Ken Borland

They may not have Quinton de Kock nor Faf du Plessis, but the Titans are not in any way uncomfortable with their absence as they start their CSA T20 Challenge campaign against the Knights at Kingsmead on Friday morning, thanks to the riches in playing depth they have and their unavailability being communicated well in advance.

Even without De Kock, who is on a “mental health break”, and Du Plessis, heading to the Pakistan Super League to join Dale Steyn at the Quetta Gladiators, the Titans have six White Proteas to squeeze into the five slots allowed for them and it seems champion off-spinner Simon Harmer will not be playing in the opening game on Friday, thus allowing batsman Theunis de Bruyn to get a shot. The other White Proteas in the squad are captain Heinrich Klaasen, Aiden Markram, Dean Elgar and Chris Morris, who on Thursday became the most expensive overseas player ever in the IPL.

“We’re probably a bit overstocked to be honest and Quinny and Faf not being available was communicated to us early on. It wouldn’t make sense to force them to play. Quinny was very open and honest with us a while ago that he would need a break after the Pakistan tour and Faf put in his request to skip the competition a while ago too. It doesn’t make sense to force people to play when they’re not in a good space, they’re unlikely to perform well,” Titans CEO Jacques Faul told The Citizen on Thursday.

Pace bowler Kyle Abbott is another conspicuous absentee from the Titans squad having only played the one Momentum One-Day Cup match for them since his high-profile signing. But Faul confirmed they “still have long-term plans” for Abbott, who has played 11 Tests, 28 ODIs and 21 T20s for the Proteas.

The Knights only have three Proteas in their squad – veteran Farhaan Behardien, Pite van Biljon and new international Jacques Snyman, but it is surely only a matter of time before Raynard van Tonder and Migael Pretorus earn their first caps and the Central Franchise are a well-balanced, powerful outfit.

The Highveld Lions bowling attack produced their most complete performance of the competition so far, but Proteas batsmen Rassie van der Dussen and Reeza Hendricks stole the show as their record-breaking partnership set up the 19-run win over the Titans in their CSA T20 Challenge derby at the Wanderers on Thursday night.

Hendricks, desperately unlucky to have been left out of the Proteas squad for the World Cup that was announced hours earlier, and Van der Dussen, whose fairytale ascent into international prominence will continue at that showpiece tournament, brought vastly different moods to the contest.

But they dovetailed superbly, adding 151 off just 94 balls, a record for the second wicket in the domestic franchise T20 competition, improving on the previous mark of 145 set by Hashim Amla and Stiaan van Zyl for the Cobras against the Lions in Paarl in 2013/14 and equalled by Morne van Wyk and Kevin Pietersen, playing for the Dolphins against the Warriors in East London, three seasons later.

It is a delicious irony that Hendricks beat an Amla record, seeing as though it was the out-of-form veteran who pipped him for a World Cup spot. While Amla’s class is irrefutable, Hendricks showed he has plenty of the same talents in his marvellous innings of 77 off just 61 balls, full of sparkling drives and a spectacular cut for six over the covers off fast bowler Junior Dala.

Van der Dussen was magnificent in blasting 85 off just 47 balls, with six fours and three sixes spread all round the Wanderers. He never seemed rushed and celebrated his World Cup inclusion in fine style, leading the Lions to a sizeable total of 181 for four after they had been sent in to bat.

T20 cricket in April is never going to attract beer-drinking masses but rather a few coffee-sipping die-hards, plus the autumn pitches are understandably slow, and Titans spinner Gregory Mahlokoana, whose figures of 4-0-22-1 were an excellent effort, was the only bowler to shine for the visitors, until the last over of the innings.

Dala (4-0-33-3) had looked in decent rhythm but he exploded in the 20th over, conceding just six runs and taking three wickets to give the Titans some cheer before their chase.

The early warning signs that the Lions bowlers were up for the contest were there as former Titans player Migael Pretorius, in his first franchise T20 game, smashed into the top of Tony de Zorzi’s off stump at the end of the second over.

Henry Davids (18) looked dangerous and hit three fours, before Dwaine Pretorius dismissed him with his second delivery, but then there were signs that the Titans’ two most in-form batsmen, Theunis de Bruyn and Diego Rosier, were seizing control as they added 56 in five overs.

Rosier (23 off 15) fell in freakish fashion, trying to sweep left-arm spinner Aaron Phangiso but getting a bottom edge on to the flap of his back pad, which was flat on the ground. From there the ball bounced up and rebounded off his body to wicketkeeper Ryan Rickelton, the dismissal being confirmed by the TV umpire.

That it was not going to be the Titans’ night became clearer two overs later when De Bruyn (42 off 28) tried to just punch Nono Pongolo down to long-off but the bowler snaffled a wonderful reflex return catch.

The Titans did not seem ready for the introduction of Pongolo, the sixth bowler used, as he picked up three for 29 in his four destructive overs, and spinners Fortuin and Phangiso also returned to each take a wicket.

Once Farhaan Behardien was dismissed for just 8 as Fortuin pulled off an excellent piece of fielding on the cow-corner boundary, with 12th man Wihan Lubbe playing the supporting role to complete the catch, the Lions were ready to celebrate with the Titans seven down and needing 55 runs off 23 balls to win.

The Titans eventually staggered to 162 for nine in their 20 overs, with Fortuin once again setting the tone by taking one for 26 in his four overs. Pongolo was excellent too and paceman Pretorius made an encouraging T20 debut with two for 32 in four overs.

The Lions did not even need to bowl Proteas all-rounder Wiaan Mulder, which shows just how much in control they were.

Malusi Siboto had probably been hoping the ground could swallow him whole when he dropped a sitter of a catch in the 12^th over of the CSA T20 Challenge final at SuperSport Park on Friday night; by the end of the match he was rushing off the field to embrace his gran, who was watching him play cricket for the first time and was able to see the 29-year-old deliver a superb final over to seal a thrilling six-run victory for the Titans over the Warriors.

In a gripping, low-scoring encounter, the Titans were defending just 156 and the Warriors looked well on course as they reached 91 for three in the 12^th over with Colin Ackermann and Christiaan Jonker adding 48 off 37 balls.

That was when Ackermann, on 21, looped a sweep off wrist-spinner Tabraiz Shamsi to short fine leg and Siboto, whose nickname is Lolly, dropped a dolly. Even though Jonker was out next ball for 33 off 25 balls, foolishly sweeping Shamsi to fine leg, Ackermann batted on and scored 34.

He and Qaasim Adams, trapped lbw for 17 by Shamsi, missing a sweep, were dismissed in successive overs in the midst of a superb Titans comeback. A magnificent penultimate over from Junior Dala cost just six runs, but it still left Siboto with only 11 runs to play with in the final over.

The former Knights seamer, enjoying his first season with the Titans, was brilliant, going full and straight and hitting the blockhole as he conceded just four singles and a wide.

“I dropped the wrong guy and in my mind I knew I should have taken that catch. So I told myself that when I bowl again I must make up for it … and I guess I did,” Siboto said afterwards.

“I was overwhelmed and just froze when I bowled the wide, but I knew I just had to try and make things right. Afterwards I ran off the field to my gran, who was watching me play cricket for the first time,” Siboto added.

For Titans coach Mark Boucher, the win, for his debut trophy in his first season in charge, was made even more special because the Warriors had been in a commanding position.

“It had been a bit frustrating because we put ourselves under pressure, but it became a tight match anyway and we held our nerve. It wasn’t the perfect game from us, we didn’t score enough runs, but we played pressure cricket and finals are often about who holds their bottle longest.

“I’m very proud of the guys because it was a dogfight, it wasn’t pretty. The Warriors had picked up momentum, but Junior Dala (4-0-25-0) hit his straps really well and pulled that momentum back, showing good pace and aggression. He handled the pressure very well – he even said to me that he doesn’t feel pressure! – and then Malusi, geez, he came good!

“He hadn’t had a great night, his first over went for 10 and then he dropped that catch, and other players might have gone into their shell and faded away, but he took the bull by the horns and got the ball in the right areas.

“You can’t train that sort of thing, you can practise skills and talk about tactics all day long, but the player has got to want those tough moments. The whole team really wanted that trophy, so they dealt with the pressure really well,” Boucher said.

The Titans had been sent in to bat and battled to 155 for six in their 20 overs, Aiden Markram scoring 33 and Albie Morkel 21, but nobody was able to score at much more than a run-a-ball, Boucher saying their struggles being born out of misreading the pitch.

“We got the wicket wrong and went too hard, too early; 160 was about par but scoreboard pressure played its part in the Warriors’ chase. We picked up vital wickets early on to put them on the back foot and the bowlers bowled in good areas with the pitch being a bit slow and up-and-down. It was a fantastic final, sometimes the low-scoring games are the best,” Boucher said.

That the Titans made it to 155 was thanks to David Wiese, who struck 24 not out off 15 balls and took 19 off the last over bowled by Sisanda Magala.

Wiese’s all-round performance was heroic as he then had to take over the captaincy in the first over of the Warriors’ innings after Morkel left the field with a strained hamstring after just five deliveries, and the opening wicket of Clyde Fortuin for a two-ball duck as Markram (brilliant in the field) held on to a scorcher at backward point. And Wiese then bowled four overs for just 31 runs and claimed the key wicket of Jon-Jon Smuts, caught behind for 16.

Dala and Lungi Ngidi, whose two for 27 included the vital scalps of Colin Ingram, caught behind for 12, and Ackermann, were also outstanding with the ball for the Titans.

Low-scoring games often make for the most exciting finals and so it proved again at Centurion on Friday night as Malusi Siboto held his nerve in the final over for the Titans against the Warriors and bowled them to the CSA T20 Challenge trophy for the second season in succession.

Siboto, who had earlier dropped a sitter of a catch in the field, was defending 12 runs in the final over and consistently went for the blockhole of batsmen Lesiba Ngoepe and Sisanda Magala, conceding just six runs for the Titans to win by six runs and become the first team to defend their T20 title.

The Warriors were chasing 156 for victory and looked on course for their second title as Colin Ackermann (34) and Christiaan Jonker (33) added 48 for the fourth wicket and then Qaasim Adams (17), playing for his loan team against his actual employers, took the visitors to 125 for four after 16 overs.

But Adams, trapped lbw trying to sweep wrist-spinner Tabraiz Shamsi, and Ackermann, caught on the boundary off Lungi Ngidi, fell in successive overs, and Ngoepe and Magala were unable to score the required 31 off 22 balls.

David Wiese, who took one for 31 and claimed the key wicket of Jon-Jon Smuts, caught behind for 16; Ngidi, who took two for 27 including the vital scalp of Colin Ingram caught behind for 12; and Junior Dala (4-0-25-0) were also outstanding with the ball for the Titans.

Albie Morkel bowled the first over, having Clyde Fortuin brilliantly caught at backward point by Aiden Markram, who was superb in the field, and then left the action, never to return, with a hamstring injury.

The home side had been sent in to bat by the Warriors and they struggled to 155 for six, having numerous difficulties on a pitch that made strokeplaying difficult.

Markram opened the batting and scored 33 off 25 balls, before the Warriors’ slow bowlers had their usual suffocating effect in the middle overs. Morkel made 21 off 20 balls, but nobody was able to score at much more than a run-a-ball, with the Warriors producing an excellent display in the field that included two run outs.

Kyle Abbott (4-0-27-1), Basheer Walters (3-0-15-1) and Colin Ingram (4-0-24-1) did a great job with the ball for the Warriors.

But Wiese provided a big finish with his 24 not out off 15 balls, taking 19 runs off the last over bowled by Magala.

The unfortunate 25-year-old will be having nightmares over his two final-over failures.