Western Province secured a 41-run win over the North West Dragons in the T20 Challenge eliminator playoff at the Wanderers on Wednesday.
WP will now face the Northerns Titans in the second playoff qualifier in Centurion on Friday, with the winner meeting the Central Gauteng Lions in the final at the Wanderers on Sunday.
After winning the toss, the Dragons elected to bowl first and WP posted 166-5.
George Linde anchored the innings with 49* off 23 deliveries, while Mihlali Mpongwana contributed 24 off 19 and Abdullah Bayoumy 14* off 12 during a crucial 65-run partnership.
Gideon Peters was the standout bowler for the Dragons, taking 3-24 in his four overs.
In response, the Dragons suffered an early setback when Western Province captain Beuran Hendricks struck twice in the third over, removing both openers.
Despite a promising partnership between Meeka-eel Prince (25 off 11 balls) and skipper Wihan Lubbe (46 off 20), WP’s bowlers took control of the middle overs, with Wesley Bedja dismissing Prince and Lubbe being run out.
Kyle Simmonds then decimated the middle order with a superb spell of 3-14, while Linde added to his all-round performance by claiming 3-15 as the Dragons were bowled out for 125 in 15.3 overs.
Playoffs:
Qualifier 1: Lions beat Titans by seven wickets
Eliminator: Western Province beat Dragons by 41 runs
Qualifier 2: Friday, 25 October (18:00), Titans vs WP, Centurion
Final: Sunday, 27 October (14:00), Lions vs TBC, Wanderers
Photo: Lee Warren/Gallo Images
