De Villiers century leads Warriors to a competitive total

Matthew de Villiers played a captain's innings to lead the Dafabet Warriors to 262-8 after being asked to bat first by the NWU Dragons in their CSA One-Day Cup match at St George's Park on Tuesday afternoon. 

The Warriors' captain, who is playing in his fourth List A match, set the Warriors up with an outstanding 113 from 101 balls.

The 25-year-old, who came into the match with a high score of 49, showed maturity as he compiled his maiden List A century. He faced 94 deliveries to reach the milestone.

De Villiers lost his wicket while trying to launch a Caleb Seleka delivery out of the park. He missed and the ball cannoned onto the stumps.

The hallmark of De Villiers's innings was his ability to manipulate the ball into gaps for singles and twos and his readiness to dispatch bad balls to the boundary when they were presented.

He shared an 88-run second-wicket partnership with Sinethemba Qeshile (44) that helped steady the ship for the Warriors.

De Villiers, who arrived at the crease in the seventh over, took the attack to the visitors while Qeshile anchored the innings at the other end.

The partnership collapsed when wicketkeeper slapped a short and wide Mothoa delivery to Lesiba Ngoepe at mid off.

Qeshile's dismissal was the first of three wickets that the Warriors lost for 22 runs in 6.2 overs.

De Villiers put the match back on track with an 83-run fifth-wicket stand with Jean du Plessis (36). The partnership lasted until De Villiers's dismissal in the 44th over.

Change of Innings | #1DayCup

Now it’s over to our bowlers to turn up the heat, restrict the opposition, and secure a victory at Dafabet https://t.co/IrGkHY9mMy’s Park Cricket Stadium! ⚔️🔥#WozaNawe #1DaySeries#WarriorWay #DafabetWarriors pic.twitter.com/cYnIRrW26w — The Dafabet Warriors (@WarriorsCrickEC) March 10, 2026

Patrick Kruger played a brilliant cameo at the death to push the hosts over the 250-run mark.

He blitzed an invaluable 19-ball 33 runs in the final three overs of their innings.

Alfred Mothoa was the pick of the bowlers for the Dragons. The pacer, who helped the visitors control the middle overs, took four wickets for 44 runs in 10 overs.

This is his third List A four-wicket haul. Onke Nyaku, Migael Pretorius and Caleb Seleka contributed a wicket each.

WARRIORS: Modiri Litheko, Sinethemba Qeshile, Matthew de Villiers (capt), Matthew Breetzke, Senuran Muthusamy, Jean du Plessis (wk), Patrick Kruger, Thomas Kaber, Aphiwe Mnyanda, Kerwin Mungroo, Gideon Peters.

DRAGONS: Janneman Malan, Dominic Hendricks, Wihan Lubbe (capt), Caleb Seleka, Onke Nyaku, Alfred Mothoa, Lesiba Ngoepe, Meeka-eel Prince (wk), Migael Pretorius, Raynard van Tonder, Ruan de Swardt.