We wrap up Day 3 of the 4-Day Franchise series which saw some top performances from Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram and Lizaad Williams and Wiaan Mulder in the 5th Round of fixtures.

Day 4 will have a pulsating contest that awaits us. The Lions need 249 to win against the Dolphins after quite an eventful Day 3.

It appeared that the Lions would probably fall short, but Rickelton blitzed his way to a mammoth 194 and a priceless 28 from Lutho Sipamla meant that the home side would fold just 13 runs short.

The Dolphins were back under pressure, and understandably so. The Lions bowlers took full advantage of that, reducing the visitors to 52/4 early on. Half centuries from Keegan Petersen (56) and Keshav Maharaj (89) at #8 brought things back in the balance. However, a 4-wicket haul from Wiaan Mulder proved key, as the Dolphins were shot out for 235.

In response, Daryn Dupavillon knocked over Dominic Hendricks early, but it could be anyone’s game on this surface. Stay tuned, fans!

Dolphins 375 + 235 (Maharaj 89, K Petersen 56 – Mulder 4/37)
Lions 362 (Rickelton 194) + 21/1

It was yet another fruitful day, as the Cobras have extended their dominance against the Warriors.

The visitors already had a big task at hand when the Cobras posted 513/6, and a quality collective performance from the home team’s seamers. Left-armer Akhona Mnyaka was back in the mix and took 3 wickets, as did Tshepo Moreki.

The Warriors are nearly bowled out, and it took a couple of half centuries down the order from Aya Gqamane and Marco Jansen to limit the damage. But even then, they’ve just about crossed the halfway mark of the Cobras’ score.

Cobras 513/6 (d)
Warriors 259/9 (Gqamane 55, Jansen 50 – Mnyaka 3/41, Moreki 3/44)

Day 3 has brought about an excellent comeback from the Titans, as the Proteas duo of Dean Elgar and Aiden Markram successfully cleared the first-innings deficit.

Farhaan Behardien’s century yesterday put the Knights in the driver’s seat against his previous franchise team. A handy 58 from Shaun von Berg helped take the Knights past 400.

It seemed like the visitors were clear favorites, but the Proteas openers have changed the script and it’s likely this game may be heading towards a draw. Markram is on the doorstep another fluent ton, and Elgar has dug in to build a masterful partnership.

Titans 263 + 162/0 (Markram 90, Elgar 65)
Knights 414/9 (d) (Behardien 142 – L Williams 4/103)

Photo: Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix