Sekhukhune drives Storm to victory

Eastern Storm batsman Kabelo Sekhukhune kept the scorers so busy in their successful run chase against the Six Gun Grill Garden Route Badgers on Heritage Day (September 24) that the scoreboard across the Willowmoore Park pavilion intermittently froze and eventually stopped working.

Sekhukhune hit nine fours and four maximums in his 55-ball 84 to blast the Storm to a three-wicket win against the Badgers for their second CSA T20 Challenge victory.

Chasing 166, the left-hander and his opening partner, Christopher Brits, started the run chase brilliantly, putting on 73 in the power-play, with Sekhukhune as the chief destroyer.

After an aggressive start, Sekhukhune reached his half-ton off 26 deliveries, which included six boundaries and two sixes, with a four over the long-off boundary of Hlompho Modimokoane with the fourth ball of the sixth over.

The highlight of the Storm innings came in the fifth over, when they took 20 runs off the Badgers’ Lifa Ntanzi.
The pitch was unforgiving to the seamer. He struggled with his line in the over and the only time he looked threatening was when he bowled straight.

Sekhukhune welcomed him to the bowling with a six over third man. After a single and a wide, Britz added two fours, one between the cover/point region and the other over extra cover, with the third and fourth balls of the over, before Sekhukhune capped it off with another boundary over short third man.

Sekhukhune was characteristically strong on both sides of the wicket. Britz opened up scoring areas on the off-side, leaving their team in a good place after reaching their 100 partnership with the second ball of the ninth over when Sekhukhune reverse-swept Kyle Jacobs over deep point.

They were separated in the 12th over when Britz was caught and bowled by Liyabona Malife. Leander Lubbe followed two overs later after failing to connect with a Malife delivery, looking for a maximum on the leg side, but the ball flew past him into the stumps.

Sekhukhune was eventually dismissed by Ntanzi holing out to third man, attempting another six, but he had done enough to set up victory.

Duck

Needing 15 with seven wickets in hand and five overs left, the Storm middle order almost squandered it as the wickets fell like dominoes, creating a nervy moment for the handful of fans around the park.

First, Thomas Kaber trapped Dewan Marais and Danie Rossouw before the spinner bowled Shaveer Khan for a duck.

Seamer Jarred Jardine had Shaylin Pillay caught at deep square leg by Pheko Moletsane, but Amaan Khan sealed it with a four down the ground as the Storm posted 167/7, winning by three wickets with nine balls to spare.

Batting first, the Badgers will feel the pinch after they squandered the opportunity to post a bigger total on the back of a strong start.

Yaseen Valli and Keenan Vieira put on 43 in the power-play but separated in the 10th over when Sekhukhune trapped Vieira in front with the fifth ball of the over, after reaching his 50 off 37 deliveries.

Heath Richards joined Valli at the crease and they added 57 for the second wicket before keeper Rossouw caught Richards off Andrew Rasemene in the 17th over.

Valli followed an over later off Amaan Khan before George van Heerden was caught at mid-wicket by Brits off Shaveer Khan to end the Badgers’ innings on 165/4, setting their host 166 to win.

The Eastern Storm faces Mpumalanga Rhinos in the next fixture at Willowmoore Park on September 29.

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