Mzansi Super League 2019, Cape Town Blitz vs Tshwane Spartans: 3 players who had an impact

Mzansi Super League 2019 action carried on with a double header Sunday as the Cape Town Blitz took on the league leaders Tshwane Spartans at the Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town, South Africa.

Earlier in the day, the Paarl Rocks triumphed over the Jozi Stars getting back to the top of the league standings chasing down a target of 172 put up by the Jozi Stars.

The second match saw the Cape Town Blitz win the toss and elect to bat first against the Tshwane Spartans. The skipper Quinton de Kock departed early in the innings but the league's highest run scorer Janneman Malan partnered up with David Bedingham and took charge of the innings. The pair set the stage for a good total for the Blitz on the night.

Also see – BPL Points Table

Cape Town Blitz put up a total of 157/5 for the Tshwane Spartans to chase to get back to the top of the MSL 2019 standings. The Spartans were in for a rough ride in their innings as the Blitz bowling unit were on point since the beginning.

Dale Steyn and Wahab Riaz were the pick of the bowlers getting five wickets between them getting rid of the dangerous trio of Dean Elgar, AB de Villiers and Heinrich Klaasen. However, the Tshwane Spartans' middle order batsman Pite von Biljon scored 62 runs to put his side within reach of the target but ended up losing in the end.

We take a look at the three players whose performances on the pitch played an important role in determining the result of the match.

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#3 Pite von Biljon - Tshwane Spartans

Pite von Biljon had brought the Tshwane Spartans within touching distance of a win.

Tshwane Spartans' middle order batsman Pite von Biljon was the unlikely hero for the team tonight as the usual lynchpins - Dean Elgar and AB de Villiers were not able to lead the chase. Pite von Biljon came in at a point when the Spartans were struggling at 48-4 to partner up with AB de Villiers before he departed at 90-5.

Biljon took up the mantle upon himself to spearhead the chase for the Tshwane Spartans and scored at a brisk rate to create a good chance to get the win for the team. At one point, they needed 21 runs to win off 7 balls but unfortunately, Wahab Riaz got rid of Biljon to put a giant dent in the Spartans' chances of a win.

Biljon got out after scoring 62 runs in 42 balls having scored 4 fours and 3 sixes getting his score at a strike rate of 147.61. His performance on the night was one of the key highlights for the Tshwane Spartans.

#2 Wahab Riaz - Cape Town Blitz

Wahab Riaz picked up two crucial wickets tonight for the Cape Town Blitz.

Pakistani fast pacer Wahab Riaz was back at his prime form tonight for the Cape Town Blitz after having a poor outing in the Blitz's last fixture against the Durban Heat. Along with Dale Steyn, he made sure that the Blitz were able to defend a modest total of 157 runs with decent effort.

Riaz started off his spell getting rid of Theunis de Bruyn to put the Spartans at 12-1 and continued to trouble the batsmen with his pace and bounce. The shining moment of the innings for the left-arm pacer was the crucial wicket of Pite von Bilijon who was well on his way to potentially take the Spartans home towards the end.

Riaz ended the match with a spell of 3-0-18-2 playing the perfect second fiddle to Dale Steyn as they led the Blitz to a key win.

#1 Dale Steyn - Cape Town Blitz

Dale Steyn produced another match-winning spell for the Cape Town Blitz.

Mzansi Super League 2019's leading wicket taker Dale Steyn was back at it again tonight against the Tshwane Spartans producing a match-winning performance in Cape Town.

Dale Steyn's two quick wickets in the fourth over of the Spartans' innings put a huge dent in their chase prospects making life difficult for the batsmen. He was bowling at a pace and line that was not providing any room for the middle order of the Spartans to mount a comeback.

Steyn got a major scalp when he got rid of his international teammate and Spartans' trump card AB de Villiers with a caught and bowled wicket to potentially put an end to all the hopes of a Spartans' win in the match. He ended the match with stunning figures of 4-0-10-3 keeping his lead at the top of the table standings intact.