Robin Peterson made a telling contribution on his return from Proteas duty as the Nashua Cape Cobras beat the Chevrolet Knights by eight runs at Chevrolet Park to wrap up their second RAM SLAM T20 home final in a row.
The Knights had made good early progress in their chase of 146 when Peterson was introduced, and he struck twice with his first 10 deliveries before going on to record figures of 3 for 21 as the Knights managed 137 for four in reply.
The Cobras opened up a seven-point lead at the top of the table as a result, and with just one game remaining they can no longer be caught.
They will now host the final at Newlands on December 12, while the bizhub Highveld Lions and Knights will tussle at the Diamond Oval on Wednesday to see who will host the play-off next Sunday.
The Knights will have to beat the Lions with a bonus point to get hosting rights as the Lions have more wins which will be decisive if the teams finish level on points.
The Cobras total was set up by a wise piece of planning, with the brains trust noting the lack of pace and bounce in the pitch during the first game of the triple-header and deciding to be cautious up front and keep wickets in hand.
Richard Levi and Andrew Puttick, therefore, batted through the first half of the innings for a partnership of 54, before Omphile Ramela played a more carefree knock of 34 from 24 balls.
Levi (64) took advantage of being dropped twice in two shots when he was in the 30s to bring up his fourth half-century of the tournament and carry the Cobras to 145 for four.
The Knights made a positive start to their chase, with Gerhardt Abrahams and Reeza Hendricks putting on 41 for the first wicket, but struggled to recover from Peterson’s intervention.
By the time Rudi Second (50 not out from 33 balls) and Tumelo Bodibe (30 not out) constructed a partnership of 78 for the fifth wicket, the required rate was beyond them and the Cobras walked away comfortable victors.
LATEST STANDINGS
| Teams | Mat | Won | Lost | Tied | N/R | Pts | Net RR | For | Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Cobras | 9 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 33 | +1.177 | 1175/145.0 | 1039/150.0 |
| Lions | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 26 | +0.017 | 1272/168.4 | 1318/175.1 |
| Knights | 9 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 22 | +1.207 | 1135/136.2 | 993/139.3 |
| Dolphins | 10 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 16 | +0.060 | 1307/169.1 | 1256/163.5 |
| Warriors | 9 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 15 | -1.392 | 1162/167.3 | 1348/161.5 |
| Titans | 10 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 11 | -0.703 | 1495/184.0 | 1592/180.2 |
James Buttler
As the editor of World Cricket Badger he is intent on building the website to give quality coverage of the domestic game around the world.
He is also the presenter of the Cricket Badger Radio Show on Radio Yorkshire every Tuesday evening between 7-9pm UK time.
James was the full-time Media Manager at Yorkshire County Cricket Club between 2007 and 2010.
James is a published author, a writer/video contributor to many cricket publications and a complete cricket badger!
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