CSA T20 Challenge Semi-Finalists Confirmed

GQEBERHA: A career-best five-for from Daryn Dupavillon helped the Hollywoodbets Dolphins secure a home semi-final as the Cricket South Africa (CSA) T20 Challenge regular season drew to a close on Sunday.

The fast bowler bagged an impressive 5/20 to help the KwaZulu-Natal side stun Dafabet Warriors with a 7-wicket win in Gqeberha – the hosts suffering their fourth straight loss in the process.

There was also a big win for Momentum Multiply Titans over World Sports Betting Western Province in a match that was essentially a quarter-final at World Sports Betting Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town, with the Centurion-based side winning by 6 wickets thanks mainly to Junior Dala (3/13) and Corbin Bosch (3/21).

Also on Sunday, the DP World Lions ensured they could not be stopped at the summit, securing first place with a 7-wicket triumph over AET Tuskers as Nqaba Peter (3/15) continued his incredible rise in 2024. The day’s final game was won by Auto Investments North West Dragons, who beat Gbets Rocks by 6 wickets in Paarl.

The star of the day was Dupavillon as he delivered a vintage performance to blow away the Warriors, who had won their first eight matches of the season before losing their way.

The paceman’s performance after his captain won the toss and bowled, helped the Dolphins restrict their hosts at Dafabet St George’s Park Cricket Stadium to 130/8, despite Jordan Hermann hitting 65 (53 balls, 4 fours, 2 sixes)

Former Warriors captain Jon-Jon Smuts (43*) and Jason Smith (41*) then shared a 75-run unbroken fourth-wicket stand to take the Durban side to victory with 16 balls to spare.

Further along the coast in the Mother City, it was Dala and Bosch who were responsible for curbing the hosts and keep them down to a modest 113/9 after they won the toss and batted.

South Africa Under-19 batter Lhuan-dre Pretorius led the reply with 52 off 32 balls (3 fours, 4 sixes) ensuring the defending champions claimed the final qualifying spot with nearly seven overs to spare.

The Lions too were easy winners thanks to Nqaba’s three-for that kept the Tuskers down to 132/9 at DP World Wanderers Stadium.

This after the home side elected to bowl at the toss, with Zubayr Hamza (49) and Rassie van der Dussen (51* off 35 balls, 2 fours, 3 sixes) eating into most of the runs during the chase, the Johannesburg side winning with 15 balls to spare.

Finally at Boland Park, the local side batted first and managed 143/5. Clyde Fortuin (51 off 32 balls, 4 fours, 4 sixes) recorded a half century, while Caleb Seleka (2/21) was the pick of the bowlers.

Rubin Hermann (48) and Meeka-Eel Prince (37) set up the chase with a 67-run opening stand, before Wihan Lubbe (20) and Raynard van Tonder (34*) then completed the job with a ball to spare.

 Source: cricket.co.za

Dale Steyn: With an HPI of 17.29, Dale Steyn is the 5th most famous South African Cricketer. Her biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Dale Willem Steyn (; born 27 June 1983) is a South African former professional cricketer who played for the South African Cricket Team. He is often regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time and the greatest Test bowler of his generation. During the 2007–08 season, Steyn achieved a tally of 78 wickets at an average of 16.24, and was subsequently rewarded with the ICC 2008 Test Cricketer of the Year Award. He was named one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 2013, and Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World for the year 2013 in 2014’s Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack. He was featured in Wisden Cricketers of the Decade at the end of 2019. He also was included in the ICC Test Team of the Decade at the end of 2020.Steyn dominated the number one spot in the ICC Test rankings during the peak of his career, for a record 263 weeks between 2008 and 2014. Sri Lankan Muttiah Muralitharan sits next on the list with 214 weeks. In terms of days, Steyn has spent 2,356 days at the top as of 6 October 2016. In October 2012, former South African test cricketer Allan Donald called the South African pace attack, which Steyn was part of, alongside Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel, the best South Africa has ever produced. In December 2018, during the first Test against Pakistan, Steyn became the leading wicket taker for South Africa in Test cricket, previously held by all-rounder and former-captain Shaun Pollock.On 5 August 2019, Steyn announced his retirement from Test cricket, to focus on limited-overs cricket. Steyn announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on 31 August 2021.