sunfoil Series rankings, finishing with 52 wickets in 8 matches. Simon Harmer and Marchant de Lange finished in second and third respectively on the Sunfoil rankings.

Jon-Jon Smuts was a runaway winner of the Momentum One-Day Cup rankings. The all-rounder scored 581 runs at an average of 52.81, and picked up 14 wickets in the competition. Multiply Titans openers Aiden Markram and Henry Davids both enjoyed very successful campaigns and ended in 2nd and 3rd place on the Momentum rankings respectively.

Smuts (169.616), finished 36.053 points ahead of 2nd placed Colin Ackermann, and 41.794 points ahead of 3rd placed Hardus Viljoen in the CSA T20 Challenge Rankings. Smuts finished as the leading run-scorer in the competition scoring 371 runs in 11 matches.

“I’d like to congratulate Colin 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 and he has done exactly that.”

“I would also like to congratulate Jon-Jon and Duanne for leading the way in each of the domestic competitions. There were some pretty impressive individual performances from a number of players this season. Henry Davids’ 673 runs (8 matches) in the Momentum One-Day Cup and Duanne Olivier’s 52 wickets (8 matches) in the Sunfoil Series deserve special mention. Well done also to the entire Titans squad for winning the Momentum One-Day Cup and the CSA T20 Challenge and to the Knights squad for taking the Sunfoil Series.”

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OLIVIER LEADS SACA MVP RANKINGS AHEAD OF T20 CHALLENGE

VBK Knights fast bowler, Duanne Olivier currently leads the SACA MVP rankings, with Hollywoodbets Dolphins all-rounder Robbie Frylinck hot on his heels in second place, after both players turned in match winning performances for their respective teams during the Sunfoil Series.
Last season veteran and newcomer players battled for the title of the SACA’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) and this season promises to provide a similarly contested race amongst the country’s best domestic cricketers.

Olivier sits at the top of both the Overall MVP rankings and the four-day Sunfoil Series rankings, although there is still a long way to go in the Sunfoil Series and the two domestic limited-overs competitions still to come. With 28 wickets in five matches, which include two five-for’s and a nine wicket haul, Olivier is the leading wicket taker in the Sunfoil Series. His contribution thus far, has earned him 167.161 points in the MVP, to keep him 3.193 points ahead of Frylinck.
Frylinck’s record breaking performance with the ball in the second round of the Sunfoil Series against the bizhub Highveld Lions in Potchefstroom, which saw him end with a South African franchise record of 14 for 62, helped him climb 20 positions with his points’ tally leaping from 18.143 to 100.990 points. Frylinck has gone on to collect 163.968 from his five matches. His consistency and contribution with the bat and ball, has kept him in the race for the MVP.
The closest bunch of chasers in the SACA MVP at this early stage of the season are: 3rd Marchant de Lange (153.297 points), 4th Hardus Viljoen (134.512 points) and 5th Simon Harmer (131.857 points).
The MVP reflects a balanced distribution of points for players based on their on-field performances. Points awarded to players are based not only on runs and wickets, but also take into account catches, captaincy and the effect a player’s performance has on the success of his team and important stages of a match.
An indication of how reflective the rankings are is that 2015/16’s SACA MVP winner bizhub Highveld Lions’ Dwaine Pretorius and runner up, Hollywoodbets Dolphins’ Keshav Maharaj have both put in strong performances for their domestic teams in the matches they have played this season. Both players have also gone on to be selected for the Proteas, with Maharaj making his Test debut in the first Test of the current series against Australia. Pretorius has already played for the Proteas in the shorter format this year and has been called up to the Test squad following Dale Steyn’s series-ending injury.
Pretorius, currently seventh in the rankings, has played three games while Maharaj is 13th despite having only played two matches for his franchise.
The SACA MVP is an internationally recognised formula that records franchise players’ contribution to each match. Results are uploaded after each round of matches and the rankings are closely followed by players. The SACA MVP is an indicator of consistency of performance in each of the CSA Domestic Competitions and can be followed on the SACA website (www.saca.org.za).

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LIONS DRAW WITH KNIGHTS

 

Sunday, 23 October 2016

Duanne Olivier finished with six wickets on the final day as the Sunfoil Series clash between the VKB Knights and bizhub Highveld Lions ended in a draw at the Diamond Oval in Kimberley on Sunday.

The fast bowler followed his 3/101 in the first innings with 6/93 second time around, but half-centuries from Dominic Hendricks, Dwaine Pretorius and Mangaliso Mosehle meant the visitors finished on 310/9.

The Lions, who started the day on 62/2, lost three early wickets to slip to 92/5. But Hendricks went on to make 65 (154 balls, 11 fours, 1 six) and shared in a 109-run sixth wicket stand with an aggressive Pretorius (80 off 89 balls, 14 fours, 2 sixes) that carried them past 200.

It was an important stand in the context of the game, but both were part of Olivier’s haul, the 13th time in his career that he managed five wickets or more.

Mosehle’s unbeaten 67 (122 balls, 13 fours, 1 six) then proved equally vital as he anchored a 78-run eighth wicket stand that helped the Lions secure a draw that gave them 8.78 points.

The Knights took 8.88 points to move top of the table after three rounds of the season.

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FIFTEEN WICKETS FALL ON DAY ONE IN KIMBERLEY

Fifteen wickets fell on the opening day of the Sunfoil Series clash between the VKB Knights and Warriors as the two sides went to stumps with honours even in Kimberley on Thursday.

The title-chasing hosts saw their championship prospects take a blow when they were dismissed for a woeful 128 after losing the toss and being asked to bat first at the Diamond Oval. But they then roared back to reduce the visitors to 93/5 by stumps.

The Eastern Cape side, who have lost seven out of their eight matches this season, would have been smiling after their effort with the ball in the first innings.

Only three of the home batsmen managed to reach double figures – top-scorer Rudi Second (41 not out), captain Werner Coetsee (33) and Reeza Hendricks (18).

Medium-pacer Jerry Nqolo and spinner Simon Harmer shared seven wickets with the former claiming 4/11 in just eight overs and the latter squeezing 3/25 in 13 overs – the Knights dismissed in 51 overs.

But there was a twist to come as the hosts roared back thanks to two wickets apiece for Malusi Siboto (2/2) and Duanne Olivier (2/27). This after the Warriors had made a strong start by reaching 47/1 in the 15th over. But they lost 4/46, including the wicket of rookie opener Edward Moore (35) to go to stumps on the back foot.

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KNIGHTS CLIMB UP TO SECOND PLACE

Pite van Biljon scored a vital half-century as the VKB Knights pulled off a stunning run chase to narrowly edge out the Cape Cobras by three wickets late on the final day of their Sunfoil Series match in Bloemfontein on Monday.

The Cobras had been bowled out for 291 in their second innings just before lunch, holding a lead of 256 runs.

This after pace duo of Shadley van Schalkwyk (4/21) and Duanne Olivier (3/41) ripped through the visitor’s middle and lower order, claiming the last six wickets for 29 runs. Justin Ontong top-scored with 57 (85 balls, 8 fours).

Van Biljon then scored 82 not out (140 balls, 10 fours) to hold the Knights’ second innings together as the hosts reached 258/7 at the Mangaung Oval.

The win re-ignited the Knights’ title chances as they collected 18.44 points from the match to move above the bizhub Highveld Lions into second place on the log, just 11.64 points behind the log-leading Unlimited Titans with two matches left to play.

The Knights were left 70 overs to chase down the winning total, but needed just 60.3 overs to complete the victory.

Their run-chase was initially a touch rocky with the early loss of Reeza Hendricks (8), Michael Erlank (3) and Rudi Second (18), although Letlotlo Sesele (45) did provide the innings with some stability.

Van Biljon and Tumelo Bodibe (28) then set up the run-chase with a 66-run fifth-wicket stand, before Van Biljon and Werner Coetsee (36) hammered 61 runs for the sixth wicket off just 10 overs to take their team to the brink of victory.

Wayne Parnell helped the Cobras claw their way back into the match when he dismissed Coetsee and Van Schalkwyk (2) in consecutive overs to set up a tense finish.

But Van Biljon and Malusi Siboto (6 not out) took their team to the finish line.

Parnell ended with 3/68 and Lizaad Williams nabbed 3/49.

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KNIGHTS VICTORY OPENS TITLE RACE

Half centuries from Reeza Hendricks and Michael Erlank helped the VKB Knights complete a comprehensive 10-wicket Sunfoil Series win over the bizhub Highveld Lions on the final afternoon of their clash in Johannesburg on Sunday.

Chasing a low target of just 115, the pair reached the mark in 32.4 overs with Hendricks ending unbeaten on 58 (112 balls, 7 fours, 2 sixes) and Erlank striking 55 (97 balls, 11 fours).

Their performance ensured the Knights forced themselves right back into the title hunt after the log-leading Unlimited Titans could only draw their game against the Sunfoil Dolphins in Durban.

The Pretoria-based side still head the table with 93.08 points, followed by the Lions (86.16) and the Central Franchise on 82.24.

The Knights also had their bowlers to thank on Sunday after they claimed the final five home wickets for 90 and fairly quickly on the final morning to raise their hopes.

Proteas batsman Temba Bavuma, on 20 overnight, barely lasted five overs without adding to his overnight total, before he was dismissed by Shadley van Schalkwyk (2/52).

Dwaine Pretorius (29) was out before him having added five to his day three score and was sent on his way by Duanne Olivier, the pick of the bowlers with 4/63. The Knights fast bowler ended with seven wickets in the match.

Once the two overnight men fell, the door was opened for the Central Franchise as they had the Lions all out for 218 in 68.4 overs. The match was effectively a three-day contest after day one at the Bidvest Wanderers Stadium was abandoned due to rain and a wet outfield.

 

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TITANS STRETCH THEIR LEAD AT THE TOP

Marchant de Lange produced career-best figures to help Titans stretch their lead at the top of the points table with a crushing 359-run win against Knights in Centurion. De Lange took 7 for 76 in the second innings to follow up his four-for in the first as Knights were routed for for 164, chasing 524. Only Michael Erlank provided brief resistance with a patient fifty.

Titans, who chose to bat, posted 277 on the back of Dean Elgar’s 79 along with handy contributions from Heino Kuhn (45) and Theunis de Bruyn (40). Right-arm seamer Duanne Olivier took his ninth five-wicket haul to restrict Titans.

De Lange’s 4 for 34 and Rowan Richards’ 4 for 41 destroyed Knights in their first innings, bowling them out for 122 and gaining a 155-run lead in the process. Erlank was the top-scorer with 27. Kuhn and de Bruyn then continued their form, sharing an unbeaten 254-run stand to push Titans’ lead to 523 before the innings was declared.

Kuhn, the tournament’s top-scorer, struck 20 fours and a six in his 244-ball 151, while de Bruyn, who is currently third on the run-scoring charts, hit his 150 in just 174 balls, including 18 fours and three sixes.

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HENDRICKS, ROSSOUW PUT KNIGHTS ON THE BRINK

Attacking half-centuries from Reeza Hendricks and Rilee Rossouw took the VKB Knights to the brink of an upset victory against the log-leading Unlimited Titans at Mangaung Oval on Friday.

Chasing a challenging final innings 253, the highest score of the game, the hosts scored at 5.21 runs per over to race to 214 for two at the close – 39 runs shy of a surprise win.

Rossouw was unbeaten on a quick-fire 72 off 55 balls, a knock that included 12 fours and a six, while Hendricks had earlier provided the assured start thanks to his 69 from 88 deliveries. Rudi Second (33) was the other not out batsman and his stand with Rossouw stood unbroken on 99.

It was a dramatic turnaround from the opening day when 21 wickets had fallen, including the Knights being shot out for just 76, the lowest ever total in the franchise era at the Bloemfontein venue.

The Titans, who made 141 first time around, had started day two on 20 for one and reached lunch still well placed on 112 for four – an overall lead of 177.

But the last six wickets folded for only 66. Duanne Olivier, the star of the first innings with five for 42, followed that up with three for 39 and a match-haul of eight wickets, while rookie Mbulelo Budaza bagged three for 26 as the Titans were blown away in 57.1 overs.

Only Qaasim Adams managed any runs with a contribution of 69. It was one-way traffic thereafter as the Knights closed in on victory.

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