It was a case of ‘so close, yet so far’ for the Dafabet Warriors when they were unceremoniously dumped out of the CSA T20 Challenge by five wickets against the Hollywoodbets Dolphins in Durban last week.
They showed fight when being asked to bat first by the boys from KwaZulu-Natal, however, an expensive power play by the visitors gave the hosts control of the match to cruise to victory with 16 balls to spare last Thursday.
It was the Warriors fifth loss in their last six games of this season’s Challenge as they fell agonisingly short of a first appearance in the domestic T20 competition’s final since the 2018/19 season.
The loss also meant it was the first time a Warriors side have failed in a last four encounter having won the last six semifinals they have appeared in, while going on to win the competition in 2009/2010 season.
The Gqeberha side started the 2023/24 competition like a house on fire, winning eight games on the trot to race to 34 points including three bonus points.
Wins against the AET Tuskers [37 runs] and Hollywoodbets Dolphins [seven wickets] were particularly impressive in their opening two matches before a much closer affair against the Momentum Multiply Titans [two runs] as they closed out the opening three rounds with a perfect record.
Five more wins against the Gbets Rocks [32 runs, DLS method], World Sports Betting Western Province [eight wickets], Auto Investments North West Dragons [24 runs], DP World Lions [two runs] and WP [nine wickets] took them past the halfway mark in the tournament with their unbeaten record still intact.
They suffered a first loss against the Titans by 12 runs, before getting back to winning ways with a 31 run win over the Tuskers had them needing at least two victories from their final four matches to cement a spot in the top two and secure a home semi final.
However, it was not to be, as the men clad in green and black suffered four straight losses against the Rocks [five wickets], Lions [43 runs], Dragons [six wickets] and Dolphins [seven wickets] before the semifinal loss to end their season on a doleful note.
Skipper Matthew Breetzke was a man of few words in the post match interview, saying it was frustrating as a captain that they could not get back to winning ways in the latter half of the tournament.
“If you look at the competition as a whole, we played good cricket, but towards the back end we just weren’t good enough,” he said.
Discussing Mokgakane's career best innings, Breetzke said: “He is unbelievable, he has been really good, especially tonight, he just needed the backing and opportunity from the coaches, he has always had the talent and it was good to see that tonight [on Thursday],” the skipper said.
Despite not making it to the final, which the Lions won by seven wickets over the Dolphins, the Warriors still boasts the likes of Breetzke, who finished as the top run getter [467] in the tournament, while Siya Simetu and Beyers Swanepoel were tied for the top bowlers’ accolade, having taken 21 wickets a piece.
HeraldLIVE
So close yet so far for Warriors in T20 Challenge
Sports reporter
Image: GALLO IMAGES/DARREN STEWART
It was a case of ‘so close, yet so far’ for the Dafabet Warriors when they were unceremoniously dumped out of the CSA T20 Challenge by five wickets against the Hollywoodbets Dolphins in Durban last week.
They showed fight when being asked to bat first by the boys from KwaZulu-Natal, however, an expensive power play by the visitors gave the hosts control of the match to cruise to victory with 16 balls to spare last Thursday.
It was the Warriors fifth loss in their last six games of this season’s Challenge as they fell agonisingly short of a first appearance in the domestic T20 competition’s final since the 2018/19 season.
The loss also meant it was the first time a Warriors side have failed in a last four encounter having won the last six semifinals they have appeared in, while going on to win the competition in 2009/2010 season.
The Gqeberha side started the 2023/24 competition like a house on fire, winning eight games on the trot to race to 34 points including three bonus points.
Wins against the AET Tuskers [37 runs] and Hollywoodbets Dolphins [seven wickets] were particularly impressive in their opening two matches before a much closer affair against the Momentum Multiply Titans [two runs] as they closed out the opening three rounds with a perfect record.
Five more wins against the Gbets Rocks [32 runs, DLS method], World Sports Betting Western Province [eight wickets], Auto Investments North West Dragons [24 runs], DP World Lions [two runs] and WP [nine wickets] took them past the halfway mark in the tournament with their unbeaten record still intact.
They suffered a first loss against the Titans by 12 runs, before getting back to winning ways with a 31 run win over the Tuskers had them needing at least two victories from their final four matches to cement a spot in the top two and secure a home semi final.
However, it was not to be, as the men clad in green and black suffered four straight losses against the Rocks [five wickets], Lions [43 runs], Dragons [six wickets] and Dolphins [seven wickets] before the semifinal loss to end their season on a doleful note.
Skipper Matthew Breetzke was a man of few words in the post match interview, saying it was frustrating as a captain that they could not get back to winning ways in the latter half of the tournament.
“If you look at the competition as a whole, we played good cricket, but towards the back end we just weren’t good enough,” he said.
Discussing Mokgakane's career best innings, Breetzke said: “He is unbelievable, he has been really good, especially tonight, he just needed the backing and opportunity from the coaches, he has always had the talent and it was good to see that tonight [on Thursday],” the skipper said.
Despite not making it to the final, which the Lions won by seven wickets over the Dolphins, the Warriors still boasts the likes of Breetzke, who finished as the top run getter [467] in the tournament, while Siya Simetu and Beyers Swanepoel were tied for the top bowlers’ accolade, having taken 21 wickets a piece.
HeraldLIVE
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