Duan Jansen produced heroics with the ball in the final over to seal an amazing three-run victory for the North West Dragons over the GbetsRocks in the CSA Provincial T20 Knock Out Competition quarter-final in Kimberley today.
Jansen successfully defended nine runs from the final six balls to restrict a Rocks side that had Janneman Malan unbeaten on 74* off 56 balls to seal their progression to an exciting semi-final clash against the ITEC Knights on Thursday, 21 October.
The Dragons won the toss and chose to bat first, with their openers Wesley Marshall (19) and the explosive Eben Botha making a solid fist of their first quarter-final appearance as a Division One side, with the latter hitting 41 off 34 balls (3 fours, 2 sixes).
Although wickets began to fall around him during the powerplay, including the prized wickets of Nicky van den Bergh (5) and Senuran Muthusamy (6), Botha’s knock guided the North West team to 69/4 at the halfway point, with Lesego Senokwane having joined him at the crease.
The pair went on to bring up a half-century stand for the fifth wicket worth 59 runs to take the score into triple figures before Zakhele Qwabe (1/20) made the all-important breakthrough and Senokwane departed shortly after, from a run out, for a well-played 40 off 31 (5 fours).
A late cameo from Jansen (27) with the bat helped nudge the Dragons score to a respectable 156/8 after their 20 overs.
Hardus Viljoen (2/35) and Ferisco Adams (2/26) were the key bowlers in what was a solid performance from the Rocks bowling unit.
In reply, the side based in Paarl made the perfect start to their chase of 157 for victory and an extended stay in the competition when the Malan brothers, Pieter and Janneman combined for an incredible 108-run opening partnership.
Pieter Malan notched up five boundaries during his 38-ball 46 as he played the anchoring role around his more attacking younger brother who showed his breathtaking ability at the crease to raise his bat for an eighth career T20 fifty that consisted of four fours and three sixes.
With things going swimmingly well for the Rocks and victory an apparent formality, a Caleb Seleka (2/19) wicket sparked a momentum shift at The Oval, Kimberley.
Pieter Malan’s departure was the first of an amazing four wickets to fall between the 13th and the 15th over, with Clyde Fortuin (1), Christiaan Jonker (1) and Sinalo Gobeni (2) all sent back to the dressing room in quick succession as the Dragons came alive in the field.
Janneman Malan finally found a partner again in Adams (21), as the duo took the game into the final over, with nine runs required to win.
That’s when Jansen, brother of Gbets Warriors’ Marco Jansen, took control of proceedings for the Dragons, helping to strike with the very first ball as Adams was run out before the left-arm seamer went on to dismiss Viljoen (2) while only conceding four more runs.
With Janneman Malan only limited to facing three of the six final deliveries, the Dragons managed to seal the incredible comeback win with Jansen awarded the Bowler of the Match accolade, while the former was given the Batter of the Match award for his impressive knock.
