David Miller will bring serious experience to the Dolphins with over 500 T20 matches to his name. Photo: BackpagePix
GOING into the weekend, there is a world of possibilities in the ongoing Cricket South Africa T20 Challenge as the eight domestic teams are set to play the last round of the round-robin fixtures.
At the top of the standings are the North West Dragons, followed by the Lions and Titans, and all three teams have qualified for next week’s knockout stages.
The Warriors currently occupy the last remaining qualification spot in fourth, with 12 points in the bag, while Western Province follow in fifth with 11 and Boland sixth on 10.
At the bottom of the standings, the Knights and Dolphins sit with eight points and an outside chance of progressing to the knockout stage.
The Knights will travel to Cape Town to take on a strong Western Province team at Newlands tonight (6pm start), with both teams fighting to make the final four.
To bolster the Durban side’s chances, Proteas batter David Miller makes his return to domestic cricket at Kingsmead tomorrow as the Dolphins host Boland in a very important clash.
The 35-year-old missed a bunch of T20 Challenge fixtures upon his return from the Caribbean Premier League, and is now available to show up and try to make an impact for the Dolphins.
The left-handed batter brings serious experience to the side with over 500 T20 matches to his name.
“I’m really looking forward to being back in Durban and representing the Dolphins,” Miller said yesterday.
“I’ve had some stuff to sort out after coming back from the Caribbean, but after chatting with Quinny (Quinton Friend, Dolphins coach) and Heinrich (Strydom, Dolphins CEO), I’m glad that I can represent the Dolphins again.”
The Warriors’ fixture against the Titans at St. George’s Park in Gqeberha tomorrow will be watched closely by the Dolphins, WP, Boland and the Knights, as their fate depends on the Eastern Cape outfit losing their last fixture.
Tonight’s #T20Challenge action delivered some incredible cricket! 🏏🔥🇿🇦
— CSA Domestic Leagues (@DomesticCSA) October 16, 2024
Here are the results from the 3 matches ⬇️#WozaNawe #BePartOfIt pic.twitter.com/a7NRHrm9fC
Though having already qualified for the knockouts, the Titans have a lot to play for as well.
A victory in Gqeberha for the Centurion team might put them in a position to host their knockout fixture and possibly book an early ticket to next week’s final.
In Potchefstroom, North West will host the Lions tomorrow with the top spot up for grabs.
The hosts have been in red-hot form throughout the tournament, winning all their fixtures except for their visit to Gqeberha last week.
On the other hand, the Lions have had an equally impressive tournament, losing only to the Titans at the Bullring in the tournament opener.
The Lions will be the clear favourites, given that big players such as Reeza Hendricks and Rassie van der Dussen might be available for selection as the Lions look to defend their trophy.
Some of the highlights of Wednesday night’s matches were Glenton Stuurman’s hat-trick (5/33) for Boland in their 11-run win over the Warriors, Eddie Moore’s unbeaten 87 to guide WP to a four-wicket victory over the Lions, and Jason Smith’s 65 not out in the Dolphins’ six-wicket triumph over the Knights.
Weekend Fixtures
Tonight: Western Province v Knights, Newlands (6pm)
Tomorrow: North West Dragons v Lions, Potchefstroom (2pm), Warriors v Titans, Gqeberha (6pm), Dolphins v Boland, Kingsmead (6pm)