Day 3: Hamza shows fight as Lions battle to tea

A second half century of the match from DP World Lions batter Zubayr Hamza helped his side battle to the tea break on 99/5 in their second innings against the Momentum Multiply Titans on day three of their CSA 4-Day series match at DP World Lions on Thursday.

The Lions are still in deep trouble as they lead by just 113 runs, while they could be essentially six down after Delano Potgieter had to retire hurt with possible concussion after being struck on the helmet by a Corbin Bosch bouncer.

However Hamza, 52no off 87 balls (6x4), and Bjorn Fortuin, 30no off 32 (5x4), looked good in sharing in an unbeaten 43-run stand to get their side to tea and they will have to continue that good work to try get their team to a defendable total in the days final session.

The post lunch session began with the Lions in massive strife on 4/4, with Hamza and Connor Esterhuizen (8) then combining for a 37-run fifth wicket partnership as they tried to rebuild.

Spinner Tsepo Ndwandwa came into the attack and made the breakthrough when he bowled Esterhuizen, as the Lions slipped to 41/5.

Potgieter was next in and faced 28 balls in scoring three, but was unable to get out of the way of a short ball from Bosch, with it pinging off his helmet, and after an assessment on the field by the doctor he eventually walked off, leaving Hamza and Fortuin kickstart a fightback.

In the morning session the Titans were bowled all out for 302 in their first innings, in response to the Lions first innings score of 316 all out, before the hosts were stunned by four quick wickets heading into lunch.

Andile Phehlukwayo’s impressive 88 off 154 balls (10x4; 4x6) helped the visitors limit the first innings deficit to just 14-runs, after they had been in trouble on 132/6 at a stage.

At the start of the day the Titans resumed their first innings on 239/6, with Phehlukwayo and Bosch (59) at the crease, but they only managed to add four runs to the total before Lutho Sipamla bowled Bosch to end their superb 111-run seventh wicket partnership.

New batter Galiem (4) didn’t last long, edging Sipamla to wicketkeeper Connor Esterhuizen, as the Titans slipped to 247/8 and in danger of conceding a decent first innings deficit.

But Phehlukwayo found good lower order support from Merrick Brett (13) as they added 21 to the total, and an important unbeaten zero off 16 balls from Ndwandwa, that allowed Phehlukwayo to unleash and add 34-runs for the last wicket, before he was bowled by Codi Yusuf.

Sipamla with 4/83 was the pick of the Lions bowlers, while Tshepo Moreki, 3/36, and Yusuf, 2/66, backed him up well.

In the Lions second innings the carnage began in the second over when opener Joshua van Heerden (1) was run out by some smart fielding from bowler Dayyaan Galiem, followed by captain Dominic Hendricks edging Galiem to Dewald Brevis at gully for a fourth ball duck off the very next ball leaving them on 1/2.

In the next over Bosch had Mitchell van Buuren trying to defend a short delivery, only to get an edge to keeper Rivaldo Moonsamy as he departed for a six ball duck.

While the final over before lunch saw Khaya Fakuda become the third duck of the innings as he flicked Brett straight to Phehlukwayo at square leg.

DP WORLD LIONS: Dominic Hendricks (capt), Joshua Richards, Zubayr Hamza, Mitchell van Buuren, Khaya Fakuda, Connor Esterhuizen (wk), Delano Potgieter, Bjorn Fortuin, Codi Yusuf, Tshepo Moreki, Lutho Sipamla

MOMENTUM MULTIPLY TITANS: Neil Brand (capt), Rivaldo Moonsamy (wk), Keegan Petersen, Dewald Brevis, Josh van Heerden, Jhedli van Briesies, Dayyaan Galiem, Andile Phehlukwayo, Corbin Bosch, Merrick Brett, Tsepo Ndwandwa