Ken Borland

He may be heading off to Kimberley this weekend instead of being in Treviso, Italy, but just having the joy of regular playing opportunity is giving Phepsi Buthelezi a broad grin these days and bringing out the best in the Sharks eighthman.

The unfortunate knee injury suffered by Sikhumbuzo Notshe has allowed Buthelezi to step up and the 22-year-old has been one of the Sharks’ star players in recent weeks, particularly with ball in hand. His form was not enough, though, to elevate the Sharks above the Bulls, and instead of playing in the Rainbow Cup final against Benetton Treviso this weekend, the Durbanites will be travelling to Kimberley to open their Currie Cup campaign against Griquas on Saturday.

“We would all loved to have been in Italy, it’s very disappointing that we didn’t make it. But we put ourselves in this position and now we have to make the most of it and make sure we put in a great performance in Kimberley. Although I grew up watching guys like Ardie Savea and Kieran Read play, and Sikhumbuzo and Duane Vermeulen are leading the pack here, I just want to show what I can bring to the table.

“I don’t want to be like someone else and we all bring something different and they are all very special players and unique in their own way. It was very unfortunate for Sikhumbuzo to go down the way he did and he’s a very important part of our squad. But it has given me more opportunity and I’ve been able to grow as a player, for which I’m really grateful,” Buthelezi said on Wednesday.

Amid all the disappointment of once again falling short behind the Bulls, Buthelezi says there is still a great vibe in the Sharks camp.

“The coaches always give us a lot of backing and the management behind the scenes too. We haven’t got the results we wanted in some of the games, but I think our performances are getting better. Personally, with more opportunity, I am learning and growing and I always go back and look at games to see how I can play better. I feel very fortunate to play for the Sharks and the environment allows me to be myself.

“We’ll have a very fresh squad this weekend, with a lot of different guys getting an opportunity, but everyone is hungry to play. It’s always a tough trip to Kimberley and Griquas have been on a very good run in the Currie Cup lately. We know they will be physical and confrontational, they will want to bully us up front. But it will be very refreshing to play them after just playing the other three franchises for so long,” Buthelezi said.

The broad bats of Sarel Erwee and Marques Ackerman defied the Titans for more than three hours but a jumbo-sized effort by Titans spinners Kyle Simmonds and Neil Brand then pegged the Dolphins back to 258 for seven at stumps on the third day of the 4-Day Series final at Kingsmead on Saturday.

After heavy rain meant just 10 overs of play were possible on the first two days, an absorbing day’s cricket finally began an hour into the third day. Seamer Dayyaan Galiem moved the ball around intelligently in the first hour and claimed the early wicket of Keegan Petersen for 16, bringing Erwee and Ackerman together on 47 for two.

They faced a challenging morning session but showed enormous application as they put on 135 for the third wicket. Erwee, solid and compact, was immense in scoring 100, while Ackerman overcame a really scratchy start to score an impressive 74.

Left-arm spinner Simmonds, on his Titans debut, dismissed both set batsmen – Erwee was bowled by a delivery that surprised him by turning sharply into the left-hander, while Ackerman was deceived in the flight and struck a firm return catch to the 27-year-old. Simmonds ended the day with two for 95 in 24 overs, a good effort.

Brand, also a left-arm spinner, then dismissed Eathan Bosch (12), Theunis de Bruyn taking a wonderful reflex catch at slip, and Mangaliso Mosehle, lbw for a duck, in successive overs to close with excellent figures of two for 18 in 13 overs.

Khaya Zondo looked promising in scoring 21, but he sometimes errs in getting out in soft ways and he did that again on Saturday, clipping a Thando Ntini half-volley on his pads straight to square-leg.

Ruan de Swardt (18*) and Prenelan Subrayen, who is yet to score, will continue the Dolphins first innings on the penultimate day.                                                                              

Aiden Markram said on Wednesday that there was no sense of disappointment in being overlooked for the Proteas Test captaincy – and the broad grin he wore when he said it was an obvious sign of relief – and instead he threw his full weight behind the leadership of Dean Elgar, saying it will carry the same hallmarks of his batting.

Markram, who lost his place in the South African side in 2019, has just regained his best form, capped by the magnificent 204 not out he scored for the Titans against the Knights in the 4-Day Domestic Series match between the pool leaders in Centurion on Wednesday. Now that he has confirmed his place in the Test side, there had been speculation that he could be appointed as the full-time successor to Quinton de Kock.

That honour, however, fell to his Titans opening partner Elgar, who scored 90 as they shared a record first-wicket stand of 213, and Markram can now focus on churning out runs as he is doing in such prolific fashion at the moment. He is now the leading run-scorer in the four-day competition with 781 at 97.62, plus he has made 336 Test runs at an average of 56 this summer.

“There is certainly no disappointment. My focus was not on the captaincy, it was all on whatever team I’m playing for and scoring runs for them. I’m over the moon for Dean, we have come quite a way together, he’s a great leader who sets really high standards and demands a lot of his team-mates. Between him and Temba Bavuma [vice-captain], I wish them all the best and look forward to their eras in charge.

“Dean’s captaincy is very similar to the way he bats: he never throws in the towel, he never gives up, he’ll fight tooth-and-nail for every inch. He expects a lot from the team and will certainly never settle for anything below-par or mediocre. The whole Titans team is over the moon for him. He adds massive value in our changeroom and that of the Proteas as well,” Markram said at SuperSport Park on Wednesday.

Markram’s wonderful summer ended a period of immense frustration for the 26-year-old as he could not build on the tremendous promise he showed in scoring a thousand runs in his first year of Test cricket.

“I was happy to spend some more time in the middle and it’s just how sport works I guess: You have your phases when you struggle and I went through a really rough 12-18 months. But that gives you extra hunger and motivation and when you get in you really want to go to town. Because you never know what’s going to happen next week …

“So I’m keeping my feet on the ground, but I feel like I have a bit more clarity at the crease now. Every batsman wants to score a double at some stage and I’ve learnt once I get in to never give it away. You have to try and get yourself out as few times as possible and I’m very relieved that the Titans were able to get out of this match with the draw,” Markram said.

The bizhub Highveld Lions were not able to get past the broad bat of Heino Kuhn as the Unlimited Titans opener batted all day and steered the home side to 374 for four in their Sunfoil Series match at Willowmoore Park in Benoni on Saturday.

The Titans began the third day on 27 without loss, trailing the Lions by 458 runs, but they were not daunted by the task at hand, Kuhn leading the way with a magnificent 182 not out.

With the Titans still 111 behind the Lions’ first-innings score though, there is not much chance of a result as the top-of-the-log match goes into the final day on Sunday. Both teams were mostly just counting bonus points on Saturday, with the Titans edging that battle 6.82 to 6.44.

The morning session belonged to the Lions, with the accurate visiting bowlers managing to claim the wickets of Jacques Rudolph (39) and Henry Davids (1) as the Titans went into the lunch break on 118 for two.

After seeing off the tight, probing efforts of seamers Pumelela Matshikwe, Sean Jamison, Vusi Mazibuko and Dwaine Pretorius, the introduction of spin proved the undoing of Rudolph. The left-hander tried to sweep Dale Deeb in his second over of the day, missed and was trapped lbw.

The wicket of Davids followed in the next over as the Titans captain missed a drive at Matshikwe, who nipped the ball back into the right-hander to win an lbw verdict.

Kuhn and Cobus Pienaar then steadied the innings, however, with Kuhn going to his half-century, off 132 deliveries, the ball before lunch.

The pair continued to hold the initiative until shortly before tea, when Pienaar tried to drive a delivery from Mazibuko that just veered across the left-hander, edging a low catch, which Thami Tsolekile, one of the safest wicketkeepers in the game, comfortably held.

Pienaar, playing his first game in this season’s Sunfoil Series, looked in fine form and in little trouble as he scored 66 in 160 minutes, batting in the key number four position.

Kuhn, meanwhile, had gone to his second century of the campaign in the previous over, having been at the crease for just under five hours and faced 229 balls, stroking nine fours and hooking Jamison for six.

Roelof van der Merwe came in to replace Pienaar at 227 for three and he and Kuhn were in firm control in the final session, adding 146 in 156 minutes, safely negotiating the second new ball.

Van der Merwe, the leading run-scorer in this season’s Sunfoil Series, fell in the penultimate over before the close, trying to sweep the left-arm spin of Deeb, bowling over the wicket into the rough. The ball came off the glove and was taken by Tsolekile, Van der Merwe falling for 66.

Kuhn, with the immaculate technique, shot selection and concentration of the archetypal successful opening batsman, made it through to the end of the day, having been at the crease for just under eight hours, facing 357 deliveries, from which he collected 17 fours and a six.

The Lions bowlers toiled manfully on the flat pitch, Deeb finishing the day with two for 75 in 24 overs, with the other wickets going to Mazibuko and Matshikwe. The spell of eight overs Mazibuko bowled before tea with an old, soft ball was particularly impressive, the wicket of Pienaar being his only reward, however.

*If a crowd does deign to show up at St George’s Park in Port Elizabeth on Sunday, they are in for a thrilling final day as the Chevrolet Warriors finished the third day on 254 for six, leading the Nashua Cape Cobras by 258 runs with four wickets remaining.

The Cobras had dominated proceedings on Saturday until the final hour, when Andrew Birch lashed a 42-ball half-century to boost a flagging Warriors innings.

The defending champions had reduced the Warriors to 176 for six – a lead of 180 – when Birch joined the captain, Colin Ingram, at the crease.

Birch counter-attacked superbly, hammering 10 fours and a six in his 50 not out, while Ingram reached stumps on 44 not out to set up the prospect of a testing run-chase for the Cobras on the final day.

The Cobras had started the third day on 137 for seven, but the efforts of Aviwe Mgijima (26) and the last pair of Lizaad Williams (19*) and Dane Paterson (17) lifted them to 199 all out, just four runs behind the Warriors’ first innings of 203.

Birch and Basheer Walters each took three wickets.

Former South Africa all-rounder Justin Kemp struck twice in the Warriors second innings, but Michael Price scored 62 to steady the innings.

Once he fell to Mgijima though, the Cobras would have been expecting to mop up the rest of the innings quickly, before Birch weighed in with a momentum-shifting innings.

*The Sunfoil Dolphins were firmly on top in their Sunfoil Series match against the Chevrolet Knights in Kimberley, with the home side staggering to stumps on the third day on 11 for three.

The Dolphins set the Knights a target of 369 for victory after their top-order set up a declaration on 171 for three after 35 overs, Divan van Wyk scoring 65, Imraan Khan 36 and Daniel Sincuba 43 not out.

Daryn Dupavillon then once again impressed with the ball, taking two for 10 in four overs to have the Knights reeling at the close.

Dupavillon had taken three wickets as the Knights first innings ended on 255 all out, a deficit of 197, with fellow seamers Mathew Pillans (15-4-51-3) and Graham Hume (17-1-55-2) working well in harmony with him. Spinner Keshav Maharaj also performed a valuable role with two for 51 in 28 overs.

The Knights had resumed on 128 for four, but only Pite van Biljon (35), Michael Erlank (55 not out) and Werner Coetsee (29) were able to handle the Dolphins attack, and the home side sang a similarly sad tune in their brief second innings.