Dawood and Jones lead Lions to victory over the Dolphins

The DP World Lions beat the Hollywoodbets Dolphins by nine runs in a curious CSA T20 Challenge match in which the visitors nearly surprised the largely dominant home team with a late surge of runs.

But in the end the Lions thoroughly deserved their second win of the competition while the Dolphins, despite showing some welcome fight in this match, will find it very difficult to get into the mix after suffering their third consecutive defeat in a shortened competition comprising only seven rounds.

The teams played on the same pitch where the Lions bludgeoned 239 for four against the Dafabet Warriors on Friday, but this time the surface was dryer and slower resulting in a two-paced wicket where fluent strokeplay was difficult.

Facing a tough task of scoring 157 for victory, in which Evan Jones' blistering unbeaten 29 off 10 balls was a key element, the Dolphins had a poor start when Bryce Parsons was bowled by left-arm pace prodigy Kwena Maphaka with the third ball of the innings. The Dolphins’ hopes were further dented when Khaya Zondo was forced to retire hurt after just 3.3 overs when his bottom hand was crushed by a delivery from Maphaka.

The visitors’ fading hopes were briefly revived by Marques Ackerman who played as comfortably as anyone in the match as he compiled 32 in just 18 balls. If the belligerent little left-hander had been able to spend much longer at the crease the result might have been different but he fell victim to the Lions’ talented young legspinner, Junaid Dawood, stumped by keeper Wandile Makwetu as he danced down the pitch.

Dawood, who collected a five-wicket haul in the Lions’ last match against the Warriors, was almost as impressive this time around, taking 3/22 including the scalps of Tshepang Dithole (26) and Andile Simelane, both caught on the boundary chasing quick runs.

The Dolphins maintained a similar scoring rate as the Lions for most of their innings, but lost wickets too regularly. It seemed that the innings would fade away, but Zondo – who bravely returned to the crease after the fall of the seventh wicket – joined his captain Subrayen and the pair added a quickfire 52, raising hopes that an unlikely come-from-behind win might be on the cards.

Needing 19 to win off the last over delivered by Evan Jones, Zondo hit his first two balls for four, meaning that a further 11 was needed off four balls. But Zondo succumbed to the third ball, caught by wicketkeeper Makwetu off a skier, and only two further runs were scored.

Earlier, the Dolphins restricted the Lions to 156 for five wickets in their innings after skipper Mitchell van Buuren had won the toss and chosen to take first strike.

The Dolphins’ bowlers were more disciplined than they had been against the Titans on Friday, with fast bowler Okuhle Cele particularly impressive, going for just 16 in his four overs for the wicket of Makwetu who edged to wicketkeeper Dithole off his first delivery.

Opener Josh Richards took on the aggressive role up front and he was largely responsible for taking the total to 60 in the ninth over before he succumbed to a short ball from Andile Simelane, splicing it up in the air to Parsons at cover. He struck 38 in 31 balls.

The Dolphins chipped away at the middle-order and the Lions were unable to really build momentum thanks to tight spells from their spinners, Prenelan Subrayen (1/24 off three overs) and Jon-Jon Smuts (0/19 off three).

Simelane picked up 2/36 in his four overs, claiming the wicket of Van Buuren for 10, while Daryn Dupavillon was once again expensive (1/44 in four).

The key partnership for the Lions was an unbroken 46 for the sixth wicket between Delano Potgieter (32 off 29 balls) and Jones (29 off 10). Jones, in particular, showed a relish for some brutal hitting at the death and his innings was one of the key reasons for the Lions’ victory.