• Cricket

Volschenk's batting form puts Over-40s to the sword

• 1 Day Ago 20 May 2025

There was a proper flow of runs in three high-scoring matches during weekend two of the Nedbank Desert Ice Challenge T20 cricket series last Saturday and Sunday.

It is still early days in the series consisting of twelve teams, with more than half of them having played only one match so far, or yet to take the field for the first time.

Run Whisperers has taken the early lead in the series, winning two out of three matches, all played in one action-packed weekend for them.

Alexander Volschenk proved to be their talismanic batsman with a big hundred in the win against the Over 40s – after the Run Whisperers were bowled out for a dismal 52 in their loss against United when he did not play.



Run Whisperers v Gobabis

At the Unam field on Saturday, Run Whisperers (199/4) managed to overtake a pretty good total set by Gobabis, who posted 198 for five.

For Gobabis, opener Adriaan Coetzee (36 off 33 balls, three fours, two sixes) set the pace, before Henré Opperman (46 not out off 35 balls, 3x4 2x6), team captain Tawanda Sithole (26 off 14 balls, 4x4 1x6), Liam Derks (30 off 17 balls, 2x4 3x6) and Josue Celliers (11 not out off 5 balls, 2x4) further accelerated the run rate.

Christoff van der Merwe took two wickets for the Run Whisperers (2/37 in 4 overs; 11 dot balls), while Abri Oberholzer (1/28 in 4 overs; 12 dot balls) was the most economical.

Run Whisperers’ opening pair got off to a flying start. Nyashadzaishe Nyasha hit three fours and three sixes before being bowled by Dirkie van Wyk for 34 runs off 21 balls, as the first wicket fell on 58/1 after 5.3 overs.

Ladani Nariv continued to record a well-played fifty (55 off 43 balls, 6x4 2x6) before he was forced to retire with an injury.

Number three Alexander Volschenk hit five fours and two sixes in an aggressive display (47 off 31 balls), while Abri Oberholzer (19 off 9) and Christoff van der Merwe (13 off 8) each hit two sixes over the boundary rope before losing their wickets just before the target was reached.

Run Whisperers secured the six-wicket win by reaching 199/4 in 19.0 overs.

Adriaan Coetzee (0/31 in 4) maintained the lowest economy rate of the Gobabis bowlers (7.75).



Run Whisperers v United

In their first of two matches at Windhoek Affies field on Sunday, Run Whisperers won the toss and sent United in to bat first.

After their successful chase of the previous day, Run Whisperers would have been quite confident when they restricted United to 139 for seven in 20 overs.

United opener Lucian Bampton (19 off 19, 3x4), captain Erich von Molendorff (43 off 36 balls, 4x4 1x6), number eight and nine Johan Pieters (25* off 16, 1x6 1x4) and Luan Brand (12* off 9 balls, 1x4) were the only batsmen to hit boundaries, with the latter pair coming together at 108/7 at over 17.1.

Lu-Hendro de Waal’s spin bowling brought him 2/29 in 3.0 overs, while the under-14 right-arm medium bowler Sam Webster excelled with 1/10 in 4 overs (economy 2.50).

In the absence of their strong batsman Alexander Volschenk, the Run Whisperers fell to a disastrous total of 52 all out in 14.5 overs. Karl Birkenstock (bowled by Luan Brand for 14 off 16 balls) was the only batsman to exceed single figures, along with 13 extras (ten wides, two no-balls).

All of the United bowling figures looked outstanding – Markus van Heerden (3/16 in 4 overs, 16 dot balls), Damon Coetzee (0/10 in 2), Melrich Robyn (2/11 in 3; 15 dot balls), Luan Brand (1/7 in 2; 6 dot balls), Lucian Bampton (1/4 in 2 overs, 9 dot balls) and Louis Burger Jnr (2/3 in 1.5 overs, 10 dot balls economy 1.64).

The winning margin of 87 runs would have given United’s nett run-rate a welcome boost.



Run Whisperers v Over-40s

Alexander Volschenk returned for his team’s Sunday afternoon fixture at Affies Park and promptly delivered a player-of-the-match performance.

Volschenk, who was last year’s national junior captain at the ICC Under-19 World Cup, blasted 134 not out off only 63 balls, hitting seven fours and ten sixes to steer the Run Whisperers to their winning total of 221/4 in 20 overs.

After losing Nirav Ladani (9) early as the first wicket down on 11/1, Volschenk and Nyashadzaishe Nyasha (44 off 34 balls, 5x4 1x6) built a partnership of 106 runs before the latter was caught off the bowling of Joss Zondagh.

Volschenk was joined by number four Abri Oberholzer, who was run out for 22 off 22 balls after hitting one six.

Volschenk got his fifty off 25 balls and maintained a similar rate to reach his hundred off 51 balls.

The Over-40 team’s leading bowlers were Joss Zondagh (1/18 in 4) and Wessel Myburgh (2/38 in 4).

The senior team made a good fist of their run chase, but at 171/5 in 20 overs fell short by a 50-run margin.

Wessel Myburgh showed his experience by top-scoring (76 off 38 balls, 4x4 8x6), supported by fellow opener Jan-Izak de Villiers (37 off 29 balls, 6x4) in their stand of 68 runs in eight overs. Number three Michael Greeff ended unbeaten on 25 (30 balls, 1x4 1x6).

Nyasha’s four overs of seam bowling delivered 1/14 (economy 4.67), while JW Junius (2/41 in 4) and Kairavbir Singh Malhotra (2/30 in 4) lead the wicket-taking column.