Tuskers stun Lions with death bowling masterclass

A death bowling masterclass from the Moothe Ram Tuskers stunned the DP World Lions as the hosts fell to a two-run defeat in their CSA T20 Challenge match at DP World Wanderers on Saturday afternoon.

Chasing 162 to win and needing 15 runs off 14 balls with seven wickets in hand, the Lions were on target for a comfortable win, only for veteran pace bowler Wayne Parnell to snag top scorer Reeza Hendricks, followed by two brilliant final overs that secured the visitors an unbelievable win.

Ziyaad Abrahams conceded just six off the penultimate over, to leave the Lions needing eight off the last, with the experienced Daryn Dupavillon then conceding just five in an eventful final over that saw a broken bat and Delano Potgieter (9no) being let off thanks to a contentious grassed catch.

Earlier in the chase Hendricks overcame a difficult start, that saw him on 20 off 22 balls at a stage, to score with 61 off 44 (7x4; 1x6), while Rassie Van Der Dussen 44 off 30 (7x4; 1x6) and Mitch van Buuren 38 off 25 (2x4; 2x6), set the Lions up for what should have been a simple chase.

It was a 59-run second-wicket partnership between Hendricks and Van Der Dussen, and then a 75-run stand between Hendricks and Van Buuren, that saw the Lions on 134 for three after 16 overs, needing just 28 off 24, only for them to blow it spectacularly.

Parnell, 2-29, and spinner Sean Whitehead, 1-26, were the Tuskers best bowlers, but nothing can be taken away from the superb final two overs from Abrahams, 1-40, and Dupavillon, 0-30.

The Lions chase got off to a poor start as a brilliant first over from Whitehead ended as a wicket maiden, with him pegging Wandile Makwetu’s middle stump back to send the opener on his way for a fifth-ball duck.

That brought Van Der Dussen in and dominated his partnership with Hendricks, hitting boundaries at will, before Abrahams made the breakthrough in the eighth over, as Van Der Dussen skied him to Cameron Shekleton at deep midwicket, leaving them on 59/2.

That brought Van Buuren along, and with Hendricks, they batted their side into what should have been a winning position.

UNBELIEVABLE BOWLING

It started slowly, however, and Van Buuren was let off on four, dropped by a diving Kagiso Rapulana at backward point off Parnell in the 10th over.

But they soon picked up the scoring rate as 49 runs between the 12th and 15th overs put the Lions on top, before another 10 off the 16th from Parnell made it even better, but he crucially had Van Buuren out sweeping the ball to Malcolm Nofal at square leg off the last ball.

The Lions were still well on top, and even after Hendricks' wicket, well caught by a diving Rapulana at deep point after top edging Parnell, they would have expected to cruise home, but Potgieter and Evan Jones (6) were unable to pull it off as they finished short on 159/5.

Earlier, a half-century from Shekleton and a brilliant flurry from Parnell boosted the Tuskers to a defendable 161 for five batting first after the Lions won the toss and put them in to bat.

Shekleton top-scored for his side, striking five fours and a six in a solid 56 off 37 balls, but it was the Parnell show in the final over of the innings as he walked in and promptly slammed four straight sixes in an unbeaten 25 off just five balls to make sure his team had something to bowl at.

The Lions initially looked like they were going to limit the Tuskers to a below-par total, thanks to top bowling from Beyers Swanepoel, 2-24, and Jones, 2-25, until the late innings flourish.

The Tuskers' innings got off to a difficult start as the Lions struck early, Rapulana (4) guiding Swanepoel straight to Siya Plaatjie at third man, with the score 11 for one in the third over.

At the start of the next, Andile Mogakane (1) could only fend a ball from Jones that spat off the turf to Hendricks at first slip, leaving them on 18/2.

Jones should have had a second wicket in the over, Malcolm Nofal (21) dropped on 17 by Raffeeq Patel at gully, but he wasn’t able to capitalise on the chance as at the end of the seventh over he skied Patel to Richard Seletswane at deep backward square leg, as they slipped to 39 for three.

That brought Shekleton in to join Sean Gilson (30) and they revived the visitors' innings with a decent 56-run fourth wicket stand.

However, Gilson never really looked settled, facing 33 balls and hitting just three fours, before he got himself out trying to chase quick runs, mistiming a reverse sweep off Swanepoel to Potgieter at backward point in the 15th over, with the score 95 for four.

Michael Erlank (15no) and Shekleton added 37 to the score, but when Jones had Shekleton playing onto his own stumps at the end of the 19th, it looked like it would be a simple chase, with the Tuskers on 132 for five.

But an incredible last over from Plaatjie disappeared for 29 runs, as the bowler initially struggled bowling three wides, before getting tighter, which allowed Parnell to dump him straight back over his head four consecutive times to boost the Tuskers at the death.

DP WORLD LIONS: Reeza Hendricks, Wandile Makwetu (2k), Rassie van der Dussen, Mitch van Buuren (capt), Delano Potgieter, Evan Jones, Richard Seletswane, Beyers Swanepoel, Morteza Manack, Siya Plaatjie, Raffeeq Patel.

MOOTHEE RAM TUSKERS: Kagiso Rapulana, Cameron Shekleton, Michael Erlank (capt), Andile Mogakane, Malcolm Nofal, Sean Gilson, Ntando Zuma (wk), Wayne Parnell, Sean Whitehead, Daryn Dupavillon, Ziyaad Abarahams