The Eastern Cape Iinyathi romped to a comfortable 69-run victory over the Northern Cape Heat in their last pool game in the CSA Provincial T20 Knockout at Buffalo Park on Wednesday, ensuring they reach the knockout stages.
The win moved them to the top of the table with 19 points after six games.
They will now wait for the result of the game between the Garden Route Badgers and the Knights at the weekend to establish who they will face in the first qualifier.
The Knights and Badgers are second and third, respectively.
Iinyathi posted 184/4 thanks to the half centuries of Jason Niemand and Christiaan du Toit.
Niemand finished with an unbeaten 63 runs off 42 balls while Du Toit was dismissed for 50.
The Heat finished on 115/8 after 20 overs. None of their batters made it past the 30 mark.
The visitors’ chase started sedately due to the pressure exerted by Iinyathi pace bowlers Thando Ntini, Hardus Coetzer and Alindile Mhletywa.
They cramped Garnett Tarr and Liam Doherty for room with good lengths and, as a result, they were unable to extend their levers and play big shots.
It took the Heat duo 12 balls to finally send the ball to the boundary.
Despite the Heat breaking the shackles, Iinyathi continued to pile on the pressure.
Ntini was the first to register himself in the wickets column when he had Doherty caught at deep backward square leg by Wian Ruthven for 23 runs.
The Heat finished the powerplay on 41 for two and Iinyathi skipper Nathan Roux immediately introduced leftarm spinner Kgaudi Molefe into the bowling attack.
That decision was bang on, as he rattled the stumps of Thamsanqa Khumalo (8), the batter attempting a reverse sweep.
Roux got another bowling change on point as Thozama Totana dismissed Tarr, who made 14.
Totana also accounted for Nonelela Yikha’s scalp in the 11th over. The former Iinyathi player was caught by Niemand for five.
Ronan Hermann (24) and Romano Terblanche (5) followed each other to the dressing room as they fell victim to the tournament’s leading wicket-taker, Mhletywa, and Michael Copeland, respectively, leaving the Heat on 90 for six after 15 overs.
Ruan van Rooyen (11) and Ethan Frosler (10) were then accounted for by Ntini and Coetzer.
The Iinyathi’s 184 was their biggest total in the competition. Their previous best was 162 which they got against the Badgers in October.
After being sent in to bat by the Heat, the Iinyathi got off to a shaky start when Roux was clean-bowled in the second over by Van Rooyen.
Ruthven and Du Toit reconstructed the innings with their 48-run partnership.
But at the end of the sixth over, with the Iinyathi on 53, Ruthven (24) had his stumps knocked out of the ground by Terblanche.
Niemand and Du Toit then combined and accelerated the run rate.
Du Toit reached his first T20 career fifty in the 11th over but was bowled by Tshepo Ntuli.
Niemand and Copeland put on 65 runs for their partnership at the backend. It was Niemand’s third fifty.
Daily Dispatch
