Topklasse Live | T20 Round 6 | As it Happened

Indeed, Punjab win by 8 runs (DLS). That’s not enough for them to leapfrog over HCC on net run rate, so they finish second. Excelsior are third and VOC fourth.

The word from De Diepput is that there will be more play. We’re in the process of clarifying the exact result, but subject to confirmation Punjab are ahead on DLS.

The weather radar doesn’t look great, but there could be a window at about 17:15. It might depend a bit on how wet the pitch got before they put the covers on; there were a few minutes where it was raining but the umpires stayed on. And Venter’s slip suggests that conditions weren’t ideal at that point.

It’s raining at De Diepput, and there was some argy-bargy before the start of Venter’s next over. But the umpires decided to start on, Minhas cutting Venter’s first delivery for four. They took a single off the second, but Venter slipped as he delivered it, and that was enough for the umpires to take them off. The covers are now on.

Minhas goes after Overdijk, flat-batting him over cover for six and then lofting him back straight for four. Then he pulls him through midwicket for another, and somewhat fortuitously edges him over the slips for yet another. Very good over for Punjab, that. Six off Crowley’s next; Charumbira replaces Overdijk, but Minhas pulls him square for six, occasioning a delay while they find a replacement ball. Nine from the over, and Punjab are well on their way.

First blood to Crowley, as Hussain tries to hoist him over the leg side and is caught by Overdijk. Asad Zulfiqar in at three.

Hidde Overdijk starts from the Van Hogenhoucklaan End, bowling to Shoaib Minhas, Mudassar Hussain the non-striker. Five dots, and a single off the last. Daniel Crowley from the Scoreboard End.

Will that be enough? Alternatively, will Punjab be able to knock off the runs quickly enough to overtake HCC on net run rate and finish on top? The next hour and a half will tell!

Patel brings up the hundred with a six over square leg off Hussain, who’s switched to the Van Hogenhoucklaan End. But when Doram tries to belt him over long on he finds Sikander Zulfiqar instead. Patient Charumbira has gone from opening yesterday to batting at nine, but he’s caught by Bhatti at backward square first ball.

Overdijk was HCC’s best hope of posting a challenging total, but he drives uppishly into the covers, and Mubashar Hussain takes the catch. He made 15. Daniel Doram in to join Patel.

Sohail Bhatti replaces Tariq at the Scoreboard End, and he too manages to cut out the boundaries. Tariq switches to the other end, and the pressure finally tells for Banerjee, who looks for an impossible single, is sent back, and Tariq gathers the ball himself and has time to take a very deliberate throw at the stumps. He goes for 21, and Yash Patel is the new man.

Hidde Overdijk in at six, and he immediately drives Tariq down to long on for four. Otherwise, though, Minhas and Tariq keep it tight, mostly restricting them to singles.

A wild swing from Crowley against Tariq, and he’s bowled. This is not very focused batting from HCC.

Double bowling change, with Sulaiman Tariq on from the Scoreboard End. Just four singles off his over. And then Staal tries to hit Minhas into the Van Hogenhoucklaan, only finding Yasir Usman at long on. He made 26, and Daniel Crowley is the new man.

Shoaib Minhas into the attack from the Van Hogenhoucklaan End, and Gorlee gets under his second delivery, Mohsin Bajwa’s under it, and he goes for 6. Shirsak Banerjee in at four.

Staal and Gorlee keep the scoreboard moving with ones and twos, but then Staal lofts Hussain powerfully over backward point for six. Four singles, and they have 44 from the powerplay.

Kloppenburg slashes Hussain through point for four, and after a single Staal drives him over cover for another.  But off the last ball of Shafiq’s next Kloppenburg tries to sweep, is stuck on the pad, and the umpire’s finger goes up. He made 14, and is succeeded by Boris Gorlee.

.Sulaiman Tariq has called correctly at De Diepput, and elected to bowl.

Crowley bowls the last, and disastrously, Lees is run out by a direct hit from Staaloff the first ball, as he tries desperately to get back on strike. Aaditt Jain joins Turmaine, and he’s run out as well, Crowley off his own bowling this time. And HCC are through to the finals day! Jain’s caught by Overdijk from the first ball he receives, and they add just one more. Crowley finishes with three for 10, and HCC win by 14 runs.

Only five from Venter’s third over, and they need 28 from two. Charumbira to bowl the penultimate over, and Lees hits the first ball for four. Then a two, followed by another boundary. 18 needed from nine deliveries. A leg-bye and a bye get Lees back on strike, but the last ball’s a dot. 16 needed off the last.

They get 10 off Charumbira’s third over, more or less keeping up with the required rate, and then nine off Overdijk’s last. So now they need 33 off three.

Turmaine joins Lees, who takes up the fight following Smal’s departure. He hits Overdijk for six, and now VRA need 52 from five, but with only four wickets in hand.

Smal goes to 51, but then Doram gets him, caught by Charumbira. And with that, you’d think, go VRA’s hopes of reaching the finals day.

Smal has certainly not given this up: he’s hit three sixes so far, reaching 40* off 26 deliveries. And VRA need 79 off the last eight overs.

And Dasgupta’s gone, caught behind by Patel off Venter for 9. Mitch Lees joins Smal.

Smal’s still there, on 19*, and Dasgupta’s hit a boundary as well as VRA try to rebuild. Doram and Henrico Venter operating for HCC now.

A promising little stand between Smal and Nashier is cut short when Nashier is caught by Staal off Crowley for 6. Debrup Dasgupta joins Smal, who holds all his side’s hopes in his hands.

The answer to that is no: Crowley’s bowled Van Luin for 1, and VRA are really in desperate trouble. Nashier in at five.

Another one goes, as Scully’s caught by Doram off Charumbira for 2. HCC are well on their way to a place on the finals day, with VRA in serious danger of missing out. Johan Smal joins Van Luin. Can they reprise their stand against VOC?

Hidde Overdijk takes the first over as VRA begin their chase, bowling to Scully and Rasool. And after starting with a no ball, with his third legitimate delivery he removes Rasool for a duck, caught by Banerjee. Terrific start for HCC! Van Luin in at three.

Van Luin bowls the last, and he gets Doram caught by Nashier for 9. Daniel Crowley comes in and hits a six, getting HCC to a pretty satisfactory total given that they were 34 for three at one stage. Banerjee remains not out on 21.

Patel goes, caught by Jain off Abid for 16. Daniel Doram in to join Banerjee.

Vink swings across the line at Baker and is caught dead bang to rights in front. He goes for an invaluable 10, and is succeeded by Julian de Mey. Luuk Kroesen bowls the last, and they jog a string of singles. Mission accomplished for HBS, but that’s about all you can say. It’s done no harm to the Excelsior attack’s economy rates, though! Or to their NRR. They win by 76 runs.

We now know that two more wickets have fallen at the Hazelaarweg: Hidde Overdijk run out for 11, and Kloppenburg stumped by Scully off Nashier for 40. Yash Patel and Shirsak Banerjee are at the crease now.

One gets the distinct impression that once they’d had that disastrous start HBS were focused entirely on survival in the fullest sense of the word; Excelsior have bowled well, but the batters have made no real effort to chase the total, content to make enough to stay above ACC on the table. Which by my count they have now done. It’s been pretty attritional stuff, to be honest.

Kloppenburg goes after Turmaine, plundering four boundaries from an over, and at the halfway mark HCC have the basis for a pretty challenging total, despite a poor start.

Walbrugh and Adendorff continue to rescue the innings, although boundaries are few and far between. Having defended 107 earlier, Excelsior are really turning the screw.

Hidde Overdijk joins Kloppenburg, and they start rebuilding the innings after that shaky start. Again, Smal has used five bowlers in the first eight overs.

Tyler van Luin bowls a very good over which includes the wicket of Staal, caught by Nashier for 7. Gorlee, though, has moved to 19*, accompanied now by Teun Kloppenburg. And as I write that Gorlee’s caught behind by Scully off Aaditt Jain. HCC in early trouble.

I haven’t done the NRR calculation of what HBS need to make in order to keep their NRR above ACC’s, but I hope they have. Heggelman bowls a maiden to Adendorff as they struggle to get their innings moving.

A disaster for HBS: Walbrugh pushes Niels Etman to mid-on, Khan comes looking for an impossible single, Walbrugh sends him back, and Baker throws down the stumps before Khan can get back. Self-inflicted, that, but at least Walbrugh’s still there.

.And immediate trouble for ACC, (Im)Patient Charumbira caught by Mitch Lees in Ashir Abid’s first over. Boris Gorlee in to join Tonny Staal in the middle.

Another for Blankestijn, Singh getting under a big shot and skying the ball out to Niels Etman at midwicket. Azzam Khan in to join Walbrugh.

.At the Hazelaarweg HCC have won the toss and elected to bat.

They’ve resumed at Thurlede, and (almost) immediate success for Blankestijn, Mason chasing a wideish delivery and edging to Stan van Troost. Walbrugh joins Manjinder Singh, who plays him through third man for the first boundary of the innings.

Verhagen and Ingram, meanwhile, have carried Excelsior to a very solid total, Verhagen finishing on 69* from 58 and Ingram with 17* from 12.

Nashier bowls the next-to-last, Jain carving his first through point for four. A trio of singles, then Niaz launches the last into orbit over long off. Just two needed off the last, Van Luin to bowl it. jain needs just one ball, driving it to the cover boundary, and VOC win by seven wickets.

Seven off Nashier’s next, 31 required from three. Another tight finish in the making. Visser from the Airport End, and Niaz lashes him through extra cover for four. Jain hits another, squarer this time. They hustle a two, and then Jain ramps him over third man for another boundary. Great over for VOC, and now the equation’s 15 from two.

38 needed from the last four, and Visser, Nashier and Abid all have two over left, Van Luin and Turmaine one. This ain’t over yet!

Nashier gets Recordon: he hits him into the covers, and knows as soon as it leaves the bat that he’s in trouble. It flies straight to Rasool, and he goes for a 36-ball 41, bringing Arnav Jain in to join Niaz. Does this game have a twist?

Adendorff back, and when Van Troost carves him over cover Manjinder Singh’s on the boundary to take the catch. HBS really needed that, but with Verhagen on 58* it’s Ingram who joins him.

Fifty for Verhagen, and Van Troost is giving him excellent support, lofting Boendermaker over long on and into the drink once more. With five overs left Excelsior should set HBS a sizeable target here.

And when Abid returns Berry goes after him, pulling him for four and then six as VOC look to accelerate towards their target. They have an NRR deficit behind Excelsior, which they need to make up if possible. Aaditt Jain, though, ends that particular threat, uprooting his leg stump as steps across and tries to work him to leg. Burhan Niaz in at four.

Verhagen’s moved on to 40*, and with eight overs left Excelsior have a platform for a reasonable total.

Wicket at the Hazelaarweg! Fourie reaches fifty, then flashes at a lifting ball from Visser and edges it through to Scully. Some relief for VRA, although it brings Lane Berry to the crease.

No such reverse for VOC, though, Fourie and Recordon continuing comfortably towards their target at the moment. Fourie’s on 48*, Recordon on 25*.

There’s been a certain amount of ball-fishing at Thurlede, notably after Hart pulled Elmar Boendermaker over square leg for six. The batters are in charge this afternoon, here and at the Hazelaarweg. Not too many dots about at the moment! Buit as I write that the first wicket falls, Hart hoisting Manjinder Singh to cow, where Boendermaker takes the catch. Hart goes for 37, bringing Stan van Troost to the crease.

Smal has tried four bowlers already, but they’ve been unable to make any impression on Fourie and Recordon, the former hitting Visser over long on for six and necessitating another ball replacement. Good start for VOC as well.

At the end of the powerplay Excelsior have 51, helped by a well-timed six over midwicket by Hart off Ferdi Vink, and a four through extra cover by Verhagen. It’s looking more like a 150-160 pitch now!

Some very expansive driving from Verhagen but he only really gets hold of one, driven on the up through the covers. And although he doesn’t time it, he manages to get the last of the over past the diving mid-off and down to the rope for another. De Mey keeps it tight from the other end; just four singles from his over. Ferdi Vink from the City End, Verhagen lashing his first through mid-on for four, and despatching a full toss over midwicket for another. Good start for Excelsior.

They’re back at the Hazelaarweg, Ashir Abid starting from the Pavilion End to Francois Fourie. Single for him, then Peter Recordon swings the third delivery behind square for four, repeating the treatment, through midwicket this time, off the next. Udit Nashier from the Airport End.

Act IV of this Shakespearean tragi-comedy (it all depends on your point of view) is just beginning at Thurlede, where Excelsior have won the toss and elected to bat against HBS. Julian de Mey starts from the Chalet End, Michael Hart taking a single off his second ball. Roel Verhagen gets one as well, and that’s the limit of the damage. This really might be a hundred-and-not-very-many pitch. Nic Adendorff from the City End.

Van Luin shows signs of wear and tear going into the final over: unsurprising given that it’s a very warm day, but it’s Visser who swings at Upadhyaya and is bowled for six. Udit Nashier in at seven and they add a string of singles, helped by five wides to get the asking rate for VOC up to eight an over. Van Luin finishes with a 60-ball 80*.

Lees smashes his first ball into the trees beyond long on; no point looking for that one. But he emulates Rasool: when he tries it again next ball, he gets under it, it hangs in the air for an eternity, and when it comes down Jain’s under it to take a running, falling catch. Eduard Visser in at six.

Van Luin drives Schoonheim to long off for four, and when Smal’s back on strike he absolutely clatters him over cow for six. Four more, just to the left of the sightscreen, makes it 15 off the over, and takes Smal to 46*. Hoseinbaks bowls his last, the first delivery disappearing over midwicket for another six. But he misses out on his fifty, holing out to De Kok at (let’s be charitable) wide long on and departing for a 39-ball 48. Mitch Lees joins Van Luin, who’s on 70*.

They take nine off Schoonheim’s next, Van Luin moving to 49*, and Arnav Jain returns from the Pavilion End. And Van Luin steers him down through the gully for another boundary to take him past fifty. Runs are coming very easily at the moment; 11 from Jain’s over.

Ammar Zaidi had played valuable knocks for ACC before now, and as he scrambles his way to 6, they’re left with 16 to get off Niels Etman’s final over, with two wickets in hand. He drives the first ball to long off, and they get two. The second he smacks over extra cover for six. Eight needed from four deliveries. Just a single from the third. Seven from three for ACC to stay up. Another single. Zaidi back on strike with two left. Six needed. They try for a second to long off, but Verhagen’s throw to Stan van Troost is too quick for Zaidi. Last man Joseph Reddy in with five required. It’s a dot, and Excelsior win by four runs. Barring something truly bizarre in the Excelsior-HBS match we’re about to see, that means that ACC will be relegated, and Salland are reprieved!

Tougher still now: Kumar gets two to long on off Heggelman before hitting him over backward point for four. But then he gets under the next and is caught by Baker in the covers. And before I can post this, Mahesh Hans tries an ambitious ramp shot, and Rens van Troost takes a running, diving catch at fine leg. Wheels definitely off the ACC vehicle at this point.

Ingram back, and his last ball yorks Ahmed. Definitely getting tough for ACC from here: 29 needed from three with four wickets in hand.

Heggelman back from the City End, and with his third delivery he gets Raza, who swings him cow-cornerwards, where Verhagen takes the catch. He made 32, and as Aryan Kumar joins Ahmed the game is again in the balance.

Pierce Fletcher’s bowled Scully for 5, and Johan Smal is in now with Van Luin.

The gear change comes, as Raza pulls Baker through midwicket for four. Verhagen’s rotating his bowlers from the Chalet End, Blankestijn going for three singles and a leg-bye. Raza’s gone to 31*, and now ACC need 37 from five.

ACC are making heavy weather of this chase against Excelsior’s spinners, and they need 58 off the last eight. Not a huge ask, you’d think, but they’ll need to change gear to get there.

At the Hazelaarweg the second game is under way: VOC won the toss and put VRA in. Shirase Rasool gives his side an ideal start by hitting Arnav Jain’s first delivery for six, but he’s caught by Jamil off the second. Tyler van Luin in to join Luke Scully.

Ingram gets the vital breakthrough, beating Hobson with a quicker one which hurries through into the stumps. Hobson goes for 23, and Excelsior maintain the pressure in ahigh-pressure game.

Anis Raza gets into the act, heaving Etman over mid-on for four. Ingram into the attack, just three singles from his over. But ACC have no real scoreboard pressure here; it’s all about not losing more wickets. Umar Baker from the City End, and six from that one.

Niels Etman replaces Heggelman, Hobson driving him cleanly through cover point for four. The last ball goes as well, forcefully cut behind point. Heggelman switches to the Chalet End, and Hobson picks up two more boundaries, clipping him square off the pads, and then off the hip behind square.

Another for Upadhyaya as Sohail Bhatti is stumped by Fourie, and then Jelte Schoonheim removes both Mubashar Hussain and Ian Bhatti to finish it off. VOC win by 26 runs.

Heggelman from the City End, and Wegener is run out by a side-on direct hit by Ingram at point! Terrific fielding, and ACC in early trouble as Hobson joins Potdar. And more trouble follows, as Blankestijn, who’s getting some real movement away from the right-handers, also gets some lift, and Potdar gloves it through to the keeper. I can feel the joy in Deventer (and points east) from here!

Upadhyaya has Usman caught by Niaz for 16, and the question now is whether Punjab will be able to see out the overs. Every run could be important for the NRR!

Jens Blankestijn starts from the Chalet End to Chris Knoll, who opens with Shreyas Potdar. A slot ball is despatched through the covers for four, but then Knoll chases one outside off, and Stan van Troost behind the stumps does the rest. First blood to Excelsior! Fergus Wegener to the crease.

Three wickets in the over for Hoseinbaks: Iqbal caught by De Kok two balls later. That’s it for Punjab, you’d think.

One gets two, as Asad follows in the next over, caught by Upadhyaya off Asief Hoseinbaks. And indeed three, as Hoseinbaks traps Shafiq in front two balls later. The game’s really swinging VOC’s way now!

Fifty and out for Sikander, caught by Niaz off Schoonheim for exactly 50. Yasir Usman in, and VOC back in with a shout.

Three sixes now in Sikander Zulfiqar’s 47* (from 35 deliveries), Asad more sedate on 23*. 59 required from seven overs.

Heggelman holes out to Ammar Zaidi at deep midwicket in Knoll’s penultimate over, and then Hobson gets his revenge on Baker, caught by Razaat long off  for 22. ACC needed to bring their A game today, and they appear to have done so.

The Zulfiqars have steadied the ship, and Punjab will need 87 off the final ten overs.

Baker takes a liking to Hobson, twice cracking him to the point boundary and then guiding him through the vacant slip area for another four. Excelsior really needed that!

It just goes on getting worse for Excelsior (and for Salland): now Stan van Troost has been caught behind as well, the old Dosti partnership of Ahmed and Hans doing the damage. Umar Baker in to join Heggelman.

And at the Hazelaarweg Arnav Jain has struck twice for VOC, with Minhas caught by De Kok for 4 and Mudsar Hussain caught behind by Fourie for 4. Asad and Sikander Zulfiqar at the crease now.

The Excelsior collapse continues, Rens Heinsbroek caught by Wegener off Aryan Kumar for 15, and now Rens van Troost caught behind by Rahil Ahmed off Mahesh Hans. None of this is good news for Salland.

And Etman comes down the wicket to Joseph Reddy and is bowled. Excelsior’s troubles increase, and ACC’s hopes of staying up are looking brighter all the time.

Knoll into the attack, and he has Verhagen caught by Raza for 10. Niels Etman in at five, and ACC are well on top now.

Schoonheim and Upadhyaya manage to get the score up towards 150, before Schoonheim is stumped by Asad Zulfiqar off Shafiq for 26. That brings Asief Hoseinbaks to the wicket for the last few deliveries, and VOC finish with something decent to bowl at.

Ingram goes way across to the off side, trying to turn Hobson behind square, but he succeeds only in playing the ball into his stumps. He smacks the ball in frustration as he departs. Big wicket for ACC, and Stan van Troost joins Verhagen.

Minhas gets Niaz as well, caught by Shafiq for 39. Ramdas Upadhyaya in to join Schoonheim.

Anis Raza opens from the Chalet End, bowling to Michael Hart; Roel Verhagen the non-striker. A string of ones and two, but when Hart tries to go big off the final ball he’s caught by Chris Knoll at long on. Lorenzo Ingram in at three; Thomas Hobson to bowl from the City End.

Jamil’s gone, caught by Iqbal off the bowling of Shoaib Minhas for 10. Niaz has gone on to 34*, and is joined now by Schoonheim.

At Thurlede Shreyas Potdar has won the toss and invited Excelsior to have a bat.

Niaz warms to the task, hitting Tariq for four and then putting Iqbal away for six. With Jamil in a supporting role and Jelte Schoonheim to come, VOC still have a colourable chance of putting up a reasonably challenging total.

Sulaiman Tariq into the attack, and he immediately removes Recordon, bowled for 14. And when Suhaib Safdal Iqbal comes on for the first time he has Jain caught by Sikander Zulfiqar for 5. VOC in all sorts now, with Burhan Niaz and Mussayab Jamil facing the task of digging them out of trouble.

That’s another heavy blow for VOC: De Kok run out for 2. Arnav Jain in to join Recordon.

Punjab won the toss at the Hazelaarweg, and invited VOC to have a bat. They’ve already lost two wickets: Francois Fourie caught Yasir Usman off Mubashir Hussain for 14, and Lane Berry without scoring. Peter Recordon and Tim de Kok now at the crease.

A wicket maiden from Ahmadi puts the lid on the coffin,  and then Snoep starts to nail it down when Khan smears him to Clark at deep cover. Jain bowls the last (in Mudassar Bukhari’s shirt, no less!), and Boddendijk lofts him back over mid-on for four. Six off the over, but Martijn Scholte’s caught behind off the last, and Sparta win by 42 runs.

Vink pulls Clark over midwicket for six, but only nine come from the over, and now the equation’s 51 from three. Ahmadi back for his last, and he bowls Vink for 18. 50 needed from 15 balls as Benno Boddendijk joins Azzam Khan.

Adendorff holes out to Ferguson  at wide mid-on off Clark, and that’s probably game, set and match. Azzam Khan in to join Vink.

Sparta back in charge now, Kumar going for five singles from Adendorff and Ferdi Vink. Adendorff keeps things moving with six over long off off Singh. Vink adds a four wide of mid-on, but HBS need 60 off the last four.

And three balls later he gets Walbrugh, trapped in front trying the reverse sweep. That’s a massive wicket! His 86 came from 45 balls, with 12 fours and two sixes.

Ahmadi back from the Sportlaan End, with Sparta badly in need of a wicket. Just four singles off the over, but no wicket. Walbrugh’s living dangerously now, and Sparta are cracking under the pressure. Mason continues to give him excellent support.  Just one over for Ahmadi, and Manminder Singh returns. And he gets Mason, who smacks him down the throat of Clark at long on. Adendorff in to join Walbrugh.

Walbrugh and Mason are content to keep the scoreboard moving, picking up boundaries where they can, and they’re not far off the pace as the shadows start to lengthen. Kumar now from the Scoreboard End. Walbrugh’s the key, and he seems to know it, as he effortlessly lifts Singh over long on for six before reverse-sweeping him fine to the sightscreen. Make that pretty much on the pace, as Walbrugh moves to 69*, from 32.

Joost-Martijn Snoep on, Walbrugh greeting him with a pull through midwicket for four, followed by a forcing shot wide of mid-on ditto. Then he hoists Balwantsingh high, wide and handsome over midwicket for six, followed by two legside fours. Manminder Singh replaces him, and suddenly Walbrugh has fifty, from 24 deliveries, as he drives him through extra cover.  

Balwantsingh from the Sportlaan End, Walbrugh easing him through midwicket for four. Then he takes successive boundaries off Ahmadi, but there are just a couple of singles off the rest of the over. Mason has a let-off when he skies Balwantwingh to deep backward square, but the catch doesn’t go to hand. No sign yet of the bombardment of boundaries inflicted by the Sparta top order, althugh Mason does drive Balwantsingh nicely through mid-off for four.

Ahmadi from the Scoreboard End, bowling to Reece Mason, Tobias Visée the non-striker. And Visée falls to the first ball he faces, hitting it straight to Pradeep Kumar at mid-on. Walbrugh in much earlier than he would have hoped.

Jain and Balwantsingh take their side past 200 against Vink and Adendorff, and that will demand some pretty positive batting from HBS.

Clark races to fifty with another six and two fours off Boendermaker. Ferdi Vink back from the Scoreboard End, and he gets Clark, trying to hit him over cow and caught by Adendorff.  He made a 30-ball 55, and is succeeded by Prithvi Balwantsingh.

Reece Mason gets a bowl, the onslaught continuing with a four and a six for Singh. He falls in the end, however, hitting the last ball straight to Adendorff  at cow. Pakshal Jain joins Clark, who’s on 39*.

Stephan Vink completes a very good spell, just four from his final over. Clark, though, goes after Khan, twice thrashing him over midwicket for six, then driving him through extra cover for four. Then another six over cow for good measure. Boendermaker switches to the Sportlaan End; Ahmadi tries to hit into the Bosjes van Pex without making contact, but he does cut him in front of point for four. Not too much damage from that one, though.

Azzam Khan replaces Boendermaker, and he gets the treatment from Ahmadi: a full toss despateched through cover for four and a straight blow into the sightscreen for six. But Khan gets his revenge, Ahmadi holing out to Stephan Vink at long on. Manjinder Singh in at five.

Boendermaker gets another over; the batters have no trouble dealing with the tennis-ball bounce, but only ten come from this one, including a lovely straight drive for four from Clark. Ferguson continues where Tarr left off, hoisting Stephan Vink over long on for six. There’s serious undergrowth at that end . . .  But when the ball returns Vink goes full, and Ferguson’s off stump is knocked askew. He goes for 47 from 26. Khalid Ahmadi the new man.

Elmar Boendermaker on for Adendorff, and lofted behind square for four, who then smacks him over long off and the cycle path, into the trees. Another delay while they retrieve it. The next one’s eased over long on, with similar consequences. (The sun, incidentally, sets at 22:05 today. Just sayin’.) 18 off the over. But Stephan Vink gets the breakthrough, Tarr pulling him to Ferdi Vink at deep square leg and departing for a 30-ball 49. Will Clark in at three.

Yoran Visée replaces Vink, and Tarr pulls him over square leg for four before slog-sweeping him in the same direction for six. There’s a long break – not sure why. Adendorff continues, and is smeared over cover by Tarr for another boundary. Then Ferguson has a stroke of luck, edging him just past leg stump and down to the fine leg rope. Stephan Vink from the Sportlaan End, and Tarr lofts his first ball back over his head for another four. Ferguson glances yet another, then eases him square. The boundaries just keep coming.

Tidy from Adendorff: just three from it, and he gets Tarr nibbling at one outside off stump. Vink’s second ends with back-to-back boundaries for Ferguson, the first over cover, the second through midwicket. Another tidy Adendorff over, until Ferguson hoists his last ball over midwicket for six. Good start for Sparta, this.

Sparta have won the toss and elected to bat.