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Titans crush Lions by 117 runs in T20 Challenge

rugby27 September 2024 19:56| © MWP
By:Ross Roche
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The Momentum Multiply Titans claimed a mammoth 117-run win over defending champions DP World Lions in their T20 Challenge clash at DP World Wanderers in Johannesburg on Friday night.

After the Lions won the toss and put the Titans in to bat, the visitors were powered by half centuries from Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Keegan Petersen and Donovan Ferreira as they amassed a monster 258/6 in their 20 overs.

The Lions' chase was over within the first three overs as they crashed to 8/5, however a big half century from Evan Jones, 83 off 48 balls (5x4; 6x6) saved their blushes as they eventually finished on 141/8.

Dayaan Galiem (3/22) and Roelof van der Merwe (3/28) ran riot at the start of the hosts' chase, with opener Zubayr Hamza (2) hitting Van Der Merwe straight to Dewald Brevis at cow corner in the first over.

In the second over bowled by Galiem, Muhammad Mannack was caught at point and captain Mitchell van Buuren was bowled by a peach of a delivery that shaped away, both fell for third ball ducks as the home team slipped to 3/3.

Wandile Makwetu (4) then chipped an easy catch back to Van Der Merwe, before he had Connor Esterhuizen trapped LBW for a third ball duck, leaving their chase in tatters after just 2.5 overs.

Jones then arrived at the crease to join Delano Potgieter (28) and they showed some fight with a 75-run sixth-wicket partnership off 62 balls. The pair played carefully, putting away the bad balls as they took their side to 50/5 at the halfway stage of the innings.

Jones started teeing off in the 13th as he smacked two sixes and a four in a total of 19 coming off Tsepo Ndwandwa’s over.

But an action-packed 14th saw the back of Potgieter, skying a delivery from Galiem back to the bowler. This was followed by Jones hitting two boundaries to reach his half century, and then Codi Yusuf being run out off the last ball as they slipped further to 93/7.

Lutho Sipamla (13*) then stuck around with Jones in a 45-run eighth-wicket stand, hitting back-to-back sixes off van der Merwe in the 16th over, before he was finally run out in the last over.

TITANS' BIG 1ST INNINGS

In the first innings Pretorius smashed 82 off 43 balls (10x4; 5x6) and Petersen hammered 66 off 40 (7x4; 3x6) as they mauled the Lions' bowling attack in a 152-run third wicket partnership off just 70 balls, setting the platform for their huge total.

Ferreira then produced the late innings fireworks, crashing an 18-ball 50 before he was finally dismissed for 53 off 19 (5x4; 3x6), but by then the damage was already done.

Rivaldo Moonsamy (4) was the early wicket to fall in the second over, cracking his first delivery from Kwena Maphaka for four, but the 18-year-old matriculant speared in a second ball yorker to bowl the opener and send him on his way with the score on 19/1.

That brought Petersen in and along with Pretorius they teed off, with the 50 coming up in the fifth over and the team reaching 77/1 by the end of the 6th over Powerplay.

The carnage continued as Pretorius brought up his half century and the team hundred in the eighth over by pumping Potgieter back over his head for a boundary.

A 21-run 10th over from Potgieter, where Pretorius smashed two sixes and a four, saw the Titans reach 142/1 at the halfway mark.

The first ball of the 11th over saw Petersen reach his 50 with a six over cow corner off Junaid Dawood, and with 18 coming from the over the Titans were flying on 160/1 with a net run rate of 14.55 at that stage.

Two tight overs from Sipamla and Maphaka with 5 and 6 runs respectively, saw the breakthrough come when Pretorius mishit the last ball from Maphaka straight to Jones at fine leg, with the score 171/2.

Dewald Brevis came in, crunched a four and a six, and was run out for 11 off four balls, and Petersen hit Potgieter to Jones at long on, as they reached to 204/4.

The Ferreira show then kicked into gear as he launched the ball to all parts of the ground, also surviving a drop by Jones in the 17th over after top-edging Sipamla with his score on 40.

He immediately made Jones pay as he bowled the 18th, hitting a four, a two and crashing a six over deep extra cover to reach his half century, but he fell the very next ball as he again top edged, with wicketkeeper Makwetu taking a good catch running backwards.

Sibonelo Makhanya (11*) hit a six off Sipamla in the final over to get the Titans over the 250-run mark.

DP WORLD LIONS: Zubayr Hamza, Wandile Makwetu (wk), Muhammad Manack, Mitchell Van Buuren (c), Connor Esterhuizen, Delano Potgieter, Evan Jones, Codi Yusuf, Lutho Sipamla, Kwena Maphaka, Junaid Dawood

MOMENTUM MULTIPLY TITANS: Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Rivaldo Moonsamy, Keegan Petersen (c), Dewald Brevis, Sibonelo Makhanya, Donovan Ferreira, Dayaan Galiem, Corbin Bosch, Roelof van der Merwe, Junior Dala, Tshepo Ndwandwa

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