WATCH: Bhekuzulu obliterated by Gladiators attack
Bhekuzulu went up against a disciplined and determined bowling attack from the Gladiators, who made light work of obliterating the Bhekuzulu batting order, taking wicket after wicket to dash any hope of victory for their opponents.
LEGENDARY former Indian cricketer, Sachin Tendulkar, once said, “Before you lay a foundation on the cricket field, there should be a solid foundation in your heart and you start building on that…
“After that, as you start playing more and more matches, you learn how to score runs and how to take wickets.”
Widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time, it is safe to assume that Tendulkar knows what he’s talking about when it comes to the centuries-old ‘gentleman’s sport’ that continues to captivate fans from every demographic.
Cricket was at the core of Sunday’s activities at Cecil Emmett Park as the Afrimat Gladiators faced up against Bhekuzulu in a fifty over playoff to determine who would walk away with fifth place in the Kennedy Cup.
The Gladiators opened the batting after electing to bat first on a sticky wicket.
Adriaan Kruger and Cobus van Wyk opened the batting for the Gladiators. Kruger scored 36 before an LBW sent him packing and van Wyk was caught out on 13. Connor High managed the second highest individual score of the match before being caught on 37 and Rynhardt Labuschagne scored 26 before a catch from the Bhekuzulu side claimed his wicket.
Kobie Marè was run out on 10 and Charl Crous was able to rack up 20 runs before his pad got in the way and he was dismissed, LBW.
Jan Harm Snyman top-scored for the Gladiators, but fell five runs short of his fifty, after an arguably high delivery saw him dismissed on an LBW decision.
Gary High added 13 runs to the scorecard before losing his wicket to the bowling of Bhekuzulu’s Bonginkosi Mkhonza. Kayla High was dismissed for one run before an LBW sent her back to the stands and Craig Petersen was caught up in a controversial run out that basically set the tone for the rest of the day’s play, before he could add to the Gladiators’ total. Thomas Bezuidenhout was not out on 0.
The Afrimat Gladiators concluded their innings in the 43rd over, all out for 228.
Bhekuzulu’s best bowling figures came from Bonginkosi Mkhonza (10-0-52-4) and Mandla Khanyile (9-0-39-1).
Bhekuzulu went up against a disciplined and determined bowling attack from the Gladiators, who made light work of obliterating the Bhekuzulu batting order, taking wicket after wicket to dash any hope of victory for their opponents.
Opening batsman, Thabo Masondo was the only Bhekuzulu player to make it into double figures, before being bowled out for 17. Roger Ntshangase, Siyabonga Msibi, Mandla Khanyile and Msindi Khumalo were all bowled out for 0.
Leon Zwane, who came in at third, was caught out for 8 runs. Bonginkosi Mkhonza, who, earlier in the match took a ball to the face at the boundary while going for a catch off Jan Harm Snyman, was caught for 9 by Cobus van Wyk off the bowling of Rynhardt Labuschagne and Thulani Zondo managed to add six runs to the score before being caught out. Sabelo Mdluli was out for one run on an LBW and Moneli Mncube was not out for 0.
Chief destroyers for the Afrimat Gladiators were Rynhardt Labuschagne (5-0-19-4) and Kobie Marè (4-0-27-3), restricting the Bhekuzulu batting order to 49 runs all out in the 11th over. The Afrimat Gladiators won by 179 runs.
Meanwhile, in Dumbe, the second Kennedy Cup 50 over semi-final was contested as King Superstars travelled to Dumbe on Sunday to face the host side.
Dumbe won the toss and elected to bat. A decent innings of 84, not out, from Henk Nel and a 50 from Carlo Hambrock saw the hosts post a healthy 296/7 in their 50 overs. The top wicket takers for King Superstars were Honey Khan (10-0-43-3) and M Ikhlak (10-0-59-3).
The Dumbe bowlers stepped up to the pitch with ball in hand and bundled the King Superstars out for 140 runs in the 35th over with Afzal Iqbal (56) and Mirza Munawar (22) top scoring.
The best bowling figures for the victorious Dumbe team came from Leon Solms (8-2-27-3) and Rupert Beneke (9-2-26-3). Dumbe won by 156 runs and will meet Mr X in the Kennedy Cup 50 over final.
A Kingsmead Mynahs 30 over fixture will be played at Cecil Emmett on Saturday at 1:30pm, with Wicket Wasps hosting King Superstars.
The final clash in the Kennedy Cup will see formidable rivals, Dumbe and Mr X, face off in Dumbe on Sunday and promises to be an epic match. The third place playoff will also take place on Sunday at 10am at Cecil Emmett Park, where Wicket Wasps will once more play host to King Superstars.
