CRICKET NEWS - The Garden Route Badgers secured a convincing victory over Mpumalanga Rhinos in the T20 knockout eliminator, winning by 43 runs at the Recreation Ground in Oudtshoorn on Wednesday 19 November.
Badgers scored a competitive total of 152/6 in their 20 overs. Ruan Terblanche led the charge with an explosive innings, scoring 50 runs off just 29 balls, featuring four 4s and four 6s.
His approach set a strong foundation for the innings. However, the Badgers faced a few hiccups as wickets fell at regular intervals.
Heath Richards was out after just one run, while Yaseen Valli and George van Heerden contributed nine and 13 runs respectively, leaving the Badgers at 82/4.
As the innings progressed, Nathan Engelbrecht provided some stability, while Kyle Joshua Jacobs (16 runs) and Liam Alder (6 runs) added valuable runs towards the end. Banele Cele chipped in with a quick eight runs, helping the Badgers reach 152.
Herman Rolfes claimed three wickets.
Mpumalanga Rhinos struggled to build partnerships and were bowled out for just 109 runs. Gareth Dukes provided 19 runs off seven balls, including one 4 and two 6s, but his dismissal triggered a collapse.
Zakir Kathrada and Aubrey Swanepoel collapsed, leaving the Rhinos stumbling at 28/3.
Despite a resilient effort from Jon Hinrichsen, who scored 23 runs off nine balls, the Rhinos couldn’t recover from the early setbacks.
Banele Cele continued to shine with the ball, taking two wickets, while Mondli Ngobesi also made significant contributions, claiming three wickets.
The Rhinos suffered a steady loss of wickets, ultimately leading to their all-out score of 109.
With this victory, the Garden Route Badgers advance to qualifier 2, keeping their silverware hopes alive this season.
Upcoming Division 2 T20 Knockout Matches:
Friday, 21 Nov 2025 @13h00: Qualifier 2 – Iinyathi vs Garden Route Badgers – Buffalo Park, East London
Sunday, 23 Nov 2025 @13h00: Final – Knights vs Winner of Q2 – Mangaung Oval, Bloemfontein
