Spartans edge Rocks in thriller

An exhilarating 405 runs were scored as the Mzansi Super League produced a thrill-aminute Game Four that saw the Tshwane Spartans edge out the Paarl Rocks by one run at Eurolux Boland Park on Sunday.

And, it was perhaps a dropped catch by Dean Elgar that swayed the result in favour of AB de Villiers’s visiting side, whose 203 for five proved too much for the 202 for six by the host.

A six-bound strike in the final over by Patrick Kruger off Andrew Birch saw Elgar leap high on the boundary rope to try and catch it. The ball deflected off his face and body, back into the field of play changing six into two.

Those four runs proved to be the crucial runs that separated victory from defeat as the Spartans bounced back from Friday’s opening loss to the Cape Town Blitz with an unforgettable win.

A brilliant 101-run opening partnership between Gihahn Cloete and Theunis de Bruyn set the away side up for a big score.

They raced along freely at 10 to the over and smashed the balls to all parts during their opening partnership, which ended when De Bruyn fell for 66 off 38 balls (9 fours, 2 sixes).

Skipper De Villiers walked in next and wowed the crowd with 32 off 18 balls in a 77-run stand with Cloete, who made a match-high 80 off 49 balls (11 fours, 1 six). Both then fell in quick succession as the Rocks hit back at the death thanks to three for 31 by Dwayne Bravo and two for 44 from Dane Paterson.

Cameron Delport with his 73 off 43 balls (4 fours, 5 sixes) kept them in the chase for most of the way.

They were 110 for two at one stage in the 12th over as Vaughn van Jaarsveld (22), eventually out to pick-of-thebowlers Jeevan Mendis (2/35), did his best to keep up with the pace.

A brilliant 19th over for the Rocks, which saw Mangaliso Mosehle (20 not out) plunder two fours and a six, and only 13 were needed in thelast over.

But Birch managed to concede 11 thanks to Elgar’s effort in the field – helping Tshwane secure a famous win.

In Durban, a thrilling 33ball 80 by Asif Ali helped Cape Town Blitz make it two wins from two as they stunned the Durban Heat with a threewicket victory at Kingsmead, also on Sunday.

The Pakistan batsman blasted five sixes and seven fours to help reach the 158-run victory target with five balls to spare.

Earlier, it was speedster Anrich Nortje who restricted the home side to 157 for five after his captain Dawid Malan had won the toss and opted to bowl first.

Nortje claimed all his wickets in just seven deliveries and ended with four for 32.