There were a number of excellent performances and moments on day 3 of the 3rd Round of the 4-Day Franchise Series and we bring you all the action in our wrap of the day.
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DOLPHINS VS COBRAS
Well, what’s new? Yet another game with younger players taking full toll of priceless game time and cashing in well.
Lifa Ntanzi, the 19-year-old tearaway quick, serially rushed the Cobras batsmen for pace and was rewarded with three well-deserved wickets. For the record, it’s only his second game in this format, and it’s remarkable how he’s stepped up to impactful effect.
Tony de Zorzi, the Cobras left-hander, scored a determined 58, but wickets fell regularly for the visitors. Contributions from Savage, Bosch, and the lower order pushed them past the 300 benchmark.
Senuran Muthusamy’s game has been progressively getting better each day. He held the fort well with the bat in the first innings, and took four wickets today, three of which were the Cobras lower-order. This helped set up a lead of 77, and the Dolphins have begun confidently in their second innings so far. It’s anyone’s game, but there’s plenty of promise in both teams.
Dolphins 389/8 (d) + 55/0
Cape Cobras 312 (de Zorzi 58, Hamza 46 – Muthusamy 4/48, Ntanzi 3/51)
LIONS VS KNIGHTS
After a shaky start early on, the Lions have staged a spirited fightback at home, against the formidable Knights.
The visitors were 111/1 at the end of yesterday’s play, but 7 wickets between Wiaan Mulder and Delano Potgieter gradually shifted the momentum towards the Lions. Jonathan Vandiar did well to score 68, but wickets started falling fairly quickly soon after.
In response, the Lions have got off to a picture-perfect start, scoring just about half the runs of their chase. Joshua Richards, playing his first game of the season, has rebounded well from his first-innings duck. As the saying goes, it ain’t over until it’s over, but the Lions have ascended well in a successful day of clinical cricket.
Knights 300 + 235 in 78 overs (Vandiar 68, van Tonder 47 – Potgieter 4/41, Mulder 3/48)
Lions 202 + 166/0 in 43 overs (Richards 82, Hendricks 80)
WARRIORS VS TITANS
All eyes are on Aiden Markram, as he scored yet another scintillating century in the competition, and the second one in this game. He may have missed out on the white-ball series, but finding this level of form early in the 4-Day Series is both a confidence builder as well as a preparation for more opportunities in Test cricket.
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Sinethemba Qeshile may have narrowly missed out on his maiden first-class century, but the significance of his well-compiled 97 was second to none, as the Warriors’ handy first-innings advantage set the tone for the day’s play. Considering this is only his second season, we’ve seen that he’s a fast learner and adapts to the situation well.
Going to the bowling, Okuhle Cele’s 4-wicket haul helped pull things back slightly for the Titans, but twin 3-wicket hauls between left-arm spinner Lesiba Ngoepe and left-arm pacer Marco Jansen have firmly put the visitors in the driver’s seat. With a lead of 193 and just 3 wickets in hand, it’ll be intriguing to see what the remainder of this game entails.
Photo: Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix
