Warriors climb to fourth after win over WP

Beyers Swanepoel of the Dafabet Warriors plays a shot during their CSA T20 Challenge, Division 1 match against World Sports Betting Western Province at Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town on October 9, 2024
Beyers Swanepoel of the Dafabet Warriors plays a shot during their CSA T20 Challenge, Division 1 match against World Sports Betting Western Province at Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town on October 9, 2024
Image: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images

 

A sensational innings by all-rounder Beyers Swanepoel carried the Dafabet Warriors to a five-wicket win over the World Sports Betting Western Province in their CSA T20 Challenge clash at Newlands in Cape Town on Wednesday. 

Swanepoel struck a career-high 83 runs from 39 balls including nine fours and four sixes during a 55-minute stay at the crease before Senuran Muthusamy (18) and Patrick Kruger (7) ended not out to reach the target with 14 balls to spare. 

The win sees the Warriors climb to eight points from four matches and ahead of WP into fourth place. 

Chasing 149 for victory after restricting WP to 148/7, the visitors lost openers Jiveshan Pillay (1) and skipper Matthew Breetzke (4) before Swanepoel cut loose, taking them to 46 for the loss of two wickets after the first six overs. 

Three sixes from the blade of Swanepoel brought up his half-century off just 20 balls, clubbing four fours and four sixes with the Warriors reaching the end of the eighth over on 69/2. 

Swanepoel continued the onslaught with the support of Tristan Stubbs at the other end.

The Warriors reached 100 runs at the start of the 11th over but Stubbs fell to the bowling of Mihlali Mpongwana for 10 off the next legitimate delivery of the over, bringing Sinethemba Qeshile to the crease. 

Swanepoel eventually perished when he attempted a sweep off George Linde, but could only find Abdullah Bayoumy. 

Qeshile fell late for 16, but Muthusamy and Kruger held their nerve to carry the Warriors home. 

Earlier, WP won the toss and elected to bat first but things did not go according to plan as the top order struggled to create run-scoring opportunities hitting just five boundaries to reach 54/3 after the first 10 overs. 

Linde was the only WP batter who seemed to have summed up conditions correctly as he smashed an unbeaten 66 off 31 balls, sharing 32 runs with Kyle Verreynne and 35 with Mpongwana, helping his side to a competitive total. 

The next best scores came from the bat of Jonathan Bird (23), while Verreynne (18) and Valentine Kitime (17) had brief cameos but it was Linde’s power hitting which included two boundaries and six sixes, that ultimately saw the home side come to within a whisker of the 150-run mark. 

CJ King (3/27), Alfred Mothoa (2/30) and Swanepoel (2/15) rattled the WP batters as they shared the wicket-taking responsibility from a collective 12 overs.

HeraldLIVE

 

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