Match Center

So we have the final! It is a clash between the top two teams - Dolphins and the Highveld Lions. The Dolphins start as favourites, having not lost a single game in the league stage but final is something which brings in a new kind of pressure. Will the Lions be able to explore that and use the momentum from the playoff? Join us on Sunday, 28th February, 2021, at 2.30 pm local (1230 GMT). ADIOS! TAKE CARE!

Victorious Highveld Lions skipper, Temba Bavuma, has been named as the BATSMAN OF THE MATCH. Bavuma says that surfaces don't get easier, stressing that there is a lot of thinking on how to play on it. Praises the Warriors for bowling tight lines and stresses on the partnership between himself and Rassie van der Dussen. Adds that they needed to take the risk at some time and it worked, with Wiaan Mulder coming in and dong the finishing job. On being asked as to when did they feel like pressing on the accelerator, Temba says that it is all about feeling rather than planning. Details that he felt that he could attack Jade de Klerk and just went on with it. For the final, TB says that the team would be confident, especially the batters, having won a tight game. Wants his bowlers to improve at the death, looking to be cleaner. Stresses that on an average, the team is conceding 50 runs in the last 5 overs, terming it as criminal. Hops that they do a good job on Sunday so that the batters find it a bit easier.

Aaron Phangiso has been named as the BOWLER OF THE MATCH. Says that the win is a good feeling, having worked hard throughout the competition. Adds that they felt they deserved to be in the final. On his bowling, he says it is all about confidence. His captain (Temba Bavuma) handed him the ball and he just tried to give his best, he adds. Praises Wihan Lubbe for batting so well and details that he (Phangiso) just tried not to give him much room. Feels that Lubbe is a good prospect for the future. Hopes that he (Phangiso) can deliver again on Sunday in the final and give the Dolphins a run for their money.

Earlier in the game, the Warriors let a good start slip by. They were 71/0 at one stage, but then slipped to 95/4, with the runs being choked in the middle overs. Wihan Lubbe was playing an excellent knock in a pressure game but the rest simply could not support him. The Highveld Lions did really well to bounce back after a poor start. Please stay tuned for the presentation...

Temba Bavuma and Rassie van der Dussen played one of the best innings of the tournament. They came in at a tricky stage, when both set batsmen had been dismissed and run scoring was difficult on a tough pitch. They first ensured that they did not panic, kept taking the singles and twos, ensuring that they are keeping the scoreboard ticking. And then, once the partnership got set, Bavuma chose to attack and the timing of that attack was excellent. That stand of 61 knocked the Warriors out.

It might seem like a low-scoring game but it was not far from being a thriller. The scorecard shows the Warriors being crushed by 7 wickets but in reality, it was not the case. On a pitch which was very dfficult to bat on, thanks to the indifferent bounce, they fought hard, but lacked penetration to get wickets consistently. They first faced a 59-run opening stand between Reeza Hendricks and Ryan Rickelton but then got two wickets quickly. However, after that, they came up against Temba Bavuma who put all thoughts of a collapse to bed.

JJ Smuts is down on the ground. More than the loss, it is the disappointment of all his talk before the final ball going to waste. Lesiba Ngoepe is more calm and now, the handshakes begin. The Warriors would be a bit disappointed, they seemed to get a fairy tale going, losing their first three matches and then getting a backdoor entry. But their dream ends here. The Highveld Lions probably deserved to be in the final as they were always the second-best team throughout the competition and now meet the best in the final. But end of a good game.

SIX! That is that. All that talk and the game ends in one ball. A short ball, outside off, Wiaan Mulder pulls it over mid-wicket for half a dozen! The Highveld Lions win by 7 wickets and progress to the final!

Right. Who bowls the final over? Mthiwekhaya Nabe it is. 3-0-19-2 so far. Massive conference in the middle. Sinethemba Qeshile, JJ Smuts, Mthiwekhaya Nabe and Anrich Nortje. Smuts is the one doing all the talking. Finally, they disperse.

Full, around middle, worked through square leg for a single. 3-0-20-0 for Marco Jansen. He has given one of his teammates 5 to defend in the final over.

Full, slow on middle, worked through square leg for one more.

Another slower ball, outside off, Temba looks to go inside out but misses.

Full, around middle, pushed back to the bowler.

Slower ball, around middle, Bavuma hits this miles high in the air, looking to swipe across the line. It goes so high that even before it reaches JJ Smuts at deep square leg, Bavuma returns for the second. Smuts drops the catch but it does not matter. 8 more needed from 10 balls.

NO BALL. A high full toss, around off, Wiaan Mulder looks to pull but mistimes it to long off. A single taken. Temba Bavuma gets the Free Hit.

Yorker, around middle, pushed back to the bowler.

Marco Jansen to bowl the 19th over. 2-0-14-0 so far. Will we have a 20th over?