Dolphins, WP in cruise control in T20 Challenge

The KZN Dolphins swapped places on the log with the North West Dragons, who they beat by seven wickets in their T20 Challenge match in Gqeberha on Friday afternoon.

After five matches played, the Dolphins are fourth and the Dragons fifth, as the race for top four spots – and a place in the semifinals – heats up.

After the Dragons had posted 135 for eight wickets, with the main contributions coming from Nicky van den Bergh (52) and Dwaine Pretorius (39) the Dolphins reached their target with six balls to spare.

Ottneil Baartman with two for 12 in four overs and Eathan Bosch with three for 20 in four were the chief destroyers for the Dolphins.

In their chase, the KZN team got off to a good start thanks to Keegan Petersen scoring 43 off 36 at the top of the order, while David Miller’s 35 (off 26 balls) and Khaya Zondo’s 19 (off 16 balls) saw the Dolphins home.

Sadly for the Dragons’ bowlers there was not much to be happy about, with the three wickets picked up shared among three bowlers.

Meanwhile, in the first game on Friday, Western Province beat the Knights by six wickets, after successfully chasing down a target of 127.

Jonathan Bird with 43 and Tony de Zorzi with 41 were the chief run-scorers for the Cape Town-based side; the Cobras reaching their target with more than four overs to spare.

Earlier, the Knights, who have performed poorly in the competition, scored 126 runs for eight wickets in their 20 overs, with captain Pite van Biljon scoring 40 and Patrick Kruger 34.

Western Province are top of the log after recording five wins from five, while the Knights have managed just one win in five.

On Saturday Western Province play the Titans and the Warriors entertain the Lions.