Adams helps Boland set teasing target

Ferisco Adams struck an unbeaten half-century to help Goldrush Boland to 168 for six against the Moothee Ram Tuskers in an important CSA T20 Challenge match at the City Oval in Pietermaritzburg on Saturday afternoon.

Adams struck four boundaries and three maximums from 35 deliveries, bringing up his fifty with a six from the last ball of the innings, after Clyde Reeves-Fortuin had won the toss and decided to take first strike in a must-win match for the men from Paarl, hoping to top the log and host the first Qualifier against the Dafabet Warriors.

Despite the early loss of Blayde Capell (1), clean-bowled by Darryn Dupavillon (4-0-30-2), Reeves-Fortuin (20) and Grant Roelofsen (29) set about mounting a charge against the Tuskers’ attack. The pair smashed 47 runs for the second wicket stand from only 26 balls, with Roelofsen cracking a boundary and two sixes from 19 deliveries while the Boland captain crafted three fours in his 11-ball stay.

However, Dupavillon had Reeves-Fortuin caught by Ziyaad Abrahams at short fine leg before Bamanye Xenxe (4-0-26-1) had Lehan Botha caught down the legside by wicketkeeper Ntando Zuma for just five.

Jhedli van Briesies managed three fours in his 18-ball 22 before a bizarre shot offered Xenxe an easy catch with Van Briesies trying to flick a legside delivery from Renaldo Meyer (4-0-29-1), only for the ball to hit the back of his bat and carve the ball to Xenxe at short-thirdman.

Once Roelfosen departed, caught on the deep cover boundary from the bowling of Abrahams (4-0-51-2), Boland struggled in the middle overs with Malcolm Nofal (4-0-31-0) and Xenxe keeping the boundary count down.

However, Adams and Keith Dudgeon (20) kept the scoreboard ticking over, adding 54 runs for the sixth-wicket from 43 balls before Dudgeon went for a mighty swipe at a ball from Abrahams, only to find Wayne Parnell at mid-off.

But Adams made sure that the final over was one to remember as the allrounder clubbed a boundary and a six from the final two balls of the innings, raising his bat in acknowledgement of achieving an unbroken fifty.

Boland will need to restrict the Tuskers to 134 or less if they hope to earn a bonus point, which will propel them to the top of the log and set up the first Qualifier against the Warriors in Paarl.

Failure will mean a trip to Gqeberha. Defeat could see them host the Eliminator against WSB Western Province, should the Hollywoodbets Dolphins secure victory over the DP World Lions on Sunday.

MOOTHEE RAM TUSKERS: Andile Mogakane, Malcom Nofal, Wayne Parnell (capt), Ntando Zuma (wk), Slade van Staden, Daryn Dupavillon, Ziyaad Abrahams, Sean Gilson, Renaldo Meyer, Chad Laycock, Bamanya Xenxe.

GOLDRUSH BOLAND: Grant Roelofsen, Blayde Capell, Clyde Reeves-Fortuin (capt, wk), Jhedli van Briesies, Lehan Botha, Ferisco Adams, Keith Dudgeon, Aya Gqamane, Imraan Manack, Glenton Stuurman, Siya Mahima.