File photo – Henry Davids scored his seventh List A hundred © LatinContent/Getty Images
Massive hundreds from openers Jonathan Vandiar and Henry Davids blasted Titans to a total of 400 and a 158-run win against Cape Cobras in Cape Town. Only two Cobras batsmen scored more than 30 as legspinner Shaun von Berg‘s 4 for 65 helped bowl them out for 242.
After opting to bat, Titans had a gargantuan opening stand of 313 between Vandiar and Davids, both struck five sixes each and ended with a similar strike rate of just over 123. The partnership passed 50 and 150 at a run rate of exactly six per over before they launched into the Cobras attack. Davids reached his century first, off 93 balls in the 31st over, and Vandiar registered his off 100 balls soon after. Davids was the more attacking of the two from then on but it was Vandiar who teed the score past 300 with consecutive sixes off Dane Piedt in the 41st over. The partnership was broken when he was caught behind for 153, his sixth List A hundred, that was studded with 15 fours.
Davids was also dismissed by Lizaad Williams, for 163 off 132 balls that featured 14 fours. Albie Morkel’s 32 off 18 helped the score past 350 before Titans collected 27 runs off the last three overs to reach 400.
Cobras’ chase was dented early when von Berg dismissed Richard Levi in the fourth over and Stiaan van Zyl was run out eight balls later. Omphile Ramela and Dane Vilas joined forces in the eighth over for a solid stand of 131 in only 15.2 overs to steer them past 150. But Ramela was run out too, for 63, and Cobras slipped from 174 for 3 to 206 for 8. Vilas’ 88 off 60 balls also went in vain as Cobras lasted 34.5 overs. Morne Morkel, who was picked in the Test side earlier on Friday, finished with 2 for 52.
File photo – Keshav Maharaj took his second five-wicket haul in List A matches © BCCI
Left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj and medium-pacer Robbie Frylinck shared nine wickets between them to help Dolphins to a 27-run win over Lions in Durban. The victory was built on a 145-run fifth-wicket partnership between Khaya Zondo (74 off 98 balls) and Sibonelo Makhanya (82 off 83 balls) that revived Dolphins to 245 for 7 from a position of 48 for 4.
Lions were 213 for 6 at the beginning of the 46th over – with the set pair of Nono Pongolo – 31 off 36 balls – and Temba Bavuma – 74 off 94 balls – at the crease – when Frylinck struck three times in one over to derail the Lions chase. He dismissed both set batsmen and removed Aaron Phangiso for a duck to finish with figures of 4 for 43. Maharaj chipped in with regular wickets through the innings, including that of opener Reeza Hendricks and last-man Beuran Hendricks to return figures of 5 for 40, his second five-wicket haul in List A games, as Lions lost their first game of the tournament.
Earlier, two wickets from Bjorn Fortuin and a run-out meant Dolphins had lost four wickets by the 16th over, before Zondo and Makhanya struck half-centuries . Their 162-ball partnership took Dolphins close to the 200-run mark, after which useful knocks from Maharaj and Calvin Savage took the total close to 250.
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Source: ESPN Crickinfo