HYDERABAD, India, CMC – Pacer Cornelius de Villiers delivered a tournament-best four-wicket haul and propelled South Africa’s Eagles to a five-wicket win over Somerset in their Champions League Twenty20 Super 8 match yesterday.
Choosing to bat, the English county Somerset could only compile 132 for eight off their 20 overs and the Eagles strolled to victory at 133 for five off 18.4 overs at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
The English T20 runners-up had a patchy innings after a three-wicket burst by the young de Villiers badly shook their top-order and left them on 18 for three in fourth over.
James Hildreth cracked 31 off 40 balls and Wes Durston propped up the flimsy innings with a rapid top-score of 57 off 32 balls with 10 fours.
Durston and Hildreth added 77 in a face-saving sixth-wicket stand.
Bowling for the Eagles, the 23-year-old de Villiers returned splendid figures of four for 17 off his four overs and he got good support from new-ball partner Jandre Coetzee (2-24).
Opener Morne van Wyk (47) and Ryan Bailey (29) led the scoring in the Eagles’ successful run chase with eight balls to spare.
Pacers Alfonso Thomas (2-20) and Charl Willoughby (2-29) tried for Somerset to restrict the scoring.
