CAPE TOWN – An all-round team performance enabled the bizhub Highveld Lions to beat the Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras by eight wickets shortly before tea on day three of their Sunfoil Series match at Sahara Park Newlands in Cape Town on Saturday, ending on 125 for two.
Quinton de Kock went on the attack from the word go, and brought up his half century off 70 balls, including 10 boundaries, while Stephen Cook watched from the non-striker’s end.
The visitors were finding life easy until Alistair Gray was given the ball by his captain Justin Ontong. Gray removed Cook (16), who savagely pulled a short ball from Gray, only to find the bread-basket of Richard Levi at short square-leg.
De Kock (55) then slashed at a ball from Gray and found a thin top-edge, to be caught by Andrew Puttick in the slips. But Neil McKenzie, 28 not out, and Temba Bavuma, on 14 not out, took their side home in electric style.
McKenzie smashed five fours and a six in his 14-ball knock, while Bavuma was slightly more sedate in facing 16 balls for his 14 runs. Gray ended with 2-23 from three overs.
The hosts had resumed day three on 81 for six in their second innings, a lead of only 35 runs, before losing Johann Louw in the fourth over of the morning, when Imran Tahir dismantled his stumps with a googly.
Charl Langeveldt then joined Qaasim Adams at the crease, and the pair added a valuable 63 runs for the 8th wicket.
Adams brought up his 11th first-class half-century off 55 balls in 80 minutes, including six boundaries. The pair brought up the 50-run partnership off just 29 deliveries, but Langevedlt was eventually trapped lbw by Tahir for a gutsy 19, which lasted 58 minutes.
Beuran Hedricks (0) lasted all of 14 minutes before being trapped in front by Zander de Bruyn. Adams was then caught off the bowling of De Bruyn for his highest Sunfoil Series score of 88, which ended the innings.
De Bruyn, as he had done in the first innings, led the way by claiming 3-16, while Ethan O’Reilly, Tahir and Hardus Viljoen all claimed two wickets each.
The home side claimed 6.48 bonus points to leave them on 86.06 points while the visitors took home 17.40 points to lift them to 71.12 points with a game in hand – just 3.26 points behind the second placed Chevrolet Warriors.
