Khwezi Mtshakazi blasted a brilliant unbeaten half-century to lead Dale College to a thrilling six-wicket win over Queen’s College in their Rain Schools SA20 Derby Series cricket match in Komani on Saturday.
Dale captain Afika Ganda won the toss and chose to bowl first. His bowlers answered the call and restricted Queen’s to 140/3 in their 20 overs.
The visitors then claimed victory by six wickets to win with three balls remaining.
Dale came into the contest desperate for redemption after a humiliating loss to Queen’s earlier this year. They achieved their goal with flying colours.
At first, the visitors struggled to build lasting partnerships in their run chase.
Simvuyele Saliwa and Dane Meyer added 16 for the opening stand, and then Ganda joined Meyer to add an important 39 runs for the second wicket.
But Queen’s kept on picking up wickets to ensure Dale did not run away with the contest.
Matters, however, tilted in Dale’s favour when Mtshakazi joined forces with Zingce Poni to post a match-winning, fifth-wicket partnership of 81 runs off just 10 overs.
Before they got together, Dale’s reply hovered around the required rate of around seven to the over, but they pushed it to beyond that.
While Mtshakazi took on the Queen’s attack, Poni played an excellent supporting role to contribute a patient 27 off 33 balls.
Earlier, Ross Fitzhenry had starred for the Queen’s side with his unbeaten 66 off 55 balls being a key effort to set a challenging target.
He was part of two 50-run partnerships, adding 59 for the third wicket with Caleb Waller (26), and following that with a 69-run stand for the fourth wicket with Amila Maselana (22).
Dale’s excellence in the field also played a role in their victory. Only Enkosi Sopali was able to take a wicket for the visitors as their remaining wickets came from two run-outs.
Mthokozisi Mbambo was the best bowler for Queen’s with 2/19. - SuperSportschools.com
