With a place in the final at stake, Tshwane Spartans pulled off a 22-run victory over Nelson Mandela Bay Giants in the MSL 2019 Eliminator this Friday (December 13). 

Batting first, the Spartans posted a fighting total of 166/4 in 20 overs, thanks to Petrus van Biljon (48*) and David Wiese (31*) who came to their team's rescue with an 87-run fifth-wicket partnership when it was once struggling at 77/4 just inside 12 overs. 

Mthiwekhaya Nabe (2/24) picked up a couple of breakthroughs for the Bay Giants while Akhona Mnyaka (1/18) and Imran Tahir (1/26) contributed a wicket apiece. 

In the run-chase, the Bay Giants lost quite a few early wickets and didn't really found themselves on track despite efforts to resurrect things from Ben Dunk (35), Ryan ten Doeschate (26) and Chris Morris (42). The team eventually finished 144/8 in 20 overs, a long way off the target. 

David Wiese (3/33) took the confidence gained from his batting to the bowling as he scalped three wickets in his spell on a big day. His terrific all-round performance earned him the "Player-of-the-Match" award.

Tshwane Spartans now take on Paarl Rocks in the final on Monday (December 16). 

Brief Scores: 

Tshwane Spartans 166/4 in 20 overs (Petrus van Biljon 48*; Mthiwekhaya Nabe 2/24) defeated Nelson Mandela Bay Giants 144/8 in 20 overs (Chris Morris 42; David Wiese 3/33) by 22 runs