Dockers cruise past Cosmic to climb into second

Rotterdam Dockers swept aside bottom-of-the-table Glasgow Cosmic by 31 runs to move into second place, with Faf du Plessis setting up a comfortable victory in a 19-over contest.

The Dockers recovered instantly from losing Rassie van der Dussen to the first ball of the innings, as du Plessis took control with a commanding 71 from just 42 deliveries, striking seven fours and three sixes. 

He shared two successive half-century partnerships which provided the backbone of Rotterdam’s 172 for four.

First, du Plessis and Michael Levitt added 59 for the second wicket, Levitt contributing 19, before Vikramjit Singh joined his captain in a 57-run third-wicket stand. Singh made a lively 33 from 25 balls, including two sixes.

Du Plessis fell at 157, but Heinrich Klaasen ensured there was no loss of momentum, smashing an unbeaten 30 from only 15 deliveries, with David Wiese adding eight not out from three balls.

Glasgow’s chase never developed the substance required despite some early aggression. Jason Roy struck 23 from 11 balls and Moises Henriques 26 from 13, but wickets fell far too regularly for the Cosmic to seriously threaten the target. They slipped from 43 for one to 66 for five and never recovered. 

Jimmy Neesham offered resistance with 28 from 17 deliveries, while Matty Cross made 16 and Paul van Meekeren finished unbeaten on 17.

Logan van Beek and Anrich Nortje were the chief destroyers, each claiming three wickets, while Wiese took two as Glasgow were restricted to 141 for nine from their 19 overs. 

It was an emphatic performance from the Dockers, who made light work of the league’s bottom side and, more importantly, climbed into second place as the race for the play-offs intensifies.