JOHANNESBURG: As the 2024/2025 season begins to draw to a close, there is still one round of action in the Division 2 4-Day Series with the two finalists to be decided this week.
There are three matches coming up on Thursday and we will see a repeat of the rained out One Day Cup final as the ACDC Express Tuskers host Eastern Cape Iinyathi in what could be a decisive match in the competition.
Both teams are currently in the running for a spot in the final with the Tuskers second and Iinyathi third on the table behind the Northern Cape Heat.
A convincing win for Iinyathi could see them leap-frog the Tuskers into the final while the Tuskers will be out to make it a clean sweep of finals in Division 2 this season.
After winning the T20 Knock Out, the Tuskers then shared the 1 Day Cup and will be hoping to round out their season with another final appearance.
For Iinyathi, they have been solid performers throughout the season across formats and will be hoping to do enough to get past the Tuskers into the final.
The table topping Northern Cape Heat are unbeaten so far in the competition and have been the dominant side in the red ball format. They have played all their matches; however, they will be in the final when it takes place from 2-5 April.
Although the Heat will not be playing this week, their bowlers have been in fine form with the red ball in hand.
As it stands, they have two of the top three wicket takers in the competition so far. Ernest Kemm has taken 35 wickets with his left-arm spin, while fellow spinner Tshepo Ntuli has bagged 31 scalps.
The Eastern Storm host the Six Gun Grill Garden Route Badgers in their final match of the competition hoping to get their first win.
It’s been a tournament to forget for the Benoni-based outfit who are winless from their five matches so far. Their opponents will be hoping to jump up the table should the Iinyathi faulter against the Tuskers and could go into third if the result goes their way.
The Garden Route Badgers have the two highest run scorers in the competition in their ranks with Yaseen Valli and George van Heerden having made 425 and 414 runs in the tournament respectively.
The battle of the North will see Mpumalanga make the trip across the border to face Limpopo in Polokwane.
The teams are separated by nearly ten points on the table and Mpumalanga Rhinos will hope to maintain their advantage over their neighbours.
Both teams have one win to their record this season and the Impalas have a lot to play for in their final match of the campaign.
It is all to play for in the final round of the 4-Day Series with a spot in the final up for grabs for the Tuskers or Iinyathi.
The men from East London have had the skills of Jade de Klerk in their ranks and the left-arm spinner is currently the second highest wicket taker in the tournament with 34, one pole behind Ernest Kemm from the Heat.
Tuskers skipper Michael Erlank is currently the third highest run scorer in the tournament with 401 runs and has registered the only double hundred so far in the competition. He made 234 against the Eastern Storm in Benoni.
The final will take place from 2-5 April with the venue to be decided at the conclusion of the final round of fixtures.
Source: cricket.co.za
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