Tiaan van Vuuren produced back-to-back five-wicket hauls as South Africa A completed an eight-wicket victory against England Lions in Beckenham on Sunday, sealing a 2-0 series win with a day to spare.
The 24-year-old paceman took 6-52 in the second innings for a match haul of 11 wickets, tearing through the Lions’ lower order after they resumed on 134-5.
Van Vuuren removed Rehan Ahmed for 44 in the third over of the morning before wrapping up the innings with three more wickets in quick succession. Dane Paterson contributed 3-50 as the hosts were dismissed for 158, leaving SA ‘A’ a target of 74.
The chase wobbled early, with Tony de Zorzi and Lesego Senokwane both falling inside the first five overs with the score on 20-2. Jordan Hermann and Zubayr Hamza steadied the innings, putting on an unbroken partnership to knock off the runs in 12.2 overs.
The result extends SA ‘A’s impressive away record to five wins from their last six first-class matches, a run that includes a 2-0 series win over the West Indies and a 1-1 draw against India.
Head coach Wandile Gwavu highlighted the squad’s depth as the key takeaway. Attention now turns to a three-match one-day series against England Lions starting in Leicester on Friday 5 June.
Photo: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images
