The Garden Route Badgers have bounced back and keep their chances for a place in the knockout stages of the Cricket South Africa Division 2 One Day Cup alive with a 7-wicket bonus point victory against the Flexbrand Knights at Oudtshoorn on Thursday.
The Knights, who arrived in Oudtshoorn as the undefeated log leaders, won the toss and opted to bat first. Many of their dangerous batsmen got promising starts, but tight bowling by the home side prevented them from converting big scores. The Knights end at 250/7 in their allotted 50 overs with Jacques Snyman (46), who was part of an opening stand of 82, and Ruan Haasbroek (41) their top run scorers. Sintu Majiza (3/53) was the stand-out bowler for the Badgers.
The Badgers’ run chase was led by openers Ruan Terblanche and Yaseen Valli, who set up an opening partnership of 221 – breaking the previous all-time List A record of 175, which they set up ten days earlier against the Northern Cape Heat in the same competition.
Terblanche was in sublime form, posting 133 from 112 balls (7×6, 7×4). He received great support from Valli, who made 93 from 106 balls (2×6, 8×4). The Badgers have surpassed the target after 39.2 overs and in the process secured a vital bonus point for reaching the target within 40 overs.
The Badgers will now travel to East London, where they will take on the Eastern Cape Iianyathi at Buffalo Park in East London on Sunday (9th of March), where they will need to record a victory to stay in contention for silverware.
The summarized scorecard is:
Garden Route Badgers vs Knights
KNIGHTS 205/7 – 50 overs (Jacques Snyman 46, Ruan Haasbroek 41, Reuben Maree 32, Isaac Dikgale 30, Sintu Majiza 3/53, Jade Richter 2/63)
GARDEN ROUTE BADGERS 251/3 – 39.2 overs (Ruan Terblanche 133, Yaseen Valli 93, Malusi Siboto 3/45)
Garden Route Badgers won by 7 wickets