Johannesburg - After the Warriors’ emphatic victory over the Victoria Bushrangers in Port Elizabeth on Monday night, it would appear that South African players are relishing the Airtel Champions League Twenty20 (CLT20).
The Warriors – the South African champion Pro20 team – have won both their matches so far, beating the Sri Lankan champions, the Wayamba Elevens, by seven wickets with 10 balls remaining, and the Australian champions, the Bushrangers, by 28 runs.
The other South African team, the Highveld Lions, caused something of an upset when they beat the star-studded Mumbai Indians, by nine runs in the opening match last Friday. Although they crashed back to earth when the South Australian Redbacks beat them by 11 runs on Sunday afternoon, the Lions are definitely still in the hunt for a semi-final berth.
South Africans, with four player of the match awards, dominate the top rankings in the CLT20 after the first six matches.
Warriors captain Davy Jacobs is the wearer of the Golden Bat cap, with 85 runs from two matches. He is followed closely by South Australian Redbacks captain Michael Klinger, who has 78 runs after just one match. In third position is the Highveld Lions’ Jonathan Vandiar, who has 75 runs after two matches, with a highest score of 71.
The top three in the Golden Wicket category are all South Africans, led by Rusty Theron of the Warriors. Theron has six wickets after two matches, with an economy rate of 5.62. Second is team-mate and one of South Africa’s most popular sportsmen, Makhaya Ntini, with four wickets at an economy rate of 8.38.
In third position is Jacques Kallis, playing not for his domestic franchise, the Warriors, but for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. In his only match so far, Kallis took three wickets for just 16 runs, giving him a remarkable economy rate of four runs an over. Kallis also made an undefeated 43 runs in the Challengers’ nine-wicket thrashing of the West Indies champions, Guyana, on Sunday evening.
The Warriors – the South African champion Pro20 team – have won both their matches so far, beating the Sri Lankan champions, the Wayamba Elevens, by seven wickets with 10 balls remaining, and the Australian champions, the Bushrangers, by 28 runs.
The other South African team, the Highveld Lions, caused something of an upset when they beat the star-studded Mumbai Indians, by nine runs in the opening match last Friday. Although they crashed back to earth when the South Australian Redbacks beat them by 11 runs on Sunday afternoon, the Lions are definitely still in the hunt for a semi-final berth.
South Africans, with four player of the match awards, dominate the top rankings in the CLT20 after the first six matches.
Warriors captain Davy Jacobs is the wearer of the Golden Bat cap, with 85 runs from two matches. He is followed closely by South Australian Redbacks captain Michael Klinger, who has 78 runs after just one match. In third position is the Highveld Lions’ Jonathan Vandiar, who has 75 runs after two matches, with a highest score of 71.
The top three in the Golden Wicket category are all South Africans, led by Rusty Theron of the Warriors. Theron has six wickets after two matches, with an economy rate of 5.62. Second is team-mate and one of South Africa’s most popular sportsmen, Makhaya Ntini, with four wickets at an economy rate of 8.38.
In third position is Jacques Kallis, playing not for his domestic franchise, the Warriors, but for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. In his only match so far, Kallis took three wickets for just 16 runs, giving him a remarkable economy rate of four runs an over. Kallis also made an undefeated 43 runs in the Challengers’ nine-wicket thrashing of the West Indies champions, Guyana, on Sunday evening.