Keshav Maharaj picked up his 36th five-wicket haul in first-class cricket (5-62 in 32 overs) to help dismiss the ITEC Knights for 165 in their CSA 4-Day Series match at the Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein on Monday.
With the Dolphins being dismissed for 253 on Sunday, this meant that the visitors enjoyed a first-innings lead of 88. They extended this to 125 after Sarel Erwee (17) and Tshepang Dithole (20) put on 37 without being parted in the Dolphins’ second innings before bad light stopped play.
The Knights had looked in command of the match after day one, with openers Matthew Kleinveldt and Isaac Dikgale compiling 53 overnight.
But the momentum quickly switched to the Dolphins on the second morning with four wickets falling for only 43 runs in 31.3 overs as the Knights’ batsmen went into their shells. Skipper Pite van Biljon, for example, ate up 71 balls for his four runs while Dikgale needed 93 deliveries to compile 24.
Left-arm spinner Maharaj – whose first 19 overs went for 25 runs – and paceman Ottniel Baartman shared the wickets in the morning with Maharaj trapping Dikgale and Van Biljon leg before while Baartman bowled Matthew Kleinveldt (43) and Raynard van Tonder.
The Knights’ batsmen awoke from their slumbers, at least to some degree, after the break, but wickets kept falling regularly with Baartman claiming 3-23 in 16 overs and Andile Simelane cleaning up the tail with two wickets. Migael Pretorius struck 29 in 47 balls and he shared a seventh-wicket partnership of 41 with Patrick Botha (19).
KNIGHTS: Isaac Dikgale, Matthew Kleinveldt, Pite van Biljon, Raynard van Tonder, Patrick Kruger, Gihahn Cloete (wk), Patrick Botha (capt), Migael Pretorius, Gerald Coetzee, Monde Maqunqu, Nhlakanipho Mpungose
DOLPHINS: Sarel Erwee, Tshepang Dithole, Keegan Petersen, Marques Ackerman, Khaya Zondo, Grant Roelofsen (wk), Eathan Bosch, Andile Simelane, Keshav Maharaj (capt), Daryn Dupavillon, Ottniel Baartman
QESHILE TON BOOSTS WARRIORS BUT RAIN HAS LAST LAUGH
Sinethemba Qeshile struck 124 – his second first-class ton – to guide the Dafabet Warriors to a commanding 438 all out on the second day of their CSA 4-Day Series match at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Monday.
Frustratingly, however, the Lions had only just started their reply through Josh Richards and Dominic Hendricks (19 without loss in six overs) in the afternoon session when the rain came down, preventing any further play.
With half the match now gone, the Lions trail the Knights by 421 runs.
Qeshile, who began the day on 43, added 136 for the fifth wicket with Rudi Second and a further 96 for the sixth wicket with Marco Jansen (31).
Second, whose overnight score was 66, departed quickly in the morning, top-edging a hook off Lutho Sipamla to Kagiso Rabada at fine leg. His 70 in 154 balls included 10 fours.
The Warriors’ wicketkeeper-batsman was eventually bowled by paceman Sipamla for 124 in 215 balls, including 18 fours and two sixes. A brisk late cameo by Beyers Swanepoel (32 off 42 balls) enabled the Warriors to reach their total.
Sipamla was the most successful Lions bowler with 4-77 in 18.5 overs, while left-arm spinner Bjorn Fortuin and medium-pacer Wiaan Mulder picked up a couple apiece.
LIONS: Joshua Richards, Dominic Hendricks (capt), Temba Bavuma, Wiaan Mulder, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Mitchell van Buuren, Bjorn Fortuin, Kagiso Rabada, Malusi Siboto, Lutho Sipamla, Tladi Bokako
WARRIORS: Kyle Jacobs, Jordan Hermann, Diego Rosier, Matthew Breetzke, Rudi Second (capt), Sinethemba Qeshile (wk), Marco Jansen, Glenton Stuurman, Beyers Swanepoel, Tsepo Ndwandwa, Mthiwekhaya Nabe
A PAIR OF BLANK DAYS IN POTCH AND PRETORIA
A wet outfield forced play to be abandoned for the day at the JB Marks Oval in Potchefstroom in the CSA 4-Day Series match between the North West Dragons and log leaders Six Gun Grill Western Province on Monday.
This is the second consecutive day that play has been abandoned without a ball bowled, such has been the amount of rain that has fallen on the highveld in recent days.
The same holds true for the game at the Tuks Oval in Pretoria between the Momentum Multiply Titans and the Gbets Rocks.