Eastern Cape Linyathi (Border) beat Warriors by seven wickets at Buffalo Park, reaching 139/3 in 18.1 overs after restricting their opponents to 136/8. Wickets at both ends of the Warriors innings prevented a larger total, and three successive partnerships gave Linyathi control of the reply in the CSA T20 Challenge 2026.
Langa and Coetzer contain Warriors around King's fifty
Warriors elected to bat but lost both openers inside three overs. Jan Coetzer bowled Muhammad Manack before Sithembile Langa had Modiri Litheko caught by Nathan Roux, leaving the innings at 15/2. Those early dismissals made the third-wicket partnership the foundation of the total rather than a platform for immediate acceleration.
JP King made 50 from 41 balls, including four fours and a six, and shared a 65-run stand with Jean du Plessis. Du Plessis contributed 25 from 23 before Alindile Mhletywa had him caught by Riley Miller at 80/3 in the 11th over. The pair had repaired the opening damage, but Warriors still needed their remaining batters to turn that recovery into a stronger finish.
King added another 29 with Andile Mokgakane before being run out at 109/4 in the 16th over. His departure removed the innings’ leading scorer, and the subsequent wickets ensured Warriors could not build freely on his work.
Coetzer dismissed Jordan Morris and bowled Ethan Frosler in the penultimate over. Langa then removed Mokgakane, who had made 21 from 23 balls, and bowled Wezo Gqiba in the last. Langa finished with 3/22 and Coetzer with 3/25, each from four overs. Jason Raubenheimer’s unbeaten 6 from 2 balls offered a small late lift, but the closing wickets had limited Warriors’ finish.
Roux and Niemand keep the chase on course
Christiaan du Toit supplied the early boundaries in Linyathi’s reply, hitting five fours in his 23 from 18 balls. He and Nathan Roux put on 39 before Morris had du Toit caught by du Plessis at the end of the fifth over. That opening stand gave the chase a firmer base than Warriors had managed.
Roux then shared 33 with Jerome Bossr, whose 13 from 10 balls included a six. Matthew Boast ended that partnership when Bossr was caught by Mokgakane at 72/2, but Warriors could not follow the breakthrough with another quick wicket.
Instead, Jason Niemand struck 44 from 32 balls, with five fours and two sixes, in a 63-run third-wicket stand. His boundary contribution complemented Roux’s longer innings and carried Linyathi close to the finish before Boast trapped him lbw at 135/3 at the end of the 18th over.
Roux finished 56 not out from 49 balls, having hit two fours and three sixes. He remained through every partnership, giving the chase continuity while his partners supplied useful runs around him. Linyathi completed the win on the next delivery after Niemand’s dismissal, with no late opening for Warriors.