Ken Borland

The Dolphins won their virtual eliminator against the Unlimited Titans at SuperSport Park by three wickets, but not before an inspired attack had given them a major scare.

The Lions were always in control of their match against the Chevrolet Knights in Bloemfontein, although the home side made them work hard for victory as they batted for 98.4 overs in their second innings, eventually being dismissed for 289. That left the Lions with a target of just 97 for victory, and openers Stephen Cook and Rassie van der Dussen knocked off the runs at a canter, winning by 10 wickets in just 14.3 overs.

The Dolphins began their second innings on the final day in Centurion, needing just 177 runs for victory, but the Titans attack were certainly up for the challenge and the inconsistent bounce of the pitch certainly made the target a testing one.

The Dolphins openers, Divan van Wyk (2) and Imraan Khan (8) were both dismissed inside the first five overs as the visitors crashed to 10 for two.

Khaya Zondo and Cody Chetty briefly steadied the ship as they took the total to 55 before Chetty (20) let his side down with an awful waft outside off stump as Marchant de Lange returned for a fiery second spell and was definitely threatening life and limb.

Left-armer Rowan Richards was merrily swinging the ball from the Hennops River End and added to the chaos with the wickets of Zondo (15), Daryn Smit (2) and Andile Phehlukwayo (0), and suddenly the Dolphins were 58 for six.

But captain Morne van Wyk and Calvin Savage then produced the key partnership as they added 116 in 146 minutes, off 238 balls.

It was a stand of enormous skill and character on a tricky pitch. While such heroics can be expected from the veteran Van Wyk, whose 59 not out was his 28^th Sunfoil Series half-century, Savage’s 53 was an exceptional effort by a 22-year-old playing in just his ninth four-day game.

Savage first of all blocked up his end, scoring just 15 runs from his first 77 balls, before defiantly striking five fours and a six as he and Van Wyk all but sealed victory.

Savage fell with just three more runs needed for victory, dismissed by De Lange, who finished with three for 66 in 18 overs, to go with the four for 68 he took in the first innings.

Richards was the pick of the Titans attack, with three for 35 in 17.3 overs.

The victory lifts the Dolphins to 98.26 points, while the Lions are at the top of the log with 115.84. Defeat has left the Titans clutching at straws on 84.90 points.

In Bloemfontein, the Johannesburg-based franchise claimed two Knights wickets in the opening hour as the home side went from 76 without loss overnight to 95 for two with the dismissal of Gihahn Cloete (37) and Tumelo Bodibe (4).

But Reeza Hendricks showed that he is ready for more international cricket as he grafted his way to 61, Rudi Second was similarly determined in scoring 67, and Patrick Botha motored to 42 to take the Knights to 218 for three before the wheels fell off.

The Lions were once again able to show what a tight bowling unit they are as Kagiso Rabada took three for 52, Chris Morris and Hardus Viljoen claimed a couple of wickets each and Dwaine Pretorius wrapped up the tail, the last seven wickets falling for 71 runs.

Having finished just short of an almost identical target last week against the Warriors, this time the Lions did not allow rain or bad light to have any chance of denying them as Cook powered to 49 not out off 34 balls and Van der Dussen struck 46 not out off 55 deliveries.

The third match of the weekend, between the Nashua Cape Cobras and the Chevrolet Warriors, ended in the dullest of draws at Newlands in Cape Town.

The Warriors deserve credit, however, for batting through most of the final day and scoring 256 for three to all but clear the first-innings deficit of 257.

The visitors were 88 without loss overnight and the opening stand grew to 155 as David White scored 57 and Michael Price 94. Colin Ackermann then came in and continued the good work with 53 not out.

Robin Peterson was the only successful Cobras bowler on the final day, the left-arm spinner taking three for 65 in 32.1 overs.

http://citizen.co.za/344463/lions-and-dolphins-enter-last-two-rounds/

The KwaZulu-Natal side hammered the Cobras by eight wickets at Newlands to rise to second on the log, overtaking the Titans and leaving themselves 17.24 points behind the bizhub Highveld Lions with three rounds of the four-day competition remaining.

The clash at SuperSport Park in Centurion is practically an eliminator to see who will be the Lions’ chasers heading into the final straight of the Sunfoil Series.

“We’ve had some good days and we’ve fought our way through to where we have a shout. But now we need more consistency and if we can put together two good days in a row, that’s generally when you win matches,” Dolphins coach Lance Klusener told The Citizen on Wednesday.

Young pacemen Mathew Pillans and Daryn Dupavillon have responded in excellent fashion to the burden placed on their shoulders, while left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj is fresh off a 10-wicket haul at Newlands.

The batting has not been as spectacular, but Imraan Khan, capped once for South Africa, has accumulated 551 runs this season with two hundreds and three fifties, fellow opener Divan van Wyk is averaging over 40, and Morne van Wyk, Cody Chetty and Daryn Smit are all dangerous with the bat.

The Titans will boast a menacing new-ball attack in the form of David Wiese and fit-again Marchant de Lange, with left-armer Rowan Richards and either Ethy Mbhalati or Junior Dala in support.

While not saying the pitch will be a snakepit, Titans coach Rob Walter is confident there will be a result-wicket at SuperSport Park.

“Neither team wants a dull draw and there aren’t many of those anyway at Centurion. I think it will be a good, even contest that will go four days, hopefully like the last two games of last season,” Walter said.

The Titans finished last season strongly by beating the Knights by 32 runs and the Warriors by 87 runs, and a similar showing now could see them sneak up on the Lions, who are currently 19.22 points ahead of them.

Wiese performed miracles with the ball in those two games, with combined figures of 16 wickets for 204 runs, backed by leg-spinner Shaun von Berg and De Lange.

Von Berg’s current form – 17 wickets at an average of 48.11 – does not inspire too much confidence and he has been serving up runs at 3.5 to the over, but Walter said surfaces thus far this season have not offered him much assistance.

In terms of the batting, Roelof van der Merwe has been inspirational with 657 runs at 59.72, including three centuries, while Theunis de Bruyn is a rising star and Dean Elgar is due a big score.

Walter says his team needs to rectify some sloppiness that crept into their game in their last encounter, a 170-run defeat at the hands of the Cobras in Paarl.

“We had them in the first innings but then we weren’t clinical enough at the end to close out the innings. We also batted very well at the start before falling apart, so we need to be mentally stronger and make sure the opposition has to work hard for anything they get,” Walter said.

While the Highveld Lions are sitting pretty at the top of the log, coach Geoff Toyana is wary of either the Dolphins or Titans creeping up on them and says his team have to keep winning as they travel to Bloemfontein to take on the Chevrolet Knights.

“We’ve played some decent cricket, but we have to keep winning, every game is a big game,” Toyana said.

The Lions could have closed the door on their chasers in their last match, when they were held to a draw by the Warriors, finishing just 17 runs short of a meagre 98-run target, and they will be eager to return to winning ways at this crucial stage of the season.

The Lions went down to the Knights by 143 runs in their home fixture in Potchefstroom, contriving to be bowled out for 137 in their second innings after leading by 101 on first innings.

Off-spinner Werner Coetsee took four for 34 to hasten the Lions’ collapse to their only defeat of this campaign, and the visitors are going to have to adapt better to what Knights coach Sarel Cilliers said would be a dry pitch at Chevrolet Park.

Whatever the result, the Bloemfontein public will be treated to the sight of the best pace attack in franchise cricket with Chris Morris, Kagiso Rabada and Hardus Viljoen all in great form for the Lions. Dwaine Pretorius, who took eight wickets in three games before injuring his back, is back in the squad as well.

Eddie Leie is the chief spinner for the Johannesburg-based franchise but has struggled on unresponsive surfaces, taking just six wickets at 55 runs apiece. He will hope to bounce back to top form in friendlier conditions in Bloemfontein.

Cilliers said batsmen not making big scores and missing opportunities in the field were the two factors preventing his team from making a stronger challenge in the Sunfoil Series.

“There are a couple of critical things we need to get right again. We need to score big runs when the opportunity presents itself: We’ve had 22 scores of more than 30 in the last three games but no centuries. And we need to take our opportunities in the field because we’ve bowled with control,” Cilliers said.

The other match of the third-last round is at Newlands, where the Cobras host the Chevrolet Warriors.

The Cobras have struggled with so many players on international duty and are currently bottom of the log, with just one win in seven matches.

Stiaan van Zyl motored to a century in his last innings and if Dane Vilas, Justin Ontong and Andrew Puttick can show their best form, then the Cobras can post the sort of score that their attack, which has shown great potential this season, can capitalise on.

http://citizen.co.za/342224/sunfoil-series-preview-dolphins-vs-titans/