The see-saw nature of T20 cricket was on full display yesterday evening (October 10) when the SWD Garden Route Badgers pulled off a six-wicket win against the North West Dragons off the final ball in their Pro20 Cup match at the NWC Oval.
The Garden Route Badgers still needed 15 runs off the final over to win the match, and this was where Liam Alder (16 off 7 balls) put his name in lights, hitting the winning runs in an exhilarating finish.
After hitting two boundaries in the over, Alder, a former SA U19 player, made sure to keep the crowd on their feet. Needing three runs to win off the final ball, Alder hit Ruan de Swardt’s delivery high into the air towards mid-on. The ball was caught near the boundary, but had to be thrown back into the field to prevent it from going for six. In a mad scramble, Alder and Janneman Malan (67* off 48 balls) completed three runs to secure a famous win.
The Dragons will be kicking themselves for missing numerous opportunities to kill the game off. Three catches were dropped, while a wicket was also taken off a no-ball. The most costly miss was Malan, who was dropped in the deep on 36 by Jade de Klerk off Daryn Dupavillon’s bowling.
Still, the Dragons kept control for most of their bowling innings, needing to defend 149/6.
Alfred Mothoa was excellent with his variations, picking up 2/22 in his four overs. Malan carried his bat with a fine 67* as he used all his experience against his former teammates at a familiar venue.
Wihan Lubbe was the pick of the Dragons’ batters, hitting a solid 77 off 57 balls, which included six fours and two sixes. Dian Forrester also contributed 36 off 24 balls. Both lost their wickets at crucial times as SWD managed to limit the damage at the death.
The Dragons will need to bounce back quickly when they face the Dolphins at the NWC Oval on Tuesday, October 13.
