The Dolphins will host the Knights in the first 1Day Cup semifinal on Tuesday night, before the Lions and the Warriors do battle for a place in the 50-over final on Wednesday.
The Warriors have Sisanda Magala to thank after the seamer claimed a career-best six wickets to help his team end regular season in style by crushing the Cape Cobras by eight wickets in East London on Saturday.
Magala may not meet the Proteas’ fitness standards, but he certainly showed his class with a fine haul of 6/24 in 8.3 overs – the seamer conceding just one boundary in his spell – as the visitors slumped to 188 all out in 44.3 overs.
Proteas T20 batsman Matthew Breetzke then struck an unbeaten 80 off 84 balls (12 fours) as the men from the Eastern Cape knocked off the Cobras' pathetic effot in just 34.2 overs.
Eddie Moore (40) and Breetzke put on 70 for the opening wicket, followed by 60 between Sinethemba Qeshile (35) and the young opener.
STUNNING OPENER: Eddie Moore went unbeaten for 40 runs. Picture: Gavin Barker/BackpagePix.
Thereafter, Marco Marais plundered an unbeaten 31 in an unbroken 61-run stand that completed the job for the Warriors.
On Sunday, the Knights won a straight shootout with the Titans for a place in the final four by three wickets.
But after the Knights skittle their Centurions hosts out for 138 in 31.5 overs, the writing was on the wall.
Knights spinner Shaun von Berg took his maiden fiver 5/33 to dump out the defending champions, while left-arm quick Mbulelo Budaza claimed three for 26.
As President Cyril Ramaphosa announces a national state of disaster in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, Cricket South Africa has taken the decision to cancel the Momentum One Day Cup on the eve of the competition semi-finals.
— Dolphins Cricket (@DolphinsCricket) March 16, 2020
Read more: https://t.co/lMY0orzuW0 pic.twitter.com/N9pULnwJNM
The manne from Bloem weren’t playing around with the bat either, as Andries Gous and Jacques Snyman (35) raced to 59 for the first wicket before Gous went for 26 at the end of the seventh over.
With the platform laid down, the Knights just went for the fences, reaching their target with 119 balls to spare despite wickets falling.
1Day Cup semifinals:
- Tuesday: Dolphins v Knights
- Wednesday: Lions v Warriors