Johannesburg – Dean Elgar anchored two solid partnerships as the Knights chased down their 141-run target with two balls to spare, securing a seven-wicket win over the Cape Cobras in Bloemfontein on Friday evening.
While the Knights stayed in the race for the Ram Slam T20
Challenge playoffs, the Cobras continued to struggle as they were left trailing at the bottom of the standings with only two wins from nine matches in the competition.
Elgar led a successful recovery after the home team's openers, Loots Bosman and Rilee Rossouw, had fallen cheaply, both removed by paceman Vernon Philander.
First he combined with Pite van Biljon in a 57-run stand for the third wicket before Van Biljon, who contributed 26 runs, was run out by Cobras captain Justin Ontong in the 13th over.
Elgar then shared an unbroken 63-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Obus Pienaar to guide them home as they reached 143 for three in the last over of the match.
Notching up his fourth career T20 half-century, Elgar hit 56
runs not out off 50 balls, including four boundaries and one six, and Pienaar made a valuable 38 from 27 deliveries.
Earlier, Ontong smashed an unbeaten half-century in vain, carrying the visiting side's middle order after they lost the toss and were sent in to bat.
Opener Richard Levi made 29 and Dane Vilas contributed 17 runs, but Ontong produced a lone effort after they departed, with no other Cobras batsmen reaching double figures.
The skipper hit 51 runs off 39 balls for his third T20 fifty.
The Knights' bowlers combined well to keep pressure on the Cape side, led by seamer Shadley van Schalkwyk who took two for 23. – Sapa