A brilliant all-round performance from Border youngster Bamanye Xenxe was just not enough to see them over the line as they fell to a three- wicket defeat against the Central Gauteng Lions in a thrilling Africa Cup T20 final at Buffalo Park on Monday.
First Xenxe saved Border’s batting effort, arriving at the crease with the top order in a shambles on 67/7 and guided the team to a defendable 130 all out, thanks to an unbeaten 51 off 34 balls (3x4; 2x6).
He was then the star with the ball, claiming 3/27 in his four overs as Border took Gauteng right down to the last over, before they edged over the line in a breathtaking finish.
“I am just proud of myself and the team. We just have to take it as it comes. The coach just told me ‘no pressure’ when I went out to bat, and I just had to stay calm,” said Xenxe.
“I just played the ball on its merits and it came off for me.
“I was also happy with the way I bowled. I knew we had to take wickets and that is what I tried to do, so I am glad I managed to get a few.”
Despite the disappointing outcome, Border should be happy with a good start to the season that took them to their first Africa Cup T20 final, and the efforts of their players.
“We knew it was going to be a tough game being a final. It was a pressure game. We didn’t have our minds on their Protea player and just came out here looking to win the game,” said Border captain Jerry Nqolo. “But unfortunately we came up short. Gauteng played very well.”
Gauteng won the toss and sent Border in to batt. It was a disastrous start for the hosts as they lost their top three in the first nine balls.
First star batsman Marco Marais went out off the first legitimate ball of the match after the first was a wide, pushing at a fullish wide delivery and edging behind to keeper and captain Mangaliso Mosehle off the bowling of Carmi le Roux.
In the second over fellow opener Gihahn Cloete also went out first ball, trying to pull a short ball from Nandre Burger, only to feather it behind to Mosehle.
Off the very next ball Yaseen Vallie ran himself out, calling Nqolo through for a quick single and was unable to beat the throw of Kgaudiso Molefe, leaving Border in all sorts of strife at 3/3 after 1.3 overs.
Nqolo was next to go, caught by Nono Pongolo in Burger’s next over as they slipped to 17/4. Christiaan Jonker tried to revive the innings, sharing in a 30-run stand with Jason Niemand (5) and a 20-run partnership with Clayton Bosch (12).
But when Jonker threw his wicket away for 37 off 23 balls (4x4; 2x6) and Bosch did the same a few balls later, both caught in the 13th over bowled by Pongolo, Border were staring down the barrel at 67/7, only for Xenxe to come in and hit 51 of Border’s next 63 runs to get them to a decent score. The Gauteng chase got off to a quick start as Delano Potgieter hammered early boundaries with 20 scored off the first two overs.
However, wickets then started to fall as Muhammed Mayet (2) was first out caught by Jonker off Xenxe, and Potgieter (23 off 10 balls, 4x4; 1x6) was caught by a diving backwards Nqolo off the bowling of Bosch as they slipped to 38/2.
Wiaan Mulder (6) was run out by Niemand, Mosehle (2) lbw to Xenxe, Temba Bavuma (27) lbw to Phaphama Fojela and Martin Coetzee (8) caught behind by Cloete off Bosch, with it game on with Gauteng 79/6.
But only needing a run a ball Pongolo (30no) and Le Roux (23) then shared in a match-winning 39-run seventh wicket stand, with it going in to the last over where Pongolo launched Basheer Walters for a six and single off the first two balls to take them home...