Ken Borland

Tremendous eight-wicket hauls by Andrew Birch and Kyle Abbott turned the four-day domestic franchise series into a three-horse race on Saturday as the Dolphins upset the log-leading Cape Cobras and the Warriors thrashed the Knights in Bloemfontein.

Abbott produced a classy display of match-winning fast bowling as he led the Dolphins to a thrilling 15-run victory over the Cobras at Newlands.

The Cobras were chasing a tricky target of 183 to stretch their lead at the top of the log, but Abbott’s magnificent eight for 45 in 18 overs saw them bowled out for 167, keeping the Warriors and Highveld Lions firmly in contention for four-day honours.

Abbott had Andrew Puttick caught behind for four in his opening five-over spell and he returned six overs later to have Justin Ontong caught off a mistimed pull for 25.

He then struck twice in his eighth over to dramatically undermine the Cobras’ run-chase and reduce them to 82 for five.

Stiaan van Zyl cruised to 40 off 37 balls, but he then also mistimed a pull and looped a catch to mid-on.

Abbott then went full and trapped Dane Vilas lbw for a two-ball duck.

Justin Kemp revived the Cobras’ hopes with 29 off 31 balls, but he was not able to finish the job as he shouldered arms to Abbott after lunch and was bowled as the competition’s leading wicket-taker jagged a delivery back into the right-hander.

The Cobras were not giving up without a fight, however, and Johann Louw

(16) and Dane Piedt (20) chipped away at the target.

But Calvin Savage removed Louw before Abbott returned after a short rest and was too good for Piedt, trapping him lbw and then having Beuran Hendricks (4) caught behind, Daryn Smit taking a sharp catch.

Abbott finished with superb match figures of 12 for 96 and, as far as the Cobras are concerned, their once considerable lead atop the standings has now been whittled down to just 0.18 points over the Warriors.

Third place is filled by the Lions, who are currently 14 points behind and are being frustrated by the rain in Johannesburg as their bowlers look to enforce the follow-on against the Titans.

An amazing bowling performance by Birch led the Warriors to a crushing 10-wicket victory over the Knights.

The Knights batsmen could not fathom the late swing Birch obtained in cloudy conditions, crashing to 106 all out in their second innings, leaving the Warriors with a target of just 94 to win.

Birch finished with career-best figures of eight for 30 as he claimed four of the five wickets to fall on Saturday morning after the Knights had resumed on 76 for five.

He struck for the first time in his second over of the day, having Patrick Botha (18) caught behind by Adrian McLaren to break a stubborn sixth-wicket stand of 33 with Dean Elgar.

Elgar top-scored for the Knights with 34 before he was also caught behind off Birch four overs later.

Birch then wrapped up the Knights tail for the addition of just 20 more runs as the home side completed a dismal second-innings effort that lasted just 32.1 overs.

Quickfire innings of 48 not out by Michael Price and 44 not out by Davey Jacobs saw the Warriors go to victory in just 13.3 overs.

In Johannesburg, the aggressive Lions pace attack reduced the Titans to

115 for eight, still 188 runs behind, in the 41.2 overs of play that were possible before rain washed out play.

With the Lions attack swinging the ball and getting good bounce from the Wanderers pitch, there was little resistance from the Titans batsmen, with 20s from openers Jacques Rudolph and Pieter Malan, and Heino Kuhn the leading contributions.

That trio and David Wiese (14) were all caught behind the wicket, the Lions catching everything that came their way.

Chris Morris bowled with unrelenting pace and accuracy, but it was swing bowlers Cliffe Deacon and Zander de Bruyn who emerged as the biggest threats.

Deacon ended the day as the leading wicket-taker with three for 25 in

11 overs, as well as a great catch at second slip to dismiss Malan, while De Bruyn had two for 30.

Another embarrassing batting effort by the Titans has left them needing

39 runs to avoid the follow-on as play enters its final day.

The heavy rain around Gauteng limited play on the second day to just two deliveries and the umpires stopped play on the third day at 4pm.

An amazing bowling performance by Andrew Birch led the Warriors to a crushing 10-wicket victory over the Knights on the third day of their four-day domestic franchise series match in Bloemfontein on Saturday.

The Knights batsmen could not fathom the late swing Birch obtained in cloudy conditions, crashing to 106 all out in their second innings, leaving the Warriors with a target of just 94 to win the match.

Birch finished with career-best figures of eight for 30 as he claimed four of the five wickets to fall on Saturday morning after the Knights had resumed on 76 for five.

He struck for the first time in his second over of the day, having Patrick Botha (18) caught behind by Adrian McLaren to break a stubborn sixth-wicket stand of 33 with Dean Elgar.

Elgar, fresh off his maiden Test century last weekend, top-scored for the Knights with 34 before he was also caught behind off Birch four overs later.

Birch then wrapped up the Knights tail for the addition of just 20 more runs as the home side completed a dismal second-innings effort that lasted just 32.1 overs.

Quickfire innings of 48 not out by Michael Price and 44 not out by Davey Jacobs would then see the Warriors go to victory in just 13.3 overs without the loss of a wicket.

The Warriors earned 17.62 bonus points to go to 92 points overall, just 0.18 points behind the log-leading Cape Cobras.

The Nashua Titans scored a crucial bonus point as they won their MiWay T20 Challenge match against the Chevrolet Warriors by eight wickets with five balls to spare at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Wednesday.

 – http://www.supersport.com/cricket/domestic-t20/news/120321/Titans_win_get_home_playoff

The Titans were set a Duckworth/Lewis-adjusted target of 60 in 11 overs to win the match, but they needed to reach that total in 8.4 overs in order to earn a bonus point and a home playoff against the Central Knights.

With Martin van Jaarsveld scoring 23 off 18 balls and Faf du Plessis 22 not out off 18 balls, the Titans passed their target in just 7.5 overs.

With nothing to lose and so much to gain, it was a merry old bash for the Titans from the moment they came out to bat after a two-hour rain delay.

Henry Davids did not last long after a rather meek prod at a Rusty Theron in-swinger that trapped him lbw for a single, but Van Jaarsveld played some punishing strokes, collecting two fours and a six before off-spinner Johan Botha zipped a delivery past his shins and into off stump.

Du Plessis and Farhaan Behardien (13*) then finished the job without too much fuss.

It was the Titans bowlers who had opened the gate for them to snatch second place on the log, with the Warriors top-order floundering against an inspired seam attack.

The Titans attack had reduced the Warriors to a miserable 64 for six in 14 overs when rain ended the visitors’ innings, with Alfonso Thomas (2-0-11-2) and Albie Morkel (2-0-4-2) retiring to the changeroom with the most striking figures.

The Warriors had won the toss and elected to bat first, only for their top-order to disappoint, as they crashed from 35 without loss to 53 for six before Simon Harmer (9*) and Athenkosi Dyili (3*), the last two recognised batsmen, added 11 runs, the joint second-biggest partnership of the innings.

Openers Ashwell Prince (10) and Wayne Parnell (23) had staged the largest partnership of the innings as they put on 35 for the first wicket, but they were both dismissed in the space of three deliveries.

The Titans were somewhat under the cosh as the clean-striking Parnell rushed to his 23 runs off 16 balls, stroking four fours and a six, but the initially wayward Ethy Mbhalati made the breakthrough.

Having conceded eight runs from his first four balls, Mbhalati changed his line to over the wicket on to off stump and bowled a fuller, slower delivery at Parnell. The left-hander unfurled the big drive, but was hopelessly early on the shot, skying the ball high to deep mid-off, where Thomas took the catch.

Thomas himself removed Prince and Davey Jacobs for a duck in the next over, the fifth, as the Warriors crashed to 38 for three.

The delivery to remove Jacobs was particularly good. Pitching just outside off stump, the law of T20 states that the batsmen has to go for it and Jacobs pushed firmly, but bounce and away movement found the edge of the bat and Van Jaarsveld took the catch at slip.

International Morkel was the next to make his presence felt, trapping Colin Ingram (5) lbw with a delivery that looked to be going down the offside, and then zeroing in on the stumps of Botha (7) with a beauty that was angling in towards leg, before nipping away and hitting off stump.

The Warriors were stumbling like drunkards in a dark alley and it was only getting worse with the rain saving them from further misery.

The introduction of Roelof van der Merwe brought another wicket, the left-arm spinner zipping a delivery that also bounced appreciably on to the edge of Craig Thyssen’s bat, wicketkeeper Heino Kuhn comfortably taking the tricky catch.

Thyssen was yet another batsman who failed, scoring just three from seven balls.

The Titans were desperate to get back on to the field as, after several failed attempts to qualify for the Champions League, they were well-placed to earn a crucial bonus point against the Warriors and therefore host the qualifying playoff against the Central Knights.

The bonus point has indeed moved the Titans up to second on the final log.

The bizhub Highveld Lions made light work of the Chevrolet Warriors as they hammered them by 115 runs in their MiWay T20 Challenge match at the Bidvest Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on Wednesday.

http://www.supersport.com/cricket/domestic-t20/news/120314/Bodi_helps_Lions_hammer_Warriors

The Warriors’ international-class bowling attack was put to the sword as the Lions, led by Gulam Bodi’s career-best 90, posted 199 for six, before Australian fast bowler Dirk Nannes (3-1-9-2) blasted through the visitors’ top-order with two quick wickets.

With Chris Morris – perhaps a future international himself? – also taking two wickets, the Warriors quickly crashed to 28 for four.

A 1200-strong contingent of Lions fans were treated to a thrilling new-ball burst by left-armer Nannes, who bowled fast and full to bowl openers Jon-Jon Smuts for one and Ashwell Prince for four.

The Warriors were 11 for two after three overs, but still had a bit of batting class available with Colin Ingram and Johan Botha at the crease.

Ingram hit a couple of boundaries for his eight but soon made his exit, caught skying an attempted pull off Morris, who then bowled Kelly Smuts for five to complete an excellent spell of two for seven in two overs.

Ex-SA under-19 all-rounder Dwaine Pretorius then bowled Craig Thyssen for two to leave the Warriors on a parlous 36 for five in the eighth over.

Botha scrapped his way to an ugly 15 off 23 balls but the lower order made spinners Aaron Phangiso (two for 30) and Jean Symes (three for five) look like pros of the highest order as the pair claimed combined figures of five for 35 in 4.2 overs.

Athenkosi Dyili was the unbeaten batsman on 15 when the Warriors were all out for 84, condemned to the second-biggest defeat in the history of franchise T20 cricket.

The record is held by the Eagles, who beat the Lions by 130 runs in Potchefstroom in 2004/5.

Bodi had bashed his way by hook or by crook to his career-best 90 on a tough night for the Warriors bowlers on a hard and true Wanderers pitch, surrounded by its usual quick outfield. But the Eastern Cape team made life tougher for themselves with some very untidy fielding.

The Warriors had won the toss and sent the Lions in and made a good start as Makhaya Ntini had Jonathan Vandiar (1) caught at third man to leave the home side on four for one after two overs.

But the visitors were soon singing a different tune as Bodi gave the innings an excellent foundation and Quinton de Kock continued his rich vein of form with 46 off 26 balls.

De Kock hit a pair of sixes and half-a-dozen fours in another top-class display of power-strokeplay, often showing a total lack of respect for the five international bowlers he was up against.

It was a particularly bad day for off-spinner Botha and left-armer Wayne Parnell, who conceded 42 and 44 runs respectively in their four-over stints.

De Kock eventually fell when he got his leg in the way of a quicker delivery from left-arm spinner Nicky Boje and was trapped lbw.

The Lions lost two wickets in two balls as Bodi, who is definitely not a member of the smart-running-between-wickets club, turned down a second run and Pretorius was stranded and run out without facing a ball.

Bodi was not fazed, however, as he went past his former franchise best of 88 not out, for the Titans against the Cobras two seasons ago, hammering seven fours and five sixes in his fantastic 51-ball innings.

It was not a faultless innings by any means, but it did show just how destructive Bodi can be on his day.

Stalwart Neil McKenzie was also an integral part of the fine Lions innings with his 37 off 29 balls, but the Warriors did manage to tighten the screws towards the end of the innings as Parnell and Rusty Theron took three wickets in the last three overs.

Theron was the one bowler to keep calm during the breathless assault, taking one for 32 in his four overs, but there was terrible punishment for the rest of his fellow internationals.