Mark Boucher’s and Justin Kreusch’s 63-run partnership led the Warriors to a seven-wicket win over Wayamba Elevens in Group A’s opening match of the Champions League Twenty20 on Saturday.
Boucher raced to 40 not out from 26 balls and Kreusch made a composed 37 not out as the South Africa T20 champions cruised to 156-3, chasing down Wayamba’s 153-9 with 10 balls to spare.
Colin Ingram made 34 and Warriors captain David Jacobs added 26 at the top of the order.
Earlier, Juan Theron took three wickets, including two in the first over of the match, to help restrict Wayamba to a below-par total.
Opener Jeewantha Kulatunga top-scored for Wayamba with 59 from 44 balls and wicketkeeper-batsman Kushal Perera crashed three sixes in his 39 from 24 to lead Wayamba’s recovery.
“I think the wickets up front played a big role,” Boucher said. “We always knew about the Mendis factor so we wanted to go pretty hard up front. We got off to a flyer, which allowed us to settle down in the middle and then finish off with a fling.”
The Sri Lankan team was on the back foot from the second ball of the match when the experienced Mahela Jayawardene flashed at a wide delivery from Theron and was caught by Kreusch at slip.
Udawatte fell four balls later to a diving catch by Nicky Boje. Kulatunga and Perera set about rebuilding Wayamba’s effort with a 60-run partnership after skipper Jehan Mubarak, who won the toss and chose to bat first, fell for a scratchy 9 from 16 balls.
Ashwell Prince’s early dismissal for the Warriors, for just 10, was brushed aside by the home team as two half-century partnerships took them to victory.
Skipper Jacobs and Colin Ingram shared a 52-run partnership, with both players striking glorious boundaries through the off side. Two of those fours came off Sri Lanka spinner Ajantha Mendis. Mendis hit back in the next over to break the partnership with a ball, which angled in and removed Jacobs’ leg stump.
After Rangana Herath, the second of Wayamba’s three-man spin attack, followed by tempting Ingram into a top edge, the Warriors slipped to 93-3.
But Boucher and Kreusch took the Warriors home. After a watchful start, Boucher exploded into life by blasting leg-spinner Kaushal Lokuarachchi for six, six and then four, all through the leg side, in the 14th over to put the Warriors within reach.
And a heave for four through midwicket from the South Africa wicketkeeper off Mendis’ final over effectively sealed it.
