DAY 2: Scintillating Brevis restores Titans’ momentum

Debutant Banele Cele grabbed two quick wickets after lunch, but Dewald Brevis responded with a scintillating unbeaten half-century in an incident-packed afternoon session on the second day of the CSA 4-Day Series match between the Hollywoodbets Dolphins and the Momentum Multiply Titans at Kingsmead in Durban on Wednesday.

The first day of the match was lost due to damp conditions.

At tea, the Titans had reached 221 for four in 70 overs with Brevis on 75 in 93 balls, including six fours and four sixes. It is his fifth first-class 50. Alongside him is Rivaldo Moonsamy (26). The pair have so far added 82 for the fifth wicket.

The Titans had cruised effortlessly to 97 without loss at lunch with Josh van Heerden unbeaten on his ninth first-class 50 against an ineffectual Dolphins’ attack.

That changed immediately after the break when Okuhle Cele had Van Heerden driving away from his body to his second ball, edging a comfortable catch to Sarel Erwee at first slip.

Immediately the atmosphere changed with the bowlers giving their utmost and troubling the batters. Three overs later, 21-year-oldd Banele Cele backed up his namesake’s early strike as Neil Brand (43) got a leading edge to a short-of-a-length delivery, chipping the ball to Jason Smith at midwicket who dived forward to take the catch.

Former Dolphin Keegan Petersen (8) didn’t last long, fencing at a wide delivery from Banele Cele that he could easily have left alone, edging through to wicketkeeper Dithole.

The Titans, having taken lunch in such a powerful position, had suddenly lost three wickets for 24 runs in just seven overs. And it got better for the home team as Daryn Dupavillon trapped Jhedley van Briesies leg before as he tried to hit a full, straight delivery through midwicket.

Meanwhile, Brevis had started explosively, nearly taking the umpire’s head off at square leg as he belted his first ball for four. Thereafter he was a little tentative against the Cele pacemen before hitting his straps, playing a succession of commanding cover drives and clips off his legs.

He went to his fifty remarkable style in the 61st over when he pulled and straight drove Jon Jon Smuts for consecutive sixes before adding a third maximum for good measure immediately afterwards.

He reached his landmark in 65 balls and, as Moonsamy settled in, the Titans scored increasingly freely. Much of the run-rate in the morning was a conservative 1.8 to the over, by tea this had risen to 3.2.

Banele Cele was the most successful Dolphins’ bowler with 2/48 in 12 overs, while Okuhle Cele (1/18 in 11 overs) and Prenelan Subrayen (0/28 in 18 overs) were impressively frugal.

HOLLYWOODBETS DOLPHINS: Sarel Erwee (capt), Tshepang Dithole (wk), Slade van Staden, Bryce Parsons, Jason Smith, Romashan Pillay, Jon Jon Smuts, Prenelan Subrayen, Banele Cele, Daryn Dupavillon, Okuhle Cele

MOMENTUM MULTIPLY TITANS: Neil Brand (capt), Joshua van Heerden, Keegan Petersen, Dewald Brevis, Jhedli van Briesies, Rivaldo Moonsamy (wk), Andile Phehlukwayo, Corbin Bosch, Matthew Boast, Schalk Engelbrecht, Tsepo Ndwandwa