Kgaudi Molefe claimed a five-wicket haul to help the Eastern Cape Iinyathi book a place in the qualifier of the CSA Division 2 One-Day Cup after beating the Northern Cape Heat by 47 runs at the Diamond Oval in Kimberley on Sunday.
The Border-based team will now face the Mpumalanga Rhinos at Buffalo Park on Wednesday, and the winner of that game will face the Knights in Bloemfontein in the final.
Iinyathi’s bowling attack stepped up to the occasion again as they dismissed the Heat for 203 with Molefe leading the charge.
The 26-year-old left-arm spinner finished with figures of five for 40. It was his second career List A five-wicket haul.
Chasing a target of 251, the Heat’s pursuit had a rocky start following the dismissal of Liam Doherty (5) by Chad Classen and Tristan van Rensburg (7) and Nonelela Yikha (10), who both fell to Nico van Zyl within the first powerplay.
Alindile Mhletywa had Morne Venter caught behind by Nathan Roux for just 12, leaving the Heat 50 for four after 14 overs.
Romano Terblanche and Tahir Isaacs combined for 50 to move the home team closer to the target.
But Mhletywa struck again and had Terblanche caught at mid-off by Wian Ruthven for 34.
Abel Mokwena departed as well a few overs later, with Molefe claiming the scalp.
Molefe accounted for Isaacs (37) as well.
James Ritchie stood resolute, but the Heat kept on losing wickets on the other end.
And then Molefe continued his destruction, getting the wickets of Ritchie, Orapeleng Motlhoaring and Odirile Modimokoane to wrap up Iinyathi’s fifth consecutive win.
Earlier, Thando Ntini showed again that he is not only selected for his bowling, as he played a big hand in getting Iinyathi to the total.
Ntini scored 45, narrowly missing out on what would have been his maiden List A half-century.
His knock was the difference between the Iinyathi not being bowled out for under 200 and making 250.
He and Mhletywa held it together at the end with an eighth-wicket partnership of 51.
It was the second-biggest partnership of the innings after Ruthven and Lihle Sizani’s third-wicket 73-run stand.
In the 36th over, the KuGompo City outfit found themselves in a spot of bother at 162 for six after the top order could not get going.
The Heat’s decision to bowl first was bang on, and in the second over, Venter got the big scalp of Iinyathi skipper Roux for just three.
Sizani and Ruthven kept Iinyathi at a decent run rate of six runs an over in the powerplay and just after.
With Iinyathi on 77 runs, Ruthven (39) was caught at long-on by Venter off the bowling of Motlhoaring.
Modimokoane outfoxed Sizani (43) and had him stumped a few overs later, just when the Iinyathi had reached the 100-run mark in the 19th over.
In the next over, Michael Copeland was run out for two by Ritchie.
Christiaan du Toit added 22 runs to the score before he was bowled by Venter.
Jason Niemand contributed 30 off 57 balls before Ntini and Mhletywa were patient in how they went about their business in the reconstruction of the innings.
They went at a run-a-ball, taking 12 overs to take it over the 50-run mark.
In an attempt to up the ante, Ntini was caught at long-on by Yikha off the bowling of Charl Prinsloo.
In the same over, the 44th, Mhletywa followed to the dressing room for 23 after being caught at backward point by Venter.
Van Zyl did not trouble the scorers at the end as Iinyathi finished on 250/9.
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