Cobras and Badgers keep semi-final dreams alive with big YesPlay T20 wins

YesPlay Cobras held on to fourth place on the Super 8s table in the YesPlay Pro20 Cup, with a 9-run win over the DP World Lions on Saturday night to keep alive their dreams of a semi-final berth.

Cobras had to win at home with the Garden Route Badgers breathing down their necks but faced a difficult task against a side that had only lost once since the start of the competition.

The visitors won the toss at YesPlay Newlands and opted to field first, taking the wicket of Jiveshan Pillay for just 12 runs in the third over.

A 73-run second wicket partnership between Kashief Josephs and Kyle Verreynne then steadied Cobras’ innings until the latter was dismissed for 46, while his partner managed to reach his half-century as they eventually finished on 178/9.

Gerald Coetzee finished with the best bowling figures of 3/24.

In reply the Lions piled on the runs in the first six overs until Neil Timmers was the first to depart for 23.

Richard Seletswane had to watch wickets fall around him but he kept composure to end on 72 with just eight balls remaining. That unfortunately also ended their hopes of a win, meaning they’ll have to wait until the last match to try and secure their semi-final place despite still leading the pack.

Earlier in the day another shock result also stalled Dafabet Boland’s progress to the last four as they lost by 19 runs to a rejuvenated Badgers.

A third Super 8s win on the spin keeps the Badgers in the hunt and will also still have a chance to make it going into the final round of matches.

Boland chose to bowl first in Paarl and had early success with the wicket of Yaseen Valli but then the Badgers took the bull by the horns with Janneman Malan and Slade van Staden putting together a 96-run second wicket stand.

Malan went for 45 while Van Staden top scored with 77 for the visiting team, who posted 169/5 by the end of their innings.

Blayde Capell and Neil Brand scored 13 and 6 respectively at the top of the order in Boland’s chase but it was Gavin Kaplan’s 42 and Gysbert Wege with 57 that gave them a sniff.

Unfortunately for them the rest of the order couldn’t break the shackles in a 150-run total, falling short to the only remaining Division 2 side in the competition.