Hurricane Rudi blasts Veterans to victory in cricket match
The Southern KZN Veterans have certainly announced themselves.
Hurricane Rudi caused some extensive damage on the South Coast, Ramsgate to be specific on October 17.
It came in the form of opening batsman Rudi Smit, in a Southern KZN Veterans’ cricket match against Rhythm DHS Old Boys ‘C’ at Southcity ground.
Captain André Ellapen won the toss and opted to bat first. Southern KZN made 239-6 in 20 overs, thanks to an astonishing innings from Rudi, who smashed 145 off 61 balls, which included nine fours and 16 sixes.
To give some comparison, AB de Villiers’s fastest ODI 150 – that game against the West Indies in 2015 – came off 64 balls.
New Zealander Finn Allen has a 49-ball 150, playing for the San Francisco Unicorns against the Washington Freedom in the Major League Cricket opener last year.
But getting back to the Skzn Veterans. Rudi’s fellow opener Wilko Kunz made 21 (15) and number three André made 24 (14).
After that no one got into double figures, but no one really needed too, such was the hurricane blowing at the other end.
Perhaps Neven Pillay, who batted with aplomb the previous Saturday, scoring an urgent 39* off 24 balls, may have kept the rate going, but he was unavailable due to a family commitment.
He will get his chance when the Vets take on Simplex B in Penguin Street, Chatsworth this Saturday.
After Rudi’s volcanic eruption with the bat, the pressure was off the bowlers to some extent, but they still needed to keep it tight.
Rhythm C eventually posted 160-3 in their 20 overs.
Best of the bowlers were Ayoob Ebrahim (0-27 in 4), Mohammed Kazi (1-23 in 4) and Beez Habib (0-20 in 3), who all kept a tidy line and length.
Skipper André trundled in to gently roll his arm over for a few wrong uns, some which landed and some which didn’t.
However, there are certain cricketers who, when not fishing, you can’t keep out of a game and Shaun Ferreira is one of them.
He wrapped things up by taking two wickets (and nearly a hat-trick) in the final over, which also saw him blasted for a four and a six.
The Southern KZN Veterans have certainly announced themselves in the promotion league, with more exciting games ahead, no doubt.
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