THE Paarl Rocks crushed the Durban Heat by 32 runs on the Duckworth/Lewis method to secure a bonus-point victory in their rain-marred Mzansi Super League encounter at Kingsmead on Wednesday evening.
With rain disrupting proceedings, the contest was reduced to nine overs per team. The Rocks had posted 98/2 in their allotted nine overs, but the target was later revised to 113. The Heat could only muster 80/6 in their nine overs.
The home side were never in the hunt after being reduced to 6/2 in the first over of the chase with Rocks left-arm spinner Bjorn Fortuin (2/6) continuing his good form with the double dismissal of Standard Bank Proteas duo Hashim Amla (0) and Temba Bavuma (4).
Although David Miller (22 off 11 balls) produced a bright cameo, they could not match the visitors’ earlier pyrotechnics after Heat captain Albie Morkel had inserted the Rocks.
Openers Henry Davids and Aiden Markram moved to 15/0 after two overs when the players left the field for the first time. When play resumed a short while later, the innings was reduced to 18 overs with the batting pair seemingly unperturbed by the disruptions, though, racing along to 47/0 after 5.3 overs when the play was halted yet again.
Unfortunately for the spectators that braved the conditions, the umpires were forced to halt the entertainment once more before they returned for the final time.
Realising they now only had 4.3 overs remaining in their innings, Davids went into over-drive. He motored to 46 off only 25 balls to be named Man of the Match, striking two delightful sixes over extra cover off Marchant de Lange in the process, before the fast bowler uprooted his stumps.
The damage, though, had been done already and when Markram (29 off 20 balls), captain Faf du Plessis (15 not out off 6 balls) and Mangaliso Mosehle (7 off 3 balls) continued the onslaught, the scoreboard pressure proved too much for the Heat on the night.
