‘We’re just enjoying ourselves,’ says Beuran Hendricks after WP hammer Knights

Beuran Hendricks claims the key to Western Province’s success at the CSA T20 Challenge is due to ‘everyone enjoying themselves out on the park’.

Cape Town — Beuran Hendricks claims the key to Western Province’s success at the CSA T20 Challenge is due to “everyone enjoying themselves out on the park.”

Province’s steam train continued on its victory path on Friday with a six-wicket win over the Knights in Gqeberha.

The table-toppers stretched their unbeaten record to five matches with a second consecutive bonus point win over the Knights. Wayne Parnell’s team now have 22 points – six ahead of their nearest challengers the Titans.

“The message from the coaching staff and captain Parny (Wayne Parnell) is for everyone to enjoy themselves out on the park and really express their skills and we can see that oozing out of everybody,” Hendricks said on Friday.

WP’s performance was once again underlined by the performance of their new-ball pair of Hendricks

(1/25) and Parnell (2/16).

The two experienced left-arm seamers have set the tone throughout the competition and delivered yet again reducing the Knights to 21/2 when the six Powerplay overs were completed.

They didn’t just pick up crucial wickets in the Powerplay, but they crucially ensured the opposition do not build any form of momentum while the fielding restrictions were in place.

This pressure was then shifted towards the middle overs where Junaid Dawood has simply been a revelation. The young leg-spinner has certainly taken his opportunity at St George's Park and delivered yet another match turning performance of 3/28 to go level with Hendricks at the summit of the tournament’s wicket-takers list with 10 scalps.

“Wayne and I have been playing together for a long time and we understand what is required for the team. We know if we start well it puts the team in a position where the rest of the bowling attack can come in and show their skills,” Hendricks said.

“We have seen that throughout the competition where Junaid Dawood has put up his hand and put in performances for the team. It gives us a nice base to work for that and we make it each other comfortable to put in match-winning performances.”

Province had no

troubles chasing down the

Knights’ below-par total and cruised home despite the early loss of the returning Richard Levi.

Jonathan Bird (43) and Tony de Zorzi (41) kept the momentum going with a couple of delightful strokes, before both batters fell to spectacular one-handed catches in the outfield by the young Knight Christoffel Klijnhans.

This left Dane Vilas to complete the job with an unbeaten 21, but not before Klijnhans grabbed a third catch in what was the only thing the Knights could smile about after yet another disappointing performance from Allan Donald’s team.

Meanwhile, the Dolphins resurrected their campaign with a comfortable seven-wicket victory over North West in the second game in the afternoon.

Imraan Khan’s team chased down the Dragons’ 135/8 with consumate ease as the experience of David Miller (35*) and Khaya Zondo (16*) ensured their team moved into the fourth playoff spot.