MSL 2019: Wahab Riaz uproots stumps off a no-ball against Roelof van der Merwe
Cape Town Blitz won the match by 15 runs against Tshwane Spartans
Wahab Riaz – the Pakistan speedster is currently playing in Mzansi Super League 2019 and is the part of Cape Town Blitz. Riaz always holds the problem of bowling no-balls in the game irrespective of his ability to bowl toe-crushing Yorkers. On Sunday, a similar incident occurred and it could have gone against his side as well.
MSL 2019 semi-final is just a week away and the competition between the teams has started soaring high. The same was visible in the match between Cape Town Blitz and Tshwane Spartans.
Dale Steyn’s effort and Wahab Riaz bizarre moment against Spartans
Blitz captain Quinton de Kock won the toss and elected to bat. But, his decision went against his side as the batsmen failed to pile runs against Tshwane Spartans. Janneman Malan (36 runs off 28 balls) and David Bedingham (53 off 40 balls) spent some time on the crease and stitched a partnership of 65 runs.
As soon as the duo departed, no other batsman in the line-up showed resistance against Spartans bowlers. In the end, Blitz could only manage to post 157 runs on the scoreboard.
The target looked achievable for Spartans considering their heavy-duty batting line up. Spartans’ batting force comprised the likes of AB de Villiers, Dean Elgar, Theunis de Bruyn and Wiaan Mulder. But an impressive bowling spell from Dale Steyn dismantled Spartans’ batting attack. Steyn registered brilliant bowling figures of 3/10 that included the dismissals of De Villiers, Elgar and Mulder. The phenomenal spell from the South African international left Spartans struggling. Later on, Petrus van Biljon showed some resistance and played a determined knock of 62 runs.
However, the bizarre moment of the match happened in the penultimate over of Spartans innings when they needed 23 runs in 9 balls. Roelof van der Merwe was on the strike against Wahab Riaz. The Pakistan speedster bowled a quick yorker right in the blockhole of the batsman while recording the speed of 143.3 kmph.
The quick one hit the stumps and baffled Merwe, who lost his balance by misjudging the delivery. In the meantime, the sticks were also blown away from the grooves. However, the umpire gave it a no-ball for overstepping, leaving everyone shocked. Van der Merwe was rewarded one more lifeline in the match.
Despite this mishap, a commendable effort from Blitz bowlers helped their side to register victory over Spartans by 15 runs
Here is the video:
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