The YesPlay Cobras eased to a nine-run win over the table-topping DP World Lions in their YesPlay Pro20 Cup Super 8 match at YesPlay Newlands in Cape Town on Saturday night to keep alive their hopes of reaching the semifinals.
The result lifts the Cobras back into the top four, after they had dropped out earlier in the day when the Garden Route Badgers stunned Dafabet Boland on their home turf in Paarl in the day's earlier match.
The Cobras' winning total of 178-9 was built around a strong 73-run second wicket stand off 37 balls between Kyle Verreynne, who clubbed six fours and two sixes in his 22-ball 46, and opener Kashief Joseph, who score a solid 55 off 39 balls (2x4; 3x6).
Kashief Joseph🔥🏏 #FaithfulAndForward #BoysInBlue💙#ThatFeelingofYes #Pro20Cup https://t.co/8KnzDOoeoX
— Western Province Cricket Association (@WP_Cobras) November 7, 2026
In response the Lions battled their way to 169-6 in their 20 overs, but the lack of support for opener Richard Seletswane, who struck a career best 72 off 47 balls (6x4; 3x6), proved costly in the end.
The Lions' chase got off to a good start as they raced to 53-0 at the end of the powerplay, with two sixes down the ground from Seletswane helping 15 come off the sixth over bowled by Dale Paterson giving them a boost.
But Neil Timmers (23), who had lived a charmed life having already seen three aerial shots fall just out of the reach of fielders, was run out in the next over after setting off for a single that wasn’t on and being sent back, leaving them on 55-1.
But regular wickets, and not enough support from the other batters for Seletswane saw the Lions constantly struggling to keep up with the rate, despite a quickfire nine-ball 18 (1x4; 2x6) from Connor Esterhuizen as the visitors slipped to 111-4 in the 15th over.
Seletswane finally received a bit of support from Mortaza Manack, 22 off 14 balls (1x4; 2x6), as they shared in a 42-run fifth-wicket stand off 24 balls to give them a chance.
But both perished in Tshepo Moreki’s penultimate over, with Manack seeing his leg stump uprooted after hammering a six, while Seletswane guided the ball to short third man, which ended their hopes.
Sinalo Gobeni, 1-18, was the pick of the bowlers, while fellow spinner Josh Breed backed him up with good figures of 2-31.
LEADING THE WAY WITH THE BAT
In the first innings the Cobras got off to a slow start, while they also lost the early wicket of opener Jiveshan Pillay (12) in the third over, caught off the bowling of Gerald Coetzee, which left them on 17-1 at the end of it.
But new man Verreynne helped hammer them to a big powerplay score as the next three overs travelled for 52 runs, as two boundaries from him saw 14 off Bjorn Fortuin in the fourth, three fours off Codi Yusuf in the fifth saw it go for 15, while a couple of sixes and a boundary saw 23 come off Siya Plaatjie in the sixth.
But two wickets heading towards the 10-over mark stopped the Cobras' momentum, as first Nqaba Peter spun one through the legs of Verreynne to bowl him, while George Linde (8), promoted up the order, slammed a six down the ground but then got caught at long on off Manack, leaving them on 99-3 at the halfway mark.
The second half of the innings then saw the spinners turn on the squeeze, while regular wickets fell, which meant the Cobras couldn’t get anywhere near the 200-run mark that looked well on during the first eight overs.
Opener Joseph, however, batted on manfully, striking a number of big sixes, but he was also let off after Manack dropped a sharp chance when he was on 35, which allowed him to eventually bring up a 33-ball 50.
But when Joseph skied Yusuf to long off in the 17th over, it seemed to end the Cobras' chances of a big finish, although Breed, 16 off 11 (1x4; 1x6) and Gobeni, 13 off seven (1x4), took 19 off Yusuf’s penultimate over which helped get them to what proved to be a defendable total.
Peter, with 1-17 in his four overs, was the pick of the bowlers, while Coetzee also bowled well and a couple of late wickets gave him top figures of 3-24 from his four.