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Hyderabad: Skipper Andrew Puttick (104) hit first century of the inaugural Champions League as Cape Cobras handed a 54-run mauling to Otago Volts to qualify for the Super Eight stage of the event on Saturday.
The Group C encounter of the inaugural Twenty20 cricket tournament between the two South African teams proved to be a lop-sided affair as Otago were outplayed in all departments of the game at the Rajiv Gandhi International stadium.
Put in to bat, Cobras rattled up a huge 193 for four and then skittled out Otago Volts for 139 in 17.1 overs.
It was a daunting task to chase such a huge target and Otago never got that big partnership, which is required to overhaul that kind of score.
Rory Kleinveldt (3/24) scalped three wickets and JP Duminy (2/10) took two wickets in seven balls to seal the Cobra's impressive win.
Otago got off to a brisk start as Brendon McCullum (21) and A Redmond (14) raced away to 33 in the fourth over but once the duo separated their innings fell apart.
Only Nathan McCullum batted bravely and played a fiery 38 off 21 balls but could not save Otago from defeat.
Running between wickets played a part in Otago's defeat as three of their batsmen, including explosive Brendon, were run out.
Like Brendon McCullum skipper Craig Cumming (18) also got a good start but ran himself out at crucial stage as his dismissal meant half of the team was back to the pavilion at the score of 79 at half-way mark.
From there the writing was clear on the wall for the Otago team.
Kleinveldt removed Nathan, Otago's last hope, and then accounted for Ian Butler en route to his three wicket haul.
Earlier, Puttick played a captains knock with an unbeaten 104 to steer Cape Cobras to a mammoth 193/4.
Puttick's pyrotechnics with the bat did not spare a single Volts bowler as he clobbered 12 boundaries and three huge sixes to notch up the maiden century of the cash-rich tournament in just 62 deliveries.
Apart from Puttick, last match hero JP Duminy (32 off 25) and Justin Ontong (39 not out off 14) played short little cameos to help Volts pile up the huge target on the board.
Dimitri Mascarenhas was the pick of the bowlers for Volts, scalping two victims for 20 runs from his four overs.
Contrary to the score, the Volts did not have good start to their innings as opener Herschelle Gibbs' flop show continued with the right-hander returning to the pavilion on individual score of one.
He inside edged one to wicket-keeper Derek de Boorder off Mascarenhas.
Henry Davids (12 runs off 13 balls) looked promising, hitting two fours in his short little innings but Mascarenhas dismissed him, caught by Warren McSkimming with the Cobras scoreboard reading 40/2 after 5.1 overs.
Duminy continued from where he left against Royal Challengers Bangalore and made a quickfire 32 with the help of six boundaries and two sixes before Ian Butler packed him off, caught by Aaron Redmond.
But Puttick, in Ontong's company , hammered the Volts' bowlers to all parts of the ground to pile up 60 runs in the last five overs.
Brief score
Cape Cobras: 193 for 4 (Puttick 104*, Ontong 39*, Duminy 32)
Otago: 139 (Nathan McCullum 38, Kleinveldt 3-24)
Result: Cape Cobras win by 54 runs
MOM: Puttick (Cape Cobras)
Points: Cape Cobras 2, Otago 0
