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Cape Town - The in-form Highveld Lions cruised to a five-wicket win over the Cape Cobras at Newlands on Friday night.
The Lions maintained their comfortable gap at the top of the Ram Slam T20 Challenge standings, with their fifth win in six matches, while the struggling Cobras suffered their fourth defeat to remain second from bottom.
Captain Alviro Petersen led from the front, contributing 46 runs off 36 balls as the hosts made 120 for five to reach their 118-run target with 10 deliveries to spare.
Petersen and Sohail Tanvir, who hit 28 runs, played an anchor role, sharing 49 for the third wicket.
And while fast bowler Beuran Hendricks dismissed the duo two balls apart in the 15th over, Dwaine Pretorius (15) and Jean Symes (12) combined in an unbroken 28-run partnership to carry the Lions across the line.
Hendricks, who also removed dangerman Quinton de Kock in the second over of the innings, returned career-best figures of three for 17.
The Cobras had struggled to get going after they lost the toss and were sent in to bat, with paceman Chris Morris bagging two wickets in the first five overs.
Opener Dane Vilas, who made 30 runs, shared 52 with Owais Shah for the third wicket before he was removed by Pretorius.
Shah contributed 25 and Cobras skipper Justin Ontong was unbeaten on 21.
Morris took two for 21 and left-arm seamer Tanvir grabbed two scalps in the same over, pocketing two for 24, to spearhead the Lions attack.
Spinner Aaron Phangiso, released from the Proteas ODI squad for the domestic match, played a major role in the middle overs, restricting Vilas and Shah as he gave away only 17 runs, and not a single boundary, from his four overs.
