Twitter Reactions: Dean Elgar and AB de Villiers ace the 187-run chase against the Jozi Stars

While Elgar remained unbeaten on 79, De Villiers scored 39.

By Aditya Gajanan Kukalyekar verified

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4 Min Read

AB de Villiers
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AB de Villiers. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Tshwane Spartans and Jozi Stars locked horns in the 13th match of the Mzansi Super League (MSL) at the Supersport Park in Centurion. By no means this was an easy game for the Spartans despite playing at their home ground but they managed to trump the opposition with a superb knock from Dean Elgar and a cameo from the heartthrob AB de Villiers.

Chasing the total of 187 runs in front of the home crowd, the Spartans got off to a poor start once again. Gihahn Cloete’s poor run after an impressive start to the season continued while the promotion of the pinch-hitter Corbon Bosch didn’t work at all. Theunis de Bruyn was then castled with a magical delivery by Simon Harmer to leave them reeling at 51/3 in the seventh over.

Meanwhile, Elgar had held the fort for the hosts by accumulating some quick runs and he continued to attack despite the arrival of the dangerous De Villiers. The former South African cricketer took his time by collecting singles off his first 10 deliveries. But then Dwaine Pretorius came in his firing line and finally the Mr 360 was on show with a ramp shot which went for a brilliant six.

He continued to have some fun by playing the delightful sweep shot off Harmer which went out of the ground. However, in a bid to keep the required run-rate under check, AB de Villiers lost his wicket but not before scoring a whirlwind 39 off just 21 balls. But Elgar continued to play his shots and remained unbeaten until the end. Though the things went a little too close to their comfort, Elgar didn’t perturb and took the Spartans over the line in the last over to register their second win of the season.

Hendricks and Biljon pummel Spartans

Earlier in the day, after being invited to bat first, Jozi Stars got off to a steady start. Reeza Hendricks kept the scoreboard going even as his partner Ryan Rickelton struggled and could score only 14 off 19 balls. The middle-order also struggled miserably thanks to Jeevan Mendis exerting pressure from one end. At 112/4 in the 16th over, it looked like the Stars will only reach 150.

But the skipper Dane Vilas and Petrus van Biljon had other ideas. They literally ripped apart the opposition bowling attack, especially Lutho Sipamla, as the visitors added 74 runs in last 25 balls and posted a mammoth total of 186 runs in 20 overs for the loss of five wickets. Eventually, the score didn’t prove to be enough as Elgar and De Villiers brought their A game to the fore to win the game for their side.

Here’s how Twitter reacted during the game:

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MSL (Mzansi Super League)