Dean Elgar’s career-best 79 not out took the Spartans to their second win of the campaign after Jozi Stars scored an impressive 186-5.
Ryan Rickelton and Reeza Hendricks got the innings off to a good start, putting on 54 for the first wicket off 6.2 overs. Hendricks pushed through to score 55 off 48 balls (7×4, 1×6, S/R 114.58) after adding 38 with Rassie van der Dussen (18 off 18 balls) to take the score through to a healthy 92-2 off 13.1 overs.
Hendricks departed with the score on 112-3 at the end of the first 15 overs, followed the next ball by Daniel Christian for 10 off six balls (2×4).
The value of wickets in hand for the final five overs was highlighted as Dane Vilas and Pite van Biljon took the Spartans bowlers to task, hammering 61 runs off 27 balls.
Van Biljon was run out with two balls left of the innings after scoring a belligerent 42 runs off just 13 balls. Batting at a strike rate of 323.07 runs per 100 balls, Van Biljon hit three fours and four sixes.
Van Biljon hit Robbie Frylinck for a four and a six off consecutive balls, hit Mendis for a six off the next over, got the strike back from Vilas and then hit Lutho Sipamla for 6-6-4, with the first six taking him past 1000 runs in T20 cricket.
Jozi Stars skipper Vilas finished not out on 25 off 14 balls, with two fours and a six at a strike rate of 178.57, as the Stars ended with an imposing score of 186-5 off their 20 overs, with Sean Williams returning the miserly figures of 0-14 off his four overs (econ 3.50). Jeevan Mendis took 2-37 (econ 9.25), while the other wicket-takers (Sipamla and Corbin Bosch) both went for 10 or more an over along with Eldred Hawken.
The Spartans found themselves 51-3 off 6.2 overs when AB de Villiers joined Dean Elgar in a 68-run partnership off 4.2 overs as De Villiers rushed to 39 off 21 balls (2×4, 3×6, S/R 185.71).
Tony de Zorzi added a quickfire 18 off 12 balls (2×4, 1×6, S/R 150.00) to take the score to 160-5 off 16.2 overs.
Elgar passed his highest T20 score, but lost Frylinck after a busy three-ball inning of five runs to take his side home with three balls to spare, finishing undefeated on 79 off 52 balls (5×4, 3×6, S/R 151.92) to take home the Player of the Match honours.
Williams was not out at the end with Elgar after scoring 13 off eight balls (2×4).
Simon Harmer did the early damage with the ball, taking 3-26 off his four overs (econ 6.50) and Kagiso Rabada took 1-35, but seven byes and seven wides proved costly in the end for the Stars.
Photo: Chris Ricco/BackpagePix
