Colin Ackermann’s 3-33 dashed the Knights’ slim hopes of staying in the Momentum One-Day Cup when they lost to the Warriors by two wickets.
After a poor run-in, which included five losses and two tied matches, the Knights needed to win both their remaining matches, but after scoring just 216 in East London, they were down and out.
The Knights will rue the fact that they let slip a powerful position of 141-1 after 30 overs to lose nine wickets for 75 runs and scraping up 216 with one ball remaining.
Ackermann was the driving force behind the fightback, having dismissed Grant Mokoena (39) after 90 runs had been scored in the opening stand.
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Two vital wickets fell to Anrich Nortje and Andrew Birch, who removed Rudi Second (23) and Andries Gous (70), both caught and bowled. Gous had batted 110 balls, with 10 fours to take the Knights to 152-2, but once he had gone, there was little resistance. Ackermann dismissed the dangerous David Miller, lbw for four, and Patrick Kruger for 12.
Jon-Jon Smuts’ left-arm spin and Sisanda Magala’s pace cleaned up the tail, with Smuts ending with 3-31.
Facing a run-rate of just 4.3, the Warriors top order attacked with some freedom, with Gihahn Cloete (45) and Lisiba Ngoepe (25) putting on 70 in under nine overs for the first wicket. Smuts (43) and Yaseen Vallie (20) shared a partnership of 62 for the fourth wicket, before Mbulelo Budaza dismissed both batsmen in successive overs.
But at 144-4, Ackermann’s 23 shepherded the tail towards the goal, while Birch (13) and Ayabulela Gqamane (14) completed the task.
Photo: Richard Huggard/Gallo Images
