Day 3: Moreki and Potgieter frustrate Western Province

Another superb innings from allrounder Delano Potgieter enabled the DP Lions to reach an impressive 282 for eight in their second innings – an overall lead of 195 – at the end of the third day of their CSA 4-Day Series final against Western Province at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Friday.

Potgieter tormented an exhausted-looking Province team with a clinical unbeaten 89 and he will surely be looking to add significantly to his team’s tally with his assured partner Codi Yusuf tomorrow, with Malusi Siboto – who scored 32 in the first innings – still to bat on a pitch that has seemed to grow more placid as the match has progressed.

After losing a key toss on day one, the Lions have been forced to play catch-up cricket from the outset, having been reduced to 35 for five and 112 for seven in dreadful conditions on the first day. But such has been their tenacity, and so successful their resolve, that they still have a real chance of making life unpleasant for Western Province on what they hope will be a wearing pitch on the fourth and fifth days on Saturday and Sunday.

The Lions had a number of heroes on the day, at least one of them unlikely in the form of Tshepo Moreki. Moreki, who captured his first five-wicket haul on Thursday, came in as a nightwatchman on Thursday evening after the Lions lost their openers for 10 runs.

He then batted throughout the morning session, struck his second first-class fifty and passed one thousand runs in the format. Batting with Zubayr Hamza in the morning, he looked the more fluent player, striking eight fours in his 57 before being caught at mid-off shortly after lunch to Province’s best bowler, Dane Paterson, who finished the day with 3/43.

Hamza’s dismissal, controversially caught behind hooking at Mihlali Mpongwana, was the Lions’ only loss of the morning, but Moreki’s dismissal early in the afternoon sparked a cluster of wickets for Province. First Ryan Rickelton was given out leg before, failing to play a shot at a ball from Mthiwekhaya Nabe; then Wiaan Mulder was strangled first ball down the leg side.

But then the Lions stiffened their sinews once again. Temba Bavuma (45 in 83 balls) and Potgieter added 46 in 87 balls before Bavuma – who was looking increasingly fluent – was caught in two minds from a delivery from Beuran Hendricks, edging an indeterminate push to wicketkeeper Verreynne who has so far taken eight catches in the match.

Then came the most valuable partnership of 86 in 170 balls from Potgieter and Bjorn Fortuin (42 in 85 balls) on a pitch that was looking tamer by the minute, a good example of a surface that plays a lot better than it looks. Both men were looking increasingly comfortable, so it took a superb delivery virtually out of the blue from Paterson that ducked into the gap between Fortuin’s bat and pad to dislodge his off bail.

For the most part, however, the second new ball did little other than disappear to the boundary as Potgieter continued to play freely, striking 12 fours and a six in his 89 in 152 balls. Considering that he would not even have played if Mulder had been fit to bowl, the allrounder has certainly taken his opportunity, having also scored 81 in the first innings, and taken 2/60 with the ball.

For long periods, Province gave the impression of a team that did not expect such stout opposition from the Lions, and their body language has indicated a high degree of frustration. Aside from Paterson, their most successful bowler has been Nabe who has claimed 3/59.

LIONS: Joshua Richards, Dominic Hendricks (capt), Zubayr Hamza, Temba Bavuma, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Wiaan Mulder, Delano Potgieter, Bjorn Fortuin, Codi Yusuf, Malusi Siboto, Tshepo Moreki

WESTERN PROVINCE: Tony de Zorzi, Edward Moore, Yaseen Vallie, Gavin Kaplan, Kyle Verreynne (capt, wk), Daniel Smith, Mihlali Mpongwana, Kyle Simmonds, Beuran Hendricks, Dane Paterson, Mthiwekhaya Nabe