Heartbreak for Border

IT WAS heartbreak for Border and elation for KwaZulu-Natal Inland as the visitors qualified for the finals weekend of the 2017 Africa Cup T20 competition in Kimberley after beating the hosts by six wickets to top Pool D.

A disruptive weekend saw only three of the six scheduled matches played, and in the end Inland’s firstday win over Zimbabwe gave them the leg up after Border and Boland’s game on Friday night was washed out along with the entire day on Saturday in which Inland were to play Boland and Border play Zimbabwe.

Yesterday a late start was possible, with Boland and Zimbabwe’s match reduced to 15 overs a side, while Border and Inland got in a full match.

With Inland winning the toss and putting Border in to bat, the hosts got off to a poor start, being reduced to 70/5 after 10 overs.

Marco Marais and Jerry Nqolo then shared a positive 46run stand, with Marais dismissed for 30. Nqolo continued on, helped by Phaphama Fojela (13no) as they shared an unbeaten 48-run partnership to give the Border bowlers something to bowl at.

Nqolo’s unbeaten 61 from 39 balls (6x4 and 2x6) was the highlight of Border’s innings as they reached 164/7.

Inland were then led by solid batting from star opener Sarel Erwee (65 off 41 balls) and Grant Roelofsen (34), and unbeaten scores of 24 from Kyle Nipper and an electrifying sixball 23 from Gareth Dukes powered them over the line with an over to spare.

In the Boland and Zimbabwe match, Zimbabwe were bundled out for just 76. Opening batsman Pieter Malan (32 off 25) and Ricardo Vasconcelos (45 off 28) then powered Boland to 79/0 in 8.5 overs.