Migael Pretorius stole victory from the jaws of defeat for the VKB Knights as the Bloemfontein based outfit picked up their first win of the CSA T20 Challenge today (February 22, 2021)
When Grant Mokoena holded out to Tony de Zorzi off Ziyaad Abrahams in the last over, the batsmen crossed and it left Pretorius 16 to get off the final 3 balls. He hit two sixes in succession to bring the equation to 4 off 1. Abrahams then bowled a perfect yorker that Pretorius was unable to get a bat on, but unfortunately for the Cobras, it was adjudged to be a no-ball. Pretorius then hit a 4 off the final delivery despite the best efforts of a diving George Linde on the boundary to take the Knights home in stunning fashion.
Given the crazy sum Chris Morris went for (INR 16.25 crore/ ZAR 32.5m) in the IPL 2021 auction, Pretorius is another that scouts will be keeping an eye on closely. He also hit 38 off 23 in the previous game for the Knights, and a hard hitting fast bowling all-rounder is worth their gold in the T20 format.
Pretorius did have a bit of luck though- he was dropped by Imran Manack in the penultimate over bowled by Corbin Bosch. It was a tough chance, but one that effectively made the difference between defeat and victory for the Cobras.
