Reeza Hendricks stars with bat and ball as Lions do the job
The Proteas T20 opener plays a starring role as the Highveld Lions get their one-day campaign off to an ideal start.
Reeza Hendricks finally showed the dominance that made him the most dangerous opener in domestic one-day cricket a few seasons back. Photo: Lee Warren/Gallo Images.
An impressive century by Reeza Hendricks and the accuracy of their bowling attack carried the Highveld Lions to a comfortable 44-run victory over the Warriors in their domestic One-day Cup match at the Wanderers on Sunday.
Hendricks scored a wonderful 101 off just 89 deliveries as the Lions finished on 329 for seven after being sent in to bat, the T20 international ensuring that the home side raced away at seven runs an over.
He was ruthless on anything loose as he and Stephen Cook (81 off 84) provided a great platform with their record opening stand of 178, which is the best for both the Lions against the Warriors and in all One-day Cup matches at the Wanderers.
The 27-year-old stroke-maker was in sparkling form from the start, dashing to his 50 off 39 balls with nine fours, and reaching a third One-day Cup century off 87 deliveries with 13 fours.
He was dismissed in the 27th over when he pulled a short ball from left-arm spinner Jon-Jon Smuts straight to midwicket.
Cook followed four overs later after he missed an uncharacteristic slog.
The rest of the home batsmen would be restricted to quickfire cameos.
Rassie van der Dussen was caught in the deep off fast bowler Basheer Walters for 25, Temba Bavuma (30) was superbly caught at deep extra cover by Colin Ackermann off Smuts, and Nicky van den Bergh (30) was dismissed by Sisanda Magala in the penultimate over.
The mediocrity of the Warriors attack would be exposed later on by how well the Lions bowled.
The Warriors were slow to get going in their reply.
That said, Smuts was the victim of a poor decision that saw him given out leg before to Carmi le Roux, despite clearly edging the ball.
It was the type of bad luck that would shake the confidence of any side.
Colin Ingram chugged along to an impressive 47-ball half-century, but opener Gihahn Cloete was becalmed at the other end, needing 32 balls to collect his first boundary and having scored only 16 runs by the 18th over when Ingram reached his 50.
But the pair of left-handers went on to add 122 off 133 balls and the Lions were starting to be threatened by the stand.
With regular spinner Aaron Phangiso forced to stay in the changeroom due to the after-effects of a car accident, the Lions had to use a part-timer as their second spinner alongside Bjorn Fortuin, who went for 28 runs in his first four overs.
Ironically, that man would prove to be Hendricks – brought on to bowl for the first time in the 56 games he has played in the One-day Cup.
But when it’s your day, it’s your day and Hendricks staged a dramatic intervention, bringing the Warriors’ chase to a dead halt by removing both Ingram (69) and Cloete (50) in the 28th over.
Ackermann threatened with 46 off 30 balls before he was caught at deep square-leg off Beuran Hendricks.
The Warriors still had an outside chance of victory while Lesiba Ngoepe (22) and Simon Harmer (27) were there but both fell trying to clear the boundary.
The left-arm opening duo of Le Roux (9-2-29-2) and Beuran Hendricks (10-0-55-3) were the pick of the attack, but all the Lions bowlers hit the right areas far more regularly than the Warriors did.
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