Turning up the Heat: CSA Division 2 T20 play-offs promise non-stop action

FOLLOWING a thrilling roller-coaster ride, the CSA Division 2 T20 Knockout competition has exploded into its play-off stage, and the Northern Cape Heat have shown their grit and determination to be counted among the top four teams.

The competition’s semi-finals are scheduled for October 16-17, with the final set to take place on Sunday, October 20, and if the last matches of the league phase are anything to go by, the knockouts are going to be something to behold.

The group matches concluded this past weekend and the Heat, having earned their spot after a vital and comprehensive 80-run win over the Limpopo Impalas in a sweltering Kimberley, will be looking to build on that momentum as they take on the top-ranked Eastern Storm on Wednesday, October 16.

This will be a repeat of the opening game of the competition, where the Heat fell just a single run short after the hosts won the toss and sent the Storm in to bat, so they will know that – despite being the visiting team – they have what it takes to compete.

For their part, the Storm suffered their first loss of the competition when the ACDC Express Tuskers held their nerve and handed their hosts a narrow one-run defeat at Willowmoore Park in Benoni on Saturday.

In the second semi-final, fresh off their win over the top team on the log, the Tuskers will host the Six Gun Grill Garden Route Badgers in Pietermaritzburg on Thursday.

As is the case with the knockout phase of any competition, there are no second chances and each player knows that they have to bring their A-game to the pitch in order to get their team to that coveted place in the final on Sunday.

CSA T20 KO Fixtures:

Wednesday, October 16

Willowmoore Park, Benoni (1pm): Eastern Storm vs Northern Cape Heat

Thursday, October 17

Pietermaritzburg Oval (1pm): Tuskers vs Garden Route Badgers