Lizaad Williams claimed two wickets in four balls and conceded only two runs to set up a thrilling Super Over victory for Dafabet Boland over the Dafabet Warriors in their YesPlay Pro20 Cup Super 8 clash at St George’s Park in Gqeberha on Thursday evening.
The Boland pacer dismissed Jordan Hermann with his second delivery and then dislodged Patrick Kruger with the fourth. Moments later, Ferisco Adams hit the boundary with the first ball he faced, and that was enough to seal victory for Boland.
Earlier in the day, Boland captain Glenton Stuurman won the toss and elected to bat first. Lehan Botha answered his captain’s call with a half-century that steered the visitors to 138-5.
The Warriors refused to bow to the pressure from Boland’s bowlers and fought their way to 138-7 in 20 overs.
Williams’s heroics in the Super Over were not his first of the match. He successfully defended seven runs in the final over to help Boland avoid defeat. His lines and lengths denied Thomas Kaber and Beuran Hendricks room to free their arms and find gaps or the boundary.
Botha leads the way for Boland with the bat
Williams had a competitive total to defend thanks to Botha’s resolute innings earlier in the evening. Botha led the way for Boland with a workmanlike innings that brought him 50 from 47 balls.
The No 4 batter arrived at the crease when the visitors needed someone who could take the game deep. Boland were on 44-2 after 5.3 overs, having lost two wickets in eight deliveries. The 25-year-old dug in and shepherded his side to a competitive total.
Botha shared the crease with three different partners: Gavin Kaplan, Jhedli van Briesies and Ferisco Adams. His partnership with Kaplan was short-lived, adding 19 runs to the total. Botha and Van Briesies then put on a 37-run fourth-wicket stand, Boland’s highest partnership of the match.
Ferisco Adams walked in to replace Van Briesies at the close of the 16th over and struck two sixes and a single four on his way to an unbeaten 22 from 12 balls. He added 34 runs for the fifth wicket with Botha, which ended when Botha holed out to Jordan Hermann in the deep.
Stubbs and Muthusamy keep the Warriors in the hunt
Boland had a brisk 35-run opening stand to build their innings on. The Warriors, however, lost two early wickets and found themselves on 33-2 after 3.4 overs.
Tristan Stubbs played within himself as he compiled a run-a-ball 40 that kept the hosts in the contest. The Proteas star put together a 57-run third-wicket partnership with Senuran Muthusamy, who struck a patient 30-ball 25.
The Warriors’ best chance of victory lay in Stubbs’s ability to replicate Botha’s innings. The Proteas middle-order batter looked the part until Williams delivered a ball that castled his stumps in the 17th over.
Kruger and Andile Mogakane then took over the chase. Mogakane was the aggressor, scoring 19 runs from nine deliveries, while Kruger patiently accumulated 12 runs from 16 balls. Their contributions took the Warriors close to Boland’s total.
Bowling honours and standings
Williams finished with two wickets for 22 runs in four overs. Stuurman collected an equal number of scalps but conceded 35 runs in his four overs. Ferisco Adams and Neil Brand each chipped in with a wicket.
The victory lifts Boland into second place with 16 points from four wins and a single loss in five games. The Warriors drop one place from second to third with 16 points from three wins, one loss and a single no-result.