• Saffas Abroad: Miller, Klaasen light up MLC

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    David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen started Major League Cricket with a bang, while Kyle Abbott starred with bat and ball in England’s County Championship.

    Major League Cricket

    In the tournament’s inaugural game between the Texas Super Kings and LA Knight Riders, David Miller delivered a Man of the Match performance for the Super Kings, scoring 61 off 42 balls (two fours, two sixes) as they secured a 69-run victory.

    Former Protea Rusty Theron and fast bowler Gerald Coetzee picked up two wickets apiece for the Super Kings.

    Dewald Brevis‘ 32 off 25 balls (two fours, two sixes) and Kagiso Rabada‘s 2-32 were not enough for MI New York as they went down by 22 runs to the San Francisco Unicorns, whose Carmi le Roux chipped in with two wickets.

    Washington Freedom’s Andries Gous notched a handy 28 off 33 deliveries (three fours) in their five-wicket loss to Wayne Parnell‘s Seattle Orcas, with the pace bowlers bagging two wickets.

    After failing to make a significant contribution in Seattle’s opening game, Heinrich Klaasen delivered a Man of the Match performance in their 35-run victory over San Francisco, scoring 53 off 31 balls (four fours, three sixes) before taking three catches.

    Quinton de Kock was on-song behind the stumps for Seattle, also taking three catches that included a blinder to dismiss Le Roux.

    In Washington’s six-run victory over Texas, Coetzee returned figures of 2-26 for Texas, while Washington’s Marco Jansen took two wickets for 31 runs.

    Rabada and former SA U19 player Corné Dry delivered economic bowling performances during New York’s 105-run thrashing of Los Angeles. Dry returned figures of 2-10 for LA, which included the wicket of Brevis, before Rabada chipped in with figures of 2-16 for New York, which included the wicket of fellow Protea Rilee Rossouw

    T20 Blast

    In the first quarter-final, which saw Essex beat Birmingham by two wickets, Simon Harmer picked up a wicket and contributed 19 off 15 balls (one four, one six) with the bat.

    Matthew Montgomery‘s 51 off 38 deliveries (eight fours) was not enough for Nottinghamshire as they went down by five wickets to Somerset in the third quarter-final.

    Harmer’s Essex beat Hampshire by five wickets in the first semi-final, with the spinner taking a wicket before sticking it out in the middle to see his side to victory. But his side ultimately fell short to Somerset in the final.

    County Championship Division One

    Kyle Abbott starred in Hampshire’s draw with Somerset, returning first-innings figures of 4-56, before scoring an unbeaten 89 off 152 balls (15 fours, one six).

    Keaton Jennings contributed 29 off 59 deliveries (two fours) and 30 off 48 (five fours) in Lancashire’s 46-run loss to Essex.

    County Championship Division Two

    Grant Roelofsen scored a handy 42 off 58 balls (five fours) in Gloucestershire’s first innings before Migael Pretorius made 39 off 29 (seven fours) for Durham, who went on to win by nine wickets.

    Leus du Plooy and Wayne Madsen were in top form for Derbyshire in their draw with Sussex. Madsen scored 51 off 57 balls (eight fours) and Du Plooy 53 off 88 (seven fours) in Derbyshire’s first innings. Madsen then made 48 off 49 (five fours) in their second, which was followed by Du Plooy’s brilliant 128 off 117 (17 fours, three sixes).

    Wiaan Mulder scored an unbeaten first-innings 33 off 34 (three fours, one six) for Leicestershire in their draw to Glamorgan.

    Compiled by Rienk de Beer

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    Rienk De Beer