Ken Borland

The Knights enjoyed a marvellous second day of their 4-Day Domestic Series match against the Dolphins in Bloemfontein on Tuesday as they ended the day with a lead of 283 runs and all 10 second-innings wickets intact.

The home side resumed on 323 for seven in their first innings, which they managed to stretch to 424 all out thanks to Raynard van Tonder finishing with a magnificent 166 off 285 deliveries.

The exciting prospect received superb support from fast bowler Migael Pretorius, who scored 62 as they added 106 for the eighth wicket.

Some fine bowling by Alfred Mothoa (13-4-35-4) and Pretorius (13-1-50-3) then saw the Dolphins skittled out for just 162 inside 43 overs.

Opener Sarel Erwee lashed 37 of the first 39 runs off just 25 balls, but once he was dismissed by Pretorius, spooning a catch off the leading edge to mid-off, the wickets tumbled with only Marques Ackerman (30) and debutant Ruan de Swardt (46) giving the Knights attack much pause for thought.

The Knights were 21 without loss in their second innings at stumps, already boasting a mighty lead of 283.

It was a terrible day in terms of the weather in Johannesburg as only 36 overs were able to be played in the match between the Imperial Lions and the Cape Cobras.

In that time the Lions managed to extend their lead to a sizeable 107 runs, reaching 222 for seven in reply to the Cobras’ dismal total of 115 all out.

Batting was treacherous, however, on a thoroughly overcast day on a pitch offering the bowlers plenty of assistance, but opener Dominic Hendricks stood firm with a stubborn innings of 87 not out in six hours and 243 deliveries at the crease.

The Titans were in charge of their game against the Warriors in Port Elizabeth as they scored 151 for three in reply the home side’s 231 all out.

The Titans were in early trouble as Glenton Stuurman claimed the key wickets of Aiden Markram (17) and Theunis de Bruyn (0) in the same over, but the in-form Dean Elgar scored 66, and with Heinrich Klaasen ending the day on 50 not out, the visitors were in a strong position at stumps.

Earlier, they had claimed the last six Warriors wickets for just 94 runs as Lizaad Williams finished with four for 64 and there were two wickets apiece for Grant Thomson, Okuhle Cele and Junior Dala.

Cele struck with the third ball of the day as Markram held on to a flyer at gully to remove Sinethemba Qeshile for 20, and top-scorer Gihahn Cloete was then caught behind off Williams for 66. The Warriors then collapsed to 170 for eight before veteran Jon-Jon Smuts (41 not out) and Tshepo Ntuli (30) gave them a late boost.

Left-arm paceman Beuran Hendricks landed the killer blows in a record performance as the Imperial Lions skittled an ailing Cape Cobras batting line-up for just 115 on the opening day of their CSA 4-Day Domestic Series match at the Wanderers on Monday.

Hendricks returned exceptional figures of seven for 29 in 13 overs, his career-best analysis and the best ever for the Lions against the Cobras, beating the seven for 61 fellow Proteas quick Friedel de Wet took in 2005/6.

The Cobras had bravely decided to bat first under overcast skies and Hendricks made them suffer as he swung and seamed the ball around in helpful conditions. Kyle Verreynne was the only batsman to do well, scoring 51.

The Lions then reached 152 for three by stumps and already have a first-innings lead of 37. Opener Dominic Hendricks, compact and leaving the ball well, dug in for the home side and had scored a tenacious, important 60 not out off 141 balls at the close, and captain Temba Bavuma was with him on 22.

In Bloemfontein, an outstanding unbeaten century by young Raynard van Tonder saw the Knights post 323 for seven in their match against the Dolphins.

The Knights, having won the toss, produced another solid batting display but Van Tonder was the only one to cash in as he scored a classy 119 not out.

An unflagging Dolphins attack kept plugging away though and Matthew Kleinveldt (44), Jacques Snyman (35), Pite van Biljon (39) and Farhaan Behardien (39) all made starts without going on past fifty.

The Warriors team owes Gihahn Cloete their gratitude as he ushered them to 137 for four on a rain-shortened opening day of their match against the Titans in Port Elizabeth.

Cloete showed good composure and determination as he scored 57 not out, helping the Warriors recover from 35 for two and then 84 for four. Sinethemba Qeshile is with him at the crease on 20 not out.

Lizaad Williams once again led the attack for the Titans, with two for 50 in 15 overs.

Proteas spearhead Kagiso Rabada has expressed his delight at playing in his first Indian Premier League final for the Delhi Capitals on Tuesday and is in prime position to finish the most prestigious T20 tournament with the Purple Cap for leading wicket-taker.

Rabada has been in wonderful form throughout the competition and the four for 29 he took against the Hyderabad Sunrisers in the second qualifying final in Abu Dhabi at the weekend took him to 29 wickets in 16 matches. The Delhi Capitals will come up against the Mumbai Indians in the final, the defending champions being inspired by impressive fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, who is the second highest wicket-taker behind Rabada, with 27 scalps. It would be a massive feather in Rabada’s cap if he hangs on to the Purple Cap, especially since his World Cup performance last year in England when he was very much in the shadow of pacemen such as Bumrah, Trent Boult, Jofra Archer and Pat Cummins.

“It’s going to be surreal to be in the final but hopefully we can go all the way, it’s just one more big push. We have a very young team with a good captain [Shreyas Iyer] and since I came here in 2016, it’s been the same faces and we have been building up a good team. We play for the fans because it’s thanks to their constant support that we are here.

“We’ve all played some good cricket and individuals have put up their hands when needed. We’ve had a never-say-die attitude, we’ve planned and played well and no-one can say a place in the final was given to us, we’ve earned it and we should give each other a pat on the back. Delhi have not been in the final before, so it feels great to help them there and I’m just glad to be part of it,” Rabada told the Capitals’ website.

Rabada’s fellow South African paceman Anrich Nortje has also been an integral part of Delhi’s success, taking 20 wickets, while Quinton de Kock has been the joint leading run-scorer for the Mumbai Indians with Ishan Kishan, scoring 483 at an average of 37.15 and a strike-rate of 139.59.

Rabada versus De Kock is going to be an important battle within the final since they are good mates but fiercely competitive towards each other.

Bangalore Royal Challengers and the Chennai Super Kings have been amongst the also-rans in the tournament, but one could certainly pardon their South African stars for their failings.

AB de Villiers scored 454 runs at an average of 45.40 and a strike-rate of 158.74 for Bangalore, for whom Chris Morris was the best seamer with 11 wickets in nine matches.

Faf du Plessis was the leading run-scorer for the Chennai Super Kings with 449 at 40.81 and a strike-rate of 140.75, while Lungi Ngidi took nine wickets in four matches for the three-time champions.

Young fast bowler Lutho Sipamla was signed amidst much fanfare by the Imperial Lions in mid-year and coach Wandile Gwavu is hopeful that they will now be able to get him on the park after an injury niggle and give their attack greater penetration in their second 4-Day Domestic Series match, against the Cape Cobras at the Wanderers from Monday.

The defending champions lost by nine wickets to the Dolphins in Durban in the opening round and they took just four wickets in the match, so they certainly need a sharper edge to their attack. Sipamla, a rising star for the Proteas, should certainly provide the pace that is usually a necessity at the Wanderers, but Gwavu said a change in personnel alone will not turn around their fortunes.

“We created chances in the Dolphins game, but then we basically made it a 30-wicket game by missing seven of those chances. If we had taken those then we wouldn’t have to complain about the umpires or anything else. We were outplayed in foreign conditions and we have to give credit to the Dolphins where it is due. There’s a quick turnaround and now we play another good side in the Cobras.

“We have to show patience, we must not go searching for things too quickly, especially with the ball. It’s vitally important that we look within ourselves and it will require a mindset change more than anything else. It’s very important that we improve our batting under pressure, we need to build an innings, and we need more consistent bowling,” Gwavu told The Citizen.

All-rounder Wiaan Mulder is also now fully fit and available for selection.

The Titans will have another coastal pitch to contend with as they now travel to Port Elizabeth to take on the Warriors, but coach Mandla Mashimbyi says their close shave against the Cape Cobras at Newlands has given them a clearer idea of the processes that work for them.

A fantastic century by Theunis de Bruyn, and valuable innings by Aiden Mrkram, Dean Elgar and Junior Dala, saw them chase down a target of more than 300 with just two wickets in hand. But Mashimbyi said they felt in control of the game for much of the time, but a catastrophic collapse in one session put them behind on the scoreboard.

“We’ve identified the processes that work for us and we believe a bit more in those processes now. In the end we had to show a lot of fight and I commend the character shown, but we put ourselves under pressure with one hour of madness when we just did not pitch up with the bat. But that was an opportunity to learn and grow, which we showed in the second innings.

“Sometimes you can want to do well too badly and you end up just not bringing your best. But our engine room came right, they made sure that Dean [who scored a century out of a total of just 150 – a South African record] had someone to bat with in the second innings and we’ll make sure that first innings does not happen again. Our bowlers did exceptionally well, they had things under control and I commend them because they made it possible for us to have a target of just over 300,” Mashimbyi said.

The other teams gunning for top spot on the log clash in Bloemfontein as the Knights host the Dolphins.