KIMBERLY: Two days into Pool D fixtures, records have been broken and a possible upset is on the cards as Warriors, Rocks, Iinyathi & Impalas battle it out at The Oval, Kimberley.

GBets Rocks have secured a spot into the next round of the Provincial T20 Knockout Competition by winning both matches in the first two days of Pool D fixtures in Kimberley.

This leaves only one spot available for GBets Warriors and Eastern Cape Iinyathi as Limpopo Impalas stand no chance of going through having lost both their fixtures on the first two days of the competition.

At 14:30pm [SAST], the decider will be played between the teams from the Eastern Cape.

Let’s have a look at the table with each team having played two matches.

POOL D Standings ahead of Day 3 Fixtures

Even before Pool D fixtures started on Monday, the country knew that this would possibly be the Pool with the most enthralling and closely contested matches in the competition purely because of the quality of players in the teams.

Let’s catch up and find out how the Rocks got to the Top of the table, how the Warriors find themselves having to play a decider on the final day and how the Impalas have slipped to the bottom of the standings.

Day One [POOL D]:

GBets Warriors vs GBets Rocks

Day one started off with an enticing match between Division One teams, the Warriors and Rocks. Both with solid teams on paper, which include Proteas Christiaan Jonker, Jon-Jon Smuts, Wihan Lubbe and the Malan brothers, Janneman and Pieter.

Warriors captain, Sinethemba Qeshile’s decision to field first did not come as a surprise as Pool A fixtures which were played in the same venue suggested batting second was favourable. Five of the six Pool A games were won by the team batting second.

Upfront, Warriors bowlers faced off against the Rock’s Malan brothers. A bad decision to squeeze in a single led to the fall of Janneman [5 off 6] first up, Pieter [14 off 11] followed after and then Sinalo Gobeni [5 off 7] didn’t last long at the wicket either.

Three down, Clyde Fortuin [104* off 63] and Jonker [45 off 31] put on a show for Rocks and led them to 183-4. Fortuin’s unbeaten maiden century was the highlight of the day. His combination with Jonker resulted to the tournament’s highest run-partnership.
Mthiwekhaya Nabe’s 3-49 [in 4 Overs] was the peak of the bowlers for the Warriors.

The Warriors began the chase, it was clear that 9.15 runs an over was not going to be an easy task. Matthew Breetzke and Jon-Jon Smuts efforts were just not enough to get the Warriors over the line, the Rocks claimed a 17-run victory.

Ferisco Adams and Ziyaad Abrahams’ two wickets in two balls in the 19th and 20th over respectively took the game away from the Warriors, leaving them weeping at 166-7 in their alloyed overs. Abrahams [3-27 in 4 overs] and Adams [2-23 in 3 overs] finished the peak of the bowlers for Rocks.

Iinyathi vs Impalas

Division Two teams closed off the first day with an entertaining match which was one-sided, to say the least.
Eastern Cape Iinyathi registered a bonus point victory thanks to Marco Marais’ heroics with the bat.

Chasing 138 runs, Iinyathi muscled their way past the target in 15.3 overs. Marais struck 65 at a strike rate of 185.71 including 7 sixes. Mncedisi Malika [41 off 32] and Jason Niemand [16 off 9] were instrumental in the win as well.

Led by Jerry Nqolo, Iinyathi were asked to bowl first, a decision I feel was boosted by Malcolm Nofal’s presence at the top of the order for the Impalas. Having returned to playing after his retirement at 27 years old in 2019, Nqolo led his side well on the field. His field placements were on point, his experience showed how disciplined his team was.

Thanks to some fiery fast bowling from Gideon Peters [2-17 in 4 overs] and Thando Mnyaka [2-19 in 3 overs], the side from Limpopo was restricted to 138-8 in their allotted overs

Day 2 [POOL D]:

GBets Warriors vs Limpopo Impalas

Coming from a defeat at the hands of former players Clyde Fortuin & Christiaan Jonker, Robin Peterson’s side had a point to prove on day 2 of Pool D fixtures.

Up against the promising Impalas side, the Warriors were sent in to bat first. Breetzke [59 off 33], Wihan Lubbe [65 off 33; including six 6’s] and Smuts [52 off 26] put on a partnership of 129 runs which is the highest partnership going into the final day.

Together with Diego Rosier’s 31 off 15, the Warriors posted a mammoth 243-6, a total which easily claimed the spot of highest total in the competition so far.

Out of their depth, outplayed, outclassed in all facets of the game, the Impalas suffered a 120 runs defeat, handing the Warriors a five-point win.

Jacobs and Smuts finished pick of the bowlers with two wickets apiece.

GBets Rocks vs Iinyathi

Both teams went into day 2 on a high having won their matches on day 1. Iinyathi had an upset they could possibly pull off while the Rocks’ star-studded outfit had a point to prove as the country’s most balanced T20 team.

Batting first, the Malan brothers looked good at the top of the order and had a fifty partnerships on the cards after the third over. Going at almost 10 runs an over, Pieter lost his wicket when he was bowled by Bosch in the 4th over, causing a slight dip to the batting momentum.

Bosch then silenced the inform Clyde Fortuin to further damage any momentum the Rocks had. Nqaba Peter accounted for Sinalo Gobeni who is yet to find form in the competition so far.

Speedster, Gideon Peters returned to the attack in the tenth over and dismissed Janneman for a decent 39 off 32. The Rocks slipped to 66-4 halfway through their innings.

In came Jonker, he steadied the ship together with Ferisco Adams [21 off 15] and Shaun von Berg [27 off 19]. Jonker finished unbeaten on 56 off 39 and led the Rocks to a competitive 176 in their allotted 20 overs.

Eatery Cape Iinyathi began their chase, in the absence of Marco Marais, and it showed as Mncedisi Malika lost his wicket in the third over courtesy of Ziyaad Abrahams.

Abrahams’ good run of form saw him finish pick of the bowlers yet again with figures of 2-34 in 4 overs. The Rocks managed to win the match by 18 runs, a result that nullified a superb captain’s knock by Jerry Nqolo.

Leading from the front, Nqolo was the only one who showed some resistance against the Rocks bowlers. The 29-year-old notched up his first half-century upon his return to professional cricket.