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Hyderabad - The Cape Cobras ran into a Blizzard and came off second best as the Hobart Hurricanes won by six wickets and an over to spare in the Group B Champions League match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Sunday.
Aiden Blizzard smashed four boundaries and five maximums in an undefeated 78 off 48 balls as the Hurricanes ended on 186 for four in reply to the Cobras’ 184 for six, after Justin Ontong had won the toss and elected to bat first, reports the supersport.com website.
The turning point of the match came just after Blizzard had smashed Vernon Philander (0-43) over the long on boundary to bring up his fifty.
Blizzard smashed the very next ball down Sybrand Engelbrecht’s throat at long on but the umpires went upstairs and the delivery was ruled a no-ball.
Blizzard went straight onto the attack, smashing 25 runs off his next eight balls, including a six off the final ball of Charl Langeveldt’s final over to win the match.
The Hurricanes still needed 44 runs from the final three overs but then Philander conceded 24 runs and Langeveldt was dispatched for 21 as the men from Tasmania found victory with still an over to spare. Blizzard and Jonathan Wells (17 not out) smashed 65 unbeaten runs off just 31 balls to take their team home.
The Hurricanes’ chase was set up with Ben Dunk scoring 54 from 35 balls up front, an innings which included 110 boundaries before being caught at long off by Ontong off the bowling of the star offspinner, Sybrand Engelbrecht, who had been a replacement in this tournament for the injured JP Duminy.
Engelbrecht, who finished with 3-20 from his four overs, also picked up the wickets of Shoaib Malik, caught by Philander at short third man for eight, as well as the dangerous Travis Birt, well caught by Omphile Ramela for seven. Birt survived a chance in the previous over when he was dropped by Aviwe Mgijima off the bowling of Ontong.
Earlier, the Cobras had put in a collective effort to post 184 for six thanks to Richard Levi scoring 42 off 30 balls with six boundaries and one audacious six over deep extra cover. Ramela came to the crease when Hashim Amla (eight) was clean bowled by Ben Hilfenhaus (2-49) and played an absolute geem of an innings by smashing one four and two maximums. Ramela faced just 11 balls but scored 21 runs before heaving across the line and being castled by Doiug Bolllinger (1-39).
Dane Vilas (25) made a start but could not kick on as he tried to play a ball from Hilfenhaus down to third man but only managed to run the ball off the face of his bat straight onto his stumps.
The Cobras innings was given some impetuous at the rear end thanks to Robin Peterson (25 not out) and Philander (32 not out) as the pair posted an undefeated partnership of 52 off 24 balls for the seventh wicket.
Bad news for the Cobras and the Proteas was the injury to Dane Piedt. The offbreak bowler put his shoulder out when trying to field the ball off his own bowling and was seen sitting on the side of the field with his right arm in a sling.
Teams:
Cape Cobras: HM Amla, RE Levi, OA Ramela, DJ Vilas (wicketkeeper), JL Ontong (captain), SA Engelbrecht, VD Philander, RJ Peterson, DL Piedt, A Mgijima, CK Langeveldt
Hobart Hurricanes: TD Paine (captain, wicketkeeper), BR Dunk, AC Blizzard, Shoaib Malik, TR Birt, JW Wells, JM Mennie, BW Hilfenhaus, XJ Doherty, DE Bollinger, B Laughlin
