The Cobras produced their best performance in the CLT20 to beat the Barbados Tridents after a Super over in their Group B match in Mohali.
Dane Vilas and Richard Levi managed to compile 11 runs off Ravi Rampaul’s Super over. Sybrand Engelbrecht was given the responsibility to defend the total. He showed some serious nerve, floating up his off-spinners very slowly. The lack of pace worked as the over went for 10, handing the Cobras a one-run win in the Super over.
Cobras Innings:
Hashim Amla and Levi strode to the crease to begin the Cobras pursuit of the 175 set by the Barbados Tridents. Amla was dropped on naught in the first over. It was exactly what the Proteas Test skipper needed as he played with fluency from that point onwards. Levi exploded in the third over, taking 26 runs off West Indian international Jason Holder. The 50 came up inside four overs as the Cobras got their chase off to a dream start.
The burly opening batsman was the first to go, once again falling to a spinner, for an 18-ball 39. The brief innings got the ball rolling and left the Cape franchise in a position of strength at 65-1 after six overs.
Amla was caught in the deep off the second ball of the 14th over, but replays show that the spinner had over-stepped. His charmed innings eventually ran out of lives and ended on 59 off 42 deliveries. As he trudged off the field, the Cobras required another 49 to win off 32 balls.
The lower-middle order reduced the equation to 13 off the final over. The Tridents captain Rayad Emrit took the responsibility of bowling the last six balls. He hit his mark throughout the over, but Engelbrecht scampered between the wickets to take 12 runs. It meant that a Super over would be required to separate the two sides.
Tridents Innings:
The Mohali wicket is the most similar surface to South African conditions that can be found in India and the opening bowlers took full advantage. Charl Langeveldt used his experience to strike in the first over, before Vernon Philander conceded just six at the other end.
With only seven runs on the board, the pressure told in the third over. Raymond Reifer was feeling the pinch and tried to steal a single, to double his total, after facing six deliveries. He was send back, but it was too late as Justin Ontong swooped in from cover and completed the run out to leave the Tridents on 7-2 after 2.3 overs.
The pressure was then released in the second half of the powerplay as Justin Kemp and Aviwe Magijima leaked 22 runs in two overs to leave the Tridents on 32-2 after the fielding restrictions. The innings continued to gather speed, as Kemp and Magijima’s combined four overs cost 50 runs.
The momentum was stalled by a second run out of the innings, this time by Engelbrecht, which reduced the Tridents to 82-3 after 11 overs. The off-spinner then produced a brilliant spell of bowling to keep the batsmen in check. His four over ration yielded the impressive figures of 2-24.
In an awkward moment in the 19th over, Jonathan Carter reached his century and then turned down a second run, which ultimately caused the third run out of the innings. He sat on his haunches for quite some time, not sure whether to celebrate or not. Eventually he took his helmet off and raised his arms to acknowledge his teammates.
Despite his involvement in two of the run outs, Carter finished on 111 not out off just 68 balls. His innings propelled the Tridents to a competitive 174-8 in their allotted overs.
Reports compiled by Gareth Stevens.
Photo: Barry Aldworth/Backpagepix
