Easy win for Western Province over Tuskers

WSB Western Province cruised to an easy bonus-point victory over a thoroughly outgunned Moothee Ram Tuskers in their CSA T20 Challenge match at the City Ground in Pietermaritzburg on Thursday afternoon.

Needing only 108 to win after dismissing the Tuskers for a paltry 107 in 19.4 overs, Province cruised to a nine-wicket victory in 15.3 overs.. The win keeps Province well in touch with those teams competing for the playoffs while defeat leaves the Tuskers with little hope at the bottom of the table.

Province openers Valentine Kitime and Edward Moore broke the back of their task with a 63-run opening partnership with Kitime’s hit and miss knock providing most of the entertainment. The climax of his innings came in the seventh over delivered by medium-pacer Marcello Piedt. After struggling, along with Moore, with his timing on the slow, low track, Kitime suddenly hit pay dirt, driving Piedt for two sixes over long-on and long-off and then hooking a huge six in an over that cost 20.

Kitime was then bowled by left-arm spinner Sean Whitehead for a belligerent 37 in 26 balls and that left Moore (41*) and Joshua van Heerden (29*) with the simple task of knocking off the remaining runs. Van Heerden’s innings should have ended much earlier as he top-edged a reverse sweep off Sean Gilson to backward point where Hardus Viljoen dropped a dolly, a moment that underscored the Tuskers’ disappointing day.

It wasn’t even that the home team bowled badly. Gilson, Whitehead and Daryn Dupavillon actually bowled decently, but they had little hope given that they only had 107 to defend.

Earlier, the Tuskers won the toss and chose to bat first on a humid, overcast day in Pietermaritzburg. Aside from their skipper Michael Erlank – who was leg before to a shooter – and a useful partnership of 36 between Cameron Shekleton (31*) and Viljoen (26), the Tuskers’ batters showed a marked lack of technique and temperament against a Province attack that needed to be no better than efficient.

The home team’s problems started almost immediately with opener Andile Mogakane playing on to paceman Raeeq Daniels off the third ball of the innings, while left-arm spinner George Linde picked up his first wicket in the next over when Ntando Zuma missed a slog and was bowled.

Erlank played the first shot of authority in the fourth over, driving Raeeq Daniels powerfully through the covers for the first boundary. Sadly for him, he was the victim of a shooter later in the over and he was trapped leg before, the ball hitting him on the ankle.

Sean Gilson went quickly, bowled by Liyema Waqu and Wayne Parnell bludgeoned a couple of fours before mistiming a drive to mid-on. When Whitehead holed out to midwicket the Tuskers were an embarrassing 56 for seven in the 12th over and a three-figure total looked far away.

It was then that Shekleton and Viljoen joined forces to play some sensible cricket for five overs with Viljoen on-driving the only six of the innings off Linde. But the innings wrapped up quickly after legspinner Josh Breed bowled Viljoen and Daryn Dupavillon, leaving Shekleton marooned on an unbeaten 31 in 39 balls.

For Province, Dube, Linde, Breed and Daniels claimed two scalps apiece with a runout completing a sorry scorecard for the Tuskers.

MOOTHEE RAM TUSKERS: Andile Mogakane, Michael Erlank (capt), Wayne Parnell, NtaZuma, Hardus Viljoen, Sean Whitehad, Daryn Dupavillon, Sean Gilson, Cameron Shekleton, Marcello Piedt, Thabiso Ndlela

WSB WESTERN PROVINCE: Edward Moore, Valentine Kitime, Joshua van Heerden, Daniel Smith (capt, wk), George Linde, Abdallah Bayoumy, Josh Breed, Raeeq Daniels, Liyema Waqu, Mbulelo Dube, Mthiwekhaya Nabe