Elgar century helps Titans beat Tuskers

A sublime century from Momentum Multiply Titans Captain Dean Elgar helped his side set a target that was out of the reach of the AET Tuskers as the visitors fell to a 56-run defeat in their CSA One-Day Cup match at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Wednesday night.

Elgar cruised to an unbeaten 119 off 126 balls (8x4, 3x6) to lead his side to an imposing 355/6 at the end of their 50 overs after winning the toss and batting first, with the Tuskers then replying with 298 all out to fall well short.

In the Tuskers chase Cameron Delport struck an attacking 66 off just 32 balls, cracking seven fours and five sixes at the top of the order, while lower down Kyle Nipper struck 51 off 37 balls (6x4, 1x6), but the lack of a big score like Elgar and extra contributions cost them in the end.

V I C T O R Y: Another W for #SkyBlues under the lights at SuperSport Park. Great all round performance today 👏🏼.

We face Western Province at home on Friday, tickets to the game are available here: https://t.co/SOMobpRj5U#WozaNawe | #1DayCup pic.twitter.com/uWO1chyjvG

— Momentum Multiply Titans (@Titans_Cricket) October 18, 2023

The Tuskers chase got off to a poor start with Yaseen Valli (6) caught by Junior Dala off the bowling of Matthew Boast in the second over, with the score 12/1.

However Delport took centre stage, dominating a 55-run second-wicket partnership with Kagiso Rapulana (32), as he powered to an impressive half century before he popped a return catch to Boast at the end of the 10th over leaving them on 77/2.

Tiaan Koekemoer (47) joined Rapulana and they steadied the ship with a 77-run third wicket stand, before Rapulana tried to up the scoring rate but was instead caught in the deep by Aya Gqamane off the bowling of Dayyaan Galiem.

New batsman Malcolm Nofal (26) and Koekemoer added 33 for the fourth wicket, before a flurry of wickets effectively ended their challenge.

Nofal was bowled by Galiem, Dilivio Ridgaard (5) knocked the ball straight back to bowler Donovan Ferreira and Koekemoer edged Dala to keeper Modiri Litheko as they slipped from 177/3 to 186/6 in the 33rd over.

Nipper and Alindile Mhletywa (26) then tried to revive the chase with a solid 72-run seventh-wicket partnership, but Gqamane produced a double strike in the 41st over, having Mhletywa caught by Ferreira and bowling Keith Dudgeon for a first-ball duck as they fell to 258/8.

Nipper continued on to bring up his half century, but he was caught by Matthew Kleinveldt off the bowling of Dala and Smangaliso Nhlebela (21) was last man out trapped LBW by Ferreira, to seal a good win for the Titans.

All the Titans bowlers picked up a wicket, with Ferreira, 2-31, Gqamane, 2-46, Dala, 2-60, and Boast, 2-73, the key contributors.

ELGAR, BREVIS AND FERREIRA SHINE

In the Titans innings Elgar anchored things superbly, while he was backed up well by Dewald Brevis, who followed up his first list A century in their last match against the Dragons, with an impressive 94 off 84 balls (9x4, 2x6), as they shared in a strong 157-run third-wicket stand.

The match started with openers Kleinveldt (21) and Litheko (6) sharing in a 31-run partnership before Dudgeon struck twice in the seventh over, having both batsmen caught by Nhlebela to reduce the Tuskers to 32/2.

This brought Elgar and Brevis together and they steadied the ship superbly, starting off slow before Brevis upped the ante as they took their team past the 150-run mark, with both batters bring up half centuries along the way.

Brevis was looking odds on to strike back-to-back hundreds when Dudgeon returned to break the partnership, taking a return catch off his own bowling with the Titans on 189/3 in the 35th over.

If the Tuskers thought that would slow down the scoring rate they were sorely mistaken as Ferreira, 66 off 30 balls (7x4, 4x6), arrived at the crease and dominated a 100-run stand with Elgar off just 57 balls.

Ferreira then guided Thando Ntini straight to Valli at third man in the 44th over with the score on 289/4, Galiem, 25 off 11 (5x4) came in and played a quick cameo, while Elgar reached his century, before Galiem found Nofal in the deep off Dudgeon.

Gqamane (1) was run out and Boast (11no) accompanied Elgar to the end of the innings as they set the Tuskers a tough target.

Dudgeon was by far the pick of the visiting bowlers with impressive figures of 4-53 off his 10 overs.

MOMENTUM MULTIPLY TITANS: Dewald Brevis, Modiri Litheko, Joshua van Heerden, Matthew Kleinveldt, Dean Elgar (capt), Donovan Ferreira (wk), Dayyaan Galiem, Matthew Boast, Aya Gqamane, Junior Dala, Aaron Phangiso

AET TUSKERS: Cameron Delport (capt), Yaseen Valli, Kagiso Rapulana, Tian Koekemoer, Malcolm Nofal, Kyle Nipper, Dilivio Ridgaard (wk), Alindile Mhletywa, Keith Dudgeon, Smangaliso Nhlebela, Thando Ntini