POLOKWANE – The match was hosted at the Polokwane Cricket Club from November 18-21 and ended in a draw after a rain-filled few days.
Both teams managed to salvage wickets and accumulate runs in the four-day period of their innings.
The Limpopo Impalas won the toss and decided to bat first. Standout performances from captain, Ludwig Kaestner (78) and Bruce Shiburi (80) on day one helped the Impalas to a score of 290 runs in their first innings and 185 runs in their second.
Aubrey Swanepoel was the pick of Northern Cape’s bowlers as he took seven wickets for 63 runs in the first innings and four wickets for 65 runs in the second innings.
The visitors accumulated 350 runs in their first innings with a century from Rivaldo Moonsamy (101) from 109 balls.
Malcolm Nofal and Sithembile Langa were the choice bowlers for the Impalas, as they each took four wickets in the respective innings. Northern Cape went on to score 127 runs in the second innings.
Makalima said the team had to bounce back after their poor performances at the T20 Provincial knockout competition held in Kimberly in October.
Impalas lost all their Group D matches to Eastern Cape Inyathi, Warriors and The Rocks. “The change of mindset and the general attitude of the players carried the team through the series. We sold them a positive dream and they bought it. They did well and worked hard in training and it paid off. They were competitive and they started to believe that they could win matches.”
He said their players are ready for their next home match against Western District Cricket Club on December 2. “The objective is to win the match and the boys know what is expected from them. It is our home match and we need to capitalise on the home-ground advantage.”
