Ken Borland

Jonathan Vandiar was the one batsman who did not throw his wicket away when well set as he kept the Dolphins afloat against the Cape Cobras on the second day of their four-day domestic franchise series match at Newlands on Friday.

Vandiar dug in for over three hours to score 78 and lead the Dolphins to 210 for nine in their second innings at stumps, a lead of 178 runs over the log-leading Cobras.

The 22-year-old rescued the Dolphins from a parlous top-order collapse in which they lost three wickets in three balls to crash to 22 for three. The rest of the specialist batsmen all failed and it was left to the lower-order of Daryn Smit (24), Kyle Abbott (28) and Calvin Savage (28) to eventually provide Vandiar with some support and ensure the KwaZulu-Natalians did not succumb to a dismal two-day defeat.

The Cobras had also batted wastefully as they resumed on their overnight score of 130 for four, just 44 runs behind the Dolphins’ first-innings total of 174. But the home side lost their last six wickets for just 58 runs as they slid to 206 all out.

Six of the top eight batsmen reached 20, but only opener Alastair Gray (36) scored more than 30.

Abbott, who does look more and more like an international prospect with every outing, was the best of the Dolphins bowlers with four for 51 in 18.1 overs, while impressive youngster Savage supported him well by contributing three wickets.

But the Dolphins were not able to build on their successful morning as Beuran Hendricks trapped Imraan Khan leg-before for 14 at the end of the sixth over and Justin Kemp then had Divan van Wyk (8) and Vaughn van Jaarsveld (0) caught behind the wicket with the first two balls of the seventh over, the last before lunch.

Seamers Johann Louw, Hendricks and Kemp claimed two wickets apiece, but the Cobras were not able to finish off the Dolphins innings before stumps, leaving themselves with the probability of a tricky run-chase on the third day.

The second-placed Warriors would seem to have the upper hand in their match against the Knights in Bloemfontein, thanks to a devastating new-ball burst by Andrew Birch.

The 27-year-old paceman claimed the first four wickets to fall as he reduced the Knights to 22 for four in their second innings, Birch having earlier shared the biggest partnership of the Warriors innings that helped them to 281 all out and a first-innings lead of 13 runs.

The Knights ended the second day on 76 for five, leading by just 63 with only half their wickets intact.

Birch perturbed all the batsmen with his prodigious swing in overcast conditions, with Michael Erlank completing a pair as he edged the first ball of the innings into the slips, where Rilee Rossouw (4) was also caught. Rudi Second (3) was caught behind and Birch then induced a return catch from Ryan Bailey (8).

Obus Pienaar (17) was then trapped leg-before by off-spinner Simon Harmer, but the Warriors were denied any further wickets by Dean Elgar (28*) and Patrick Botha (14*).

The Warriors, resuming their first innings on 79 for two, were rocked by the early loss of the experienced Arno Jacobs for 40 in the fifth over of the day, dismissed by Dillon du Preez.

The Warriors had slipped to 171 for six when debutant Vuyisa Makhapela was out for 35, caught close-in off the bowling of spinner Botha, but the innings was boosted by Harmer’s defiant 50 and his eighth-wicket partnership of 59 with Birch, who scored 27.

Young fast bowler Corne Dry was the most successful of the Knights bowlers with three for 68 in 18 overs.

The match between the Lions and the Titans at the Wanderers was washed out after just two balls were bowled in the morning, the visitors scoring two runs to take their first-innings total to 25 without loss.

The third-placed Lions scored 303 in the first innings and will be desperate for the weather to improve to give them a chance of keeping in touch with the Cobras and Warriors at the top of the log.

The log-leading Cape Cobras bounced back from a heavy defeat last weekend as they dominated the opening day of their Sunfoil Series match against the Dolphins at Newlands on Thursday.

Having sent the Dolphins in to bat, the Cobras dismissed them for just 174 and had closed to within 44 runs with six wickets in hand as they reached stumps on 130 for four.

The Cobras had been embarrassed last week at Newlands as they slumped to an eight-wicket defeat at the hands of the Highveld Lions, but a full house of four bowling bonus points has seen them build on their 11.68-point lead at the top of the table.

Left-arm paceman Beuran Hendricks led a top-class bowling effort by the Cobras as he took five for 47, a career-best effort in the four-day competition.

A defiant 92 by opener Divan van Wyk was all that stood between the Dolphins and a total disaster at a cloudy Newlands.

Fast bowler Kyle Abbott, rapidly becoming a candidate for higher honours, kept the Dolphins in the contest as he claimed the important wickets of Alastair Gray (36) and Justin Ontong (28), finishing the day tied with Cobras seamer Johann Louw as the competition’s leading wicket-taker with 30 scalps.

Left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj had a well-set Stiaan van Zyl (29) caught at short-midwicket the ball before Ontong’s dismissal for a double strike by the Dolphins, but Qaasim Adams (14*) and Dane Vilas (4*) batted out the rest of the day for the Cobras.

The second-placed Warriors had allowed the Knights off the hook in their match in Bloemfontein, after reducing the hosts to 135 for seven.

The most impressive of centuries by Rilee Rossouw, who reached three figures off just 107 deliveries despite the chaos around him, and the clean-hitting of the in-form tailender Dillon du Preez, who followed up his century last weekend against the Titans with an unbeaten 88 including 13 fours and two sixes, lifted the Knights to 268 all out.

Paceman Gurshwin Rabie was the pick of the Warriors attack, ripping through the middle-order and finishing with four for 63 in 19 overs.

Off-spinner Simon Harmer removed the lower-order to take three for 67.

Du Preez was then given the new ball as reward for his heroic efforts down the order and he trapped Michael Price (0) in front of the stumps with his second delivery.

Captain Davey Jacobs was caught behind off left-arm seamer Romano Terblanche for 18 as the Warriors slipped to 36 for two, but the experienced duo of Arno Jacobs (33*) and Ashwell Prince (24*) had lifted the Eastern Cape side into a better position on 79 for two by stumps.

In Johannesburg, the Titans seemed to have looked upwards at the overcast sky rather than downwards at the pitch when they won the toss and sent the Lions in to bat, the home side cruising to 124 for one at lunch as Dominic Hendricks (74) and Temba Bavuma (62) added 112 for the second wicket.

But the Titans bowlers tightened up considerably when they came out for the afternoon session and claimed five wickets for 82 runs.

When Cliffe Deacon joined fellow veteran Zander de Bruyn at the crease, the Lions had slumped to 223 for six, but the left-hander scored a valuable 20 to help switch the momentum.

When De Bruyn was eventually trapped leg-before by spinner Shaun von Berg for a fighting 65, the Lions had climbed to 303 all out, Imran Tahir (14*) sharing in a rollicking last-wicket stand of 41 in 6.2 overs.

David Wiese was the most successful of the Titans bowlers with three for 47 in 15 overs, while the probing seam bowling of Ethy Mbhalati and Rowan Richards earned them two wickets apiece, although the left-arm quick left the field with injury during the important seventh-wicket stand between De Bruyn and Deacon.

The Titans openers then survived the hostile new-ball spell of Chris Morris as they reached 23 without loss. Jacques Rudolph, the returning international, was dropped by Bavuma in the gully on four in the penultimate over of the day, bowled by the rather more wayward Hardus Viljoen.

http://www.sapa.org.za/secure/view.cfm?id=3632859&srce=search&

Faf du Plessis took ownership of the run-chase as he steered the Nashua Titans to a six-wicket victory over the Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras in their MiWay T20 Challenge match at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Sunday.

 – http://www.supersport.com/cricket/domestic-t20/news/120318/Faf_the_owner_of_the_runchase

Du Plessis finished with an unbeaten 38 off 27 balls as the 27-year-old continues to live up to his tag as one of the best finishers in South Africa, taking the Titans to their target of 157 with nine balls to spare.

Farhaan Behardien was with him at the end on 12 not out, scoring the winning runs with a tremendous six over extra cover off left-arm paceman Beuran Hendricks.

The target could have been a tricky one on a two-paced pitch against a Cobras attack that only had one quickish bowler and four spinners, but Henry Davids (24 off 17), Roelof van der Merwe (18 off 13) and Martin van Jaarsveld (24 off 18) provided the attacking impetus that gave the likes of Heino Kuhn (25 off 26), Du Plessis and Berhardien the freedom to play sensibly without taking risks.

The openers – Davids and Kuhn – gave the innings the ideal start as they added 48 in six overs. Davids showed great hands as he drove the ball inside-out superbly, collecting two sixes and a four in his 24.

Davids fell when he charged down the pitch and missed a slash at legspinner Alistair Gray, and Kuhn departed two overs later when he top-edged a reverse-sweep at offspinner Dane Piedt and was caught at short third man.

Justin Kemp and Dane Vilas combined superbly to dismiss Van der Merwe, although there was some doubt as to whether the batsman actually gloved a surprise bouncer that was brilliantly taken by the wicketkeeper standing up to the stumps.

There might have been some concern in the Titans camp with the score 74 for three at the halfway mark, but captain Van Jaarsveld threw the bat at anything remotely wide as he collected four fours off 18 balls.

Van Jaarsveld was stumped by Vilas off Gray in the 15th over, but with just 35 runs still needed, the Cobras knew their hopes of staying in contention for the playoffs were almost gone.

Du Plessis and Behardien calmly finished the match at the behest of their appreciative home crowd, but the Titans’ failure to secure the bonus point means their hopes of finishing top of the log and hosting the final are gone.

Even if the Titans get a bonus-point win over the Warriors on Wednesday, they can only draw level with the Lions’ current total of 35 points.

The applicable tie-breaker then is the results of matches between the Lions and the Titans, with both teams having seven outright wins overall. Unfortunately for Matthew Maynard’s team, the Lions won both of their round-robin contests.

Wrist-spinner Brad Hogg was the best of the Cobras bowlers, conceding just 16 runs in his four overs, but the visitors obviously lacked quality back-up and four spinners was perhaps overkill.

The Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras had earlier made run-scoring look difficult as they cobbled together 156 for six, although there were certainly hints of inconsistent bounce and spinners Eden Links and Van der Merwe both obtained noticeable turn.

Richard Levi more often than not makes run-scoring look easy when he charges at the top of the innings, and he bashed a quickfire 25 off 13 balls to give the Cobras a good start after they had won the toss and elected to bat.

The Cobras were 30 without loss after three overs thanks to Levi, but the Titans fought back as they claimed three wickets and conceded just 37 more runs in the next seven overs.

Albie Morkel removed Levi with his first ball, Behardien hanging on to a rocket of a catch at cover, and Yaseen Vallie (6) and Owais Shah (12) both fell cheaply as they misjudged slower balls from Alfonso Thomas and Morkel respectively.

Stiaan van Zyl and Vilas steadied the innings as they added 26 off 27 balls for the fourth wicket, before Van Zyl was bowled by Van der Merwe for 33, backing away and trying to deliver a big hit.

The Titans were in control as Morkel stood at the top of his mark at the Hennops River End with the Cobras on 120 for five after 18 overs.

But having bowled so well previously, taking two for 10 in three overs, Morkel’s final over was the one that allowed the visitors to substantially up their run-rate, Vilas and Kemp taking 27 runs from it.

The first ball of the over was up to the bat and driven majestically over cow-corner for six by Vilas, and even the Titans crowd clapped when Kemp pulled the last two balls of the over for sixes in the same vicinity.

It meant Morkel finished the innings with tired old figures of two for 37 in four overs, but the Cobras were still up against it at the other end, where Thomas closed with two overs for 13 runs and picked up the wicket of Kemp, who hit a slower-ball full toss off the toe of the bat, slapping a return catch.

Kemp’s 24 off 18 balls was a crucial contribution, but the real hero of the Cobras innings was Vilas, whose 48 not out off 28 balls was a top-class innings.

His composure and a talent for hitting boundaries in the closing overs provided a mighty boost to the innings as he collected four fours and two sixes.

The Titans bowling was a mixed bag. Ethy Mbhalati, Morkel and Van der Merwe were all expensive, while Links, David Wiese and Du Plessis bowled seven overs for 46 runs between them. Thomas’s figures of two for 22 in four overs took the cake, however.