Rabada hits form by accident
SPECTACULAR: DE KOCK, HENDRICKS SLAM CENTURIES
Kagiso Rabada produced one of the most spectacular bowling performances of the Mzansi Super League thus far when he took three wickets in the first over of the Durban Heat run-chase to lead the Jozi Stars to victory at the Wanderers at the weekend, and then he made it all sound like it had almost happened by accident.
Hashim Amla was caught at slip off the third ball of the innings and then Rabada ended the over by dismissing Keshav Maharaj, caught at backward point, and Heinrich Klaasen, bowled through the gate by a thunderbolt, as the Durban Heat were dismissed for 177 to lose by 53 runs. Rabada finished with a career-best 4/27.
“I haven’t felt at my best lately. Sometimes it goes for you and sometimes it doesn’t, to get three wickets in an over means it was just my day.
“I didn’t feel anything special at the start of the over, I was just looking forward to a good performance. You’re up against good players so you just have to find a way,” Rabada said after the win, which had been set up by Reeza Hendricks’ superb 104 not out off 51 balls.
No sooner had Hendricks stroked the first century in Mzansi Super League history than Quinton de Kock slammed an even better 108 off 55 balls the next day to lift the Cape Town Blitz from 101/8 to 172/9 and victory by 60 runs over the Tshwane Spartans at SuperSport Park. It was a phenomenal one-man show and De Kock admitted that the innings will fund fond memories in times to come.
“It’s definitely up there with one of the best knocks I’ve played. The pitch played nicely and I was able to take full toll, I will definitely remember this innings for a long time. It helps that I’ve played a lot of cricket here and I was able to put pressure on the attack.
“We needed to box clever if we were going to post a decent score and the game-plan was for me to take most of the strike and fortunately it came off,” De Kock said at Centurion after the Cape Town Blitz’s fifth win in seven matches.