Ken Borland

The brave captaincy of Nicky van den Bergh and the outstanding bowling of his spinners led the North-West Dragons to a surprise 11-run win over the Central Gauteng Lions, the winners of the CSA T20 Challenge in the previous season.

Sent in to bat at St George’s Park, the Dragons could only muster 136/6, and that was thanks to the heroics of the seventh-wicket pair of Nono Pongolo (27* off 21) and Duan Jansen (32* off 18), who shared an unbeaten partnership of 57 off just 37 balls.

Seamer Codi Yusuf was the best of the tidy Lions attack with 2/21 in his four overs.

Left-arm spinner Johannes Diseko was then the star of the superb North-West bowling performance.

Opening the bowling, Diseko removed both Dominic (4) and Reeza Hendricks (0) with successive balls of his second over to immediately rock the Lions chase.

Josh Richards (23) and Mitchell van Buuren then added 50 for the third wicket, before 19-year-old leg-spinner Caleb Seleka removed Richards.

Van den Bergh backed his unheralded spinners to bowl at the death, with the Lions needing 45 runs in the last five overs with seven wickets in hand and Van Buuren set.

And it was a masterstroke as Seleka (4-0-23-2) conceded just seven runs and took a wicket in the 18^th over, and Diseko (4-0-17-2), darting the ball into the blockhole, also gave away just seven runs in the final over.

Van Buuren finished with a fine 65 not out off 56 deliveries, but he got a little stuck towards the end against the spinners and the left-arm angle of paceman Duan Jansen (4-0-24-0).

Left-arm spinner Senuran Muthusamy also bowled well, conceding just 19 runs in three overs.

The KZN Dolphins showed they are going to be a force on the slowish St George’s Park pitch as they hammered the Free State Knights, winners of the CSA Provincial T20 Cup at the start of the season, by eight wickets with two overs to spare.

The Dolphins spinners restricted the Knights, who had chosen to bat first, to 128/5, with off-spinner Prenelan Subrayen’s 1/13 in four overs a particularly telling effort.

Raynard van Tonder’s 38 and Farhaan Behardien’s 36 not out were the main contributions for Free State.

Keegan Petersen then stroked a confident 45 off 37 balls to set up a comfortable KZN chase, adding 74 for the first wicket with Grant Roelofsen (27).

David Miller then finished the game off with a quickfire 34 not out off 22 deliveries.

The CSA T20 Challenge gets underway in Gqeberha on Monday and whether the St George’s Park pitch, which has often been tricky for batting this summer, will favour the powerhouse batting line-ups of teams like the KZN Dolphins and Free State Knights or the strong bowling attacks of sides like the Northerns Titans or Boland Rocks is the big question.

And if it is a bowler-friendly tournament, will it be pace or spin that holds sway?

If it is spin, then Northerns look well-equipped to prosper with Tabraiz Shamsi, arguably the world’s best T20 spinner, in their squad, along with Aaron Phangiso, a perpetual banker in domestic white-ball cricket. They also have two wicket-taking Proteas fast bowlers in Lizaad Williams, with the new ball, and Junior Dala for the key middle overs.

But above all, the Titans have Quinton de Kock in their ranks and there is no doubting his ability to dominate and spearhead a title challenge. There will also be much excitement if U19 superstar Dewald Brevis makes his senior debut.

There are other Proteas sluggers who will have key roles in the tournament, and David Miller of the KZN Dolphins is someone who could have as large an impact as De Kock.

Janneman Malan will be a key player for Boland, while one feels either Reeza Hendricks, with the bat, or Bjorn Fortuin and Sisanda Magala with the ball, need to have big tournaments if the Central Gauteng Lions are to bring the T20 trophy they won at the end of last season back to the Wanderers.

But T20 cricket is the sort of game where an individual wise old head can put in a matchwinning performance at any time and it is advisable not to underestimate Western Province.

They have included former Proteas Richard Levi and Dane Vilas in their squad and they also have current Proteas squad members, and experienced campaigners to boot, in captain Wayne Parnell, George Linde and Beuran Hendricks.

The Eastern Province Warriors should be watched as well because they will know what is required in home conditions, and they have a good balance between veteran campaigners like Jon-Jon Smuts, Dane Paterson and Rudi Second, and explosive new talents like Matthew Breetzke, Wihan Lubbe and Tristan Stubbs.

The tournament comprises the eight Division One teams in a single round-robin format with 31 matches in total. The top four teams will go through to the semi-finals and the final is set to take place on Sunday, February 27.

With more than a dozen current Proteas involved, this season’s CSA T20 Challenge seems set to be highly competitive and entertaining.

Squads  

Eastern Province Warriors: Sinethemba Qeshile, Matthew Breetzke, Diego Rosier, Wihan Lubbe, Lesiba Ngoepe, Jon-Jon Smuts, Tristan Stubbs, Mthiwekhaya Nabe, Tsepo Ndwandwa, Tiaan van Vuuren, Stefan Tait, Kyle Jacobs, Dane Paterson, Lizo Makosi, Rudi Second, Akhona Mnyaka, Alindile Mhletywa.

Boland Rocks:Pieter Malan, Janneman Malan, Cebo Tshiki, Clyde Fortuin, Christiaan Jonker, Ferisco Adams, Michael Copeland, Valentine Kitime, Hardus Viljoen, Shaun von Berg, Ziyaad Abrahams, Siyabonga Mahima, Achille Cloete, Hlomla Hanabe, Zakhele Qwabe, Imraan Manack.

KZN Dolphins:Bryce Parsons, Grant Roelofsen, Andile Phehlukwayo, Khaya Zondo, David Miller, Jason Smith, Eathan Bosch, Prenelan Subrayen, Thando Ntini, Daryn Dupavillon, Ottneil Baartman, Kerwin Mungroo, Ruan de Swardt, Marques Ackerman, Odirile Modimokoane, Keegan Pietersen.

Central Gauteng Lions: Joshua Richards, Kagiso Rapulana, Mitchell van Buuren, Shane Dadswell, Ruan Haasbroek, Dominic Hendricks, Tshepo Ntuli, Malusi Siboto, Tladi Bokako, Aya Myoli, Codi Yusuf, Sisanda Magala, Juan Landsberg, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks.

Free State Knights: Farhaan Behardien, Patrick Botha, Mbulelo Budaza, Gerald Coetzee, CP Klijnhans, Patrick Kruger, Wandile Makwetu, Greg Mohlakoana, Mangaliso Mosehle, Alfred Mothoa, Migael Pretorius, Jason Raubenheimer, Jacques Snyman, Pite van Biljon, Nealan van Heerden, Raynard van Tonder.

Northerns Titans:Theunis de Bruyn, Quinton de Kock, Dayyaan Galiem, Heinrich Klaasen, Sibonelo Makhanya, Donovan Ferreira, Aya Gqamane, Dewald Brevis, Aaron Phangiso, Lizaad Williams, Tabraiz Shamsi, Junior Dala, Grant Mokoena, Corbin Bosch, Gihahn Cloete.

North-West Dragons: Nicky van den Bergh, Lesego Senokwane, Wesley Marshall, Dwaine Pretorius, Senuran Muthusamy, Heino Kuhn, Delano Potgieter, Nono Pongolo, Duan Jansen, Johannes Diseko, Chad Classen, Lwandiswa Zuma, Eldred Hawken, Taheer Isaacs, Caleb Seleka, Ndumiso Mvelase.

Western Province Blitz:Jonathan Bird, Junaid Dawood, Tony de Zorzi, Beuran Hendricks, Gavin Kaplan, George Linde, Richard Levi, Aviwe Mgijima, Tshepo Moreki, Mihlali Mpongwana, Wayne Parnell, Kyle Simmonds, Daniel Smith, Yaseen Vallie, Dane Vilas, Basheer Walters.

The Cape Cobras also suffered a parlous mid-innings collapse as they went down to the Dolphins on the first day of the CSA T20 Challenge at Kingsmead in Durban on Friday.

Chasing 156 for victory, the Cobras were cruising on 70 for one after 10 overs with Tony de Zorzi (39) and Kyle Verreynne (29) well set.

But Proteas star Keshav Maharaj bowled De Zorzi in the 11^th over and also dismissed Verreynne, well-stumped by Grant Roelofsen off a superb piece of slow left-arm spin, in the same over.

Fellow spinner Prenelan Subrayen also chipped in with the wicket of George Linde (1) and the Cobras subsided to 106 for seven, mirroring the Knights’ collapse earlier in the day against the Titans when they slumped to 116 all out from 84 for two.

Some lusty blows by Christiaan Jonker (41* off 25) lifted the Cobras to 141 for seven, but they were also-rans by then, ultimately losing by 14 runs.

Maharaj finished with magnificent figures of four for 15 in his four overs, while off-spinner Subrayen was also excellent with one for 19.

The Dolphins, who won the toss and batted, found themselves in trouble in the first half of their innings as they struggled to 63 for four.

There were two run outs in their top-order and they were the vital wickets of the in-form Grant Roelofsen for a duck and kingpin David Miller for 16.

But an inspired innings of 59 off 39 balls by Khaya Zondo shifted the momentum away from the Cobras and lifted the Dolphins to 155 for eight.

Andile Phehlukwayo (13) and Robbie Frylinck (17) played their part in consecutive partnerships of 43 and 48 with Zondo.

Zondo fell in the final over and was the middle victim in a superb hat-trick by rookie left-arm spinner Siyabonga Mahima.

The 24-year-old from Mpumalanga finished with four for 18 in three overs having been thrust into bowling the last over in a surprise move by captain Tony de Zorzi. It was the fourth hat-trick in South African T20 franchise history.

The upkeep of the Kingsmead pitch for the duration of the intense two-week long CSA T20 Challenge looks like it could be a challenge given the clatter of wickets in the first match between the victorious Titans and the Knights on Friday.

All 17 matches of the tournament will be played at Kingsmead in a biosecure bubble and the opening clash was a low-scoring affair as the Knights suffered a stunning collapse.

Having won the toss and batted, the Knights raced to 84 for two after just eight overs thanks to Patrick Kruger (22 off 13) and the fiery Andries Gous (35 off 19).

But on a dry, slowish pitch that is only going to deteriorate, they then crashed to 116 all out. That they got that far was thanks largely to captain Pite van Biljon scoring a run-a-ball 33.

It was paceman Lizaad Williams (3-0 20-2) who started the collapse by dismissing Gous and the experienced Farhaan Behardien with successive deliveries.

Spinner Tabraiz Shamsi (4-0-20-3) then removed three batsmen in quick succession, and the quality pace bowling of Lungi Ngidi (3-0-19-2) and Chris Morris (3.2-0-10-1) did the rest.

Eight wickets had fallen for just 32 runs and Migael Pretorius (4-1-26-3) then blasted out the first three Titans batsmen with just seven runs on the board.

But Dean Elgar (37) and skipper Heinrich Klaasen (54* off 40) added 76 for the fourth wicket to rescue the Titans innings.

And Morris then slammed 21 not out off eight balls to slam the door shut on the Knights.