A resounding 7-wicket win against the Warriors has successfully booked a spot in the 4-Day Series Final at home for the Dolphins who will take on the Titans.
As the era of franchise cricket is soon coming to a close, this season is finishing with promise.
The Warriors posted 345 in their second innings, setting up a target of 112 for the Dolphins. Keshav Maharaj’s 6-wicket haul was undoubtedly the star performance that kept the opposition in check.
Senuran Muthusamy put together a solid half-century to see through what was a rather straightforward chase. And he’s been another handy find for the Dolphins with consistent returns opening the batting.
Warriors 124 + 345 (Maharaj 6/93)
Dolphins 358 + 112/3 (Muthusamy 57*)
Lions vs Titans
The Titans are set to take on the Dolphins after securing the top spot in Pool B. Their final league phase game against the Lions ended in a draw. Both captains agreed to settle for a draw with a session left, as a win or draw in the match could not effect who would be in the final and where it would be played. The Dolphins’ win against the Warriors saw them finish with the most points overall and secure a home final.
At the same time, there were multiple commendable returns to appreciate.
Reeza Hendricks, Ryan Rickelton, and Wiaan Mulder – all of whom are on the fringes of the national side – continued to show their calibre with half-centuries. Lizaad Williams, who earned a T20I call-up for the Pakistan series yesterday, took a respectable 4-wicket haul.
It was yet another routine day in the office for Aiden Markram (64), who sparkled with another brisk knock, and put on 125 runs with fellow Proteas opening partner Dean Elgar (68). Markram has enjoyed a wonderful tournament, and his overall returns are well ahead of the rest: 945 runs, with an average of 94.5, and 5 centuries.
Tune in for the action-packed final next week.
Lions 206 + 308/9 (d) (R Hendricks 96, Rickelton 58, Mulder 56* – L Williams 4/74)
Titans 202 + 149/2 (Elgar 68, Markram 64)
Cobras vs Knights
The Cape Cobras have rounded off their final ever home game as a franchise team in style, clinching a massive innings victory against the VKB Knights. Pieter Malan’s record knock of 264, followed by a century from the ever-so-talented Kyle Verreynne, and topped off with masterful career-best returns of 7/29 from George Linde in the second innings, the home team were simply unstoppable.
It’s a pleasant finish for the Cobras, who struggled for much of the season across formats. The return of the Proteas stars further strengthened the side, and delivered to devastating effect. Farhaan Behardien provided the lone resistance for the Knights, but wickets continued to tumble on Day 4, ensuring that they’d end up short by a whopping 215 runs.
Knights 181 + 127 (Behardien 48* – Linde 7/29)
Cobras 523/8 (P Malan 264, Verreynne 109*)
