Debutant Phiri smashes 64 in 32 balls to take Dolphins to victory

Gomolemo Phiri enjoyed a dream debut for the Hollywoodbets Dolphins, striking an unbeaten 64 in just 32 balls to take his team to a 14-run victory over neighbours Moothee Ram Tuskers (KZN Inland) in their CSA T20 Challenge match at Kingsmead on Saturday.

Phiri, who richly deserved his batter of the match award, struck his runs at a crucial time for the Dolphins after they had fallen to 107 for five in the 14th over. Showing no fear, the youngster hit four fours and five sixes in his innings, enabling the Dolphins to add 64 in the last five overs to reach a challenging 178 for five.

That proved to be enough, despite a fighting 55 in 33 balls from elegant left-hander Sean Gilson who gave the Dolphins a fright in the middle overs after he and skipper Michael Erlank added 58 in just 23 balls for the fifth wicket.

However, Erlank was stumped coming down the wicket to Jon-Jon Smuts with the canny left-arm spinner directing a wide ball that enabled wicketkeeper Hanu Viljoen to effect a stumping. Six runs later Gilson holed out into the deep off Andile Mokoena having struck four fours and four sixes – all beautifully timed strokes – and the Tuskers’ fate was cast.

There was a final note of defiance from the Pietermaritzburg-based team, with Ntando Zuma and Wayne Parnell adding 46 in 43 balls for the seventh wicket, but the feeling was always there that the visitors had left themselves a little too much to do.

The Tuskers’ innings began on a note of drama as new Dolphins’ signing Anrich Nortje showed that he is approaching full fitness again after a long period out in the injury wilderness. Although his first ball was hooked for six by Cameron Shekelton, his second struck him in the chest and his third, a searing yorker, ripped out his off-stump. That must have been a sweet sight for the national selectors.

Nortje repeated the feat in his second over, this time knocking back the middle-stump of the Tuskers’ other opener, Kagiso Rapulana, with another yorker, and the Proteas’ paceman would have been well pleased with his 2/28 off his four overs, earning himself the bowler of the match award.

The Tuskers undermined their own momentum with two unnecessary run-outs, with Andile Mogakane, who had looked dangerous scoring 25 off 18 balls, slipping and falling flat on his face attempting a second run, while Chad Laycock was run out by his partner Gilson going for an unlikely second run.

Gilson more than made up for those lapses with some superb strokes, although his efforts were eventually not enough.

Aside from Nortje, Smuts showed good control with left-arm spin, taking 1/21 off his four overs. The Dolphins’ outfielding was particularly good, with no catches being dropped and the likes of the slippery Slade van Staden patrolling the boundary rope to good effect.

Earlier, it was Phiri who was the star of the Dolphins’ batting show. A complete unknown in these parts, Phiri was almost entirely responsible for an unbroken sixth-wicket partnership of 71 in 41 balls with Romashan Pillay – with 64 runs coming off the last five overs – that lifted the Dolphins from a troubling 107 for five in the 14th over to their final total. The youngster from St David’s Marist Inanda struck five sixes and four fours in his knock, showing no fear and plenty of determination and hitting power. One of the bowlers to suffer badly was former Protea Parnell who was slammed for 49 runs in his three overs.

The reason for Phiri’s appearance, and that of fellow debutant Aryan Gopalan, was the fact that the Dolphins were missing 10 first-choice players to injury and national duty. That meant that the team was young and unusually inexperienced.

Not that that worried Phiri who electrified the enthusiastic Kingsmead crowd with his hitting. His final six, off Daryn Dupavillon in the final over, was a huge blow over midwicket that was his most powerful strike of all and the youngster walked off to a hero’s reception.

The Dolphins had been asked to bat first by the Tuskers after Michael Erlank had won the toss in the KZN derby encounter. The home team began well with openers Tshepang Dithole and Khaya Zondo putting on 42 in 27 balls before Zondo mistimed paceman Ziyaad Abrahams straight up in the air for keeper Zuma to complete a comfortable catch.

The left-handed Dithole struck five boundaries, most of them excellent drives, before edging a square cut off Parnell to the keeper. Skipper Jon-Jon Smuts followed, mistiming a lofted drive to mid-off for just 10. Slade van Staden got a start, as did Viljoen, but both fell to catches in the deep with Abrahams picking up a particularly good one on the square leg boundary to see off Viljoen.

It was now time for the Phiri show, and how the youngster propelled the innings forward as he showed tremendous power against all the bowlers.

Left-arm spinner Sean Whitehead was the best of the Tuskers’ bowlers, bowling wicket to wicket and cleverly varying his pace and flight to take 1/21 off his four overs.

HOLLYWOODBETS DOLPHINS: Khaya Zondo, Tshepang Dithole, Jon-Jon Smuts (capt), Slade van Staden, Hanu Viljoen (wk), Gomolelo Phiri, Romashan Pillay, Nqobani Mokoena, Tristan Luus, Aryan Gopalan, Anrich Nortje

MOOTHEE RAM TUSKERS: Kagiso Rapulana, Cameron Shekleton, Andile Mogakane, Chad Laycock, Michael Erlank (capt), Sean Gilson, Wayne Parnell, Ntando Zuma (wk), Sean Whitehead, Daryn Dupavillon, Ziyaad Abrahams

KING, DE VILLIERS AND WARRIORS BOWLERS STAR IN T20 THRASHING OF TITANS

Batters JP King and captain Matthew De Villiers, and the Dafabet Warriors bowlers, led by Matthew Boast and Kerwin Mungroo, helped their side clinch a thumping 86-run win over the Momentum Multiply Titans in their CSA T20 Challenge match at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Saturday.

Both batters hit half centuries, King crunching five sixes and five fours for a career best unbeaten 76 off 43 balls, while De Villiers in his first senior T20 game cracked 12 fours in his 74 off 48, as the Warriors, sent in to bat, powered to a strong 193/3 in their 20 overs.

The Titans chase was then practically a procession of wickets, as Boast, 4/23 in 3.1 overs, and Mungroo, 3/24 off four, were the key wicket takers in a top all-round bowling effort, while Wesley Bedja, 1/14 in his four, also impressed for the visitors.

The Titans chase got off to a disastrous start as they crashed to 44/6 in the ninth over, which effectively ended their challenge.

Opener Andile Phehlukwayo (9) started the slide in the second over, clipping Boast straight to Patrick Kruger at midwicket, with him taking a good low catch.

Boast struck again in the fourth over, removing Josh Jordaan (8), who had just deposited him over deep backward square leg for six, getting him next ball as he skied it to Muhammad Manack at deep backward point, leaving them on 23/2.

The Titans managed to reach the end of the powerplay on 38/2, but in the next over Mungroo stepped in and had Gerhardus Maree (11) edging behind to keeper Jean du Plessis, followed a few balls later by Steve Stolk (8) top edging and the keeper doing the rest as they slipped to 39/4.

Spinner Thomas Kaber had Marco Jansen (1) stumped by Du Plessis, and Sibonelo Makhanya (4) guided Bedja straight to Mungroo at short third man, as the hosts continued to crumble.

Although the run rate was basically out of site at this point, Keagan Lion-Cachet, 25 off 21 balls (2x4; 1x6) and Dayyaan Galiem, 16 off nine (1x4; 1x6), tried to give their side a boost with a sprightly 32-run stand off 24 balls.

But both fell within six balls of each other, Galiem caught by Kaber at long on off Mungroo, and Lion-Cachet caught by JP King at deep backward square leg off Boast, leaving them in tatters on 88/8 in the 14th over.

Captain Roelof van der Merwe (8) and last man Tabraiz Shamsi (6no) , helped the Titans get over 100, but Boast soon splattered the captains stumps with them all out for 107.

In the first innings it was a superb 126-run third wicket partnership between De Villiers and King that led the Warriors to their impressive total.

That helped the visitors set the platform and maximise during the last five overs of the innings as they smashed a brilliant 75 runs to set the hosts a daunting 194 to win the match.

The first nine overs of the innings belonged to the Titans, who had won the toss and chosen to bowl, as they kept the Warriors in check with them on 59/2 at that stage.

Both Warriors openers were dismissed relatively cheaply, Modiri Litheko (11) out first in the fourth over, stunningly caught one handed by a diving Marco Jansen running across from mid on after he popped the ball over bowler Junior Dala’s head.

Manack (10) followed at the start of the sixth, showing no foot movement as he flashed at a full ball from Jansen and edged to keeper Lion-Cachet, leaving them in a spot of bother on 27/2.

But that brought King in to join De Villiers and they initially started slowly, rebuilding the innings, before De Villiers decided to unleash in the 10th over from Phehlukwayo, as he hammered four boundaries, three in a row at the start, as 18 came off it.

That started the fun and in the 12th over, King, who hit all the sixes in the Warriors innings, hammered his first over long off, off Dala, as 10 came from it.

The 13th from Van der Merwe saw a reverse sweep for four from De Villiers and a single bring up his fifty, and 13 come off it as they crossed the 100-run mark.

Having reached 118/2 after 15 overs, the Warriors then unleashed as 13 each came off Phelukwayo’s 16th and Shamsi’s 17th, King launching sixes in both.

De Villiers finally fell in the 18th, after hitting Jansen for back-to-back fours he was pinned in front LBW, but 11 still came off it.

It was then the King show in the final two overs, as two huge sixes over deep square leg, two fours and four wides saw 26 come off Dala’s 19th, while Galiem’s 20th went for a more sedate 12, as the Warriors reached the break with plenty of momentum.

MOMENTUM MULTIPLY TITANS: Steve Stolk, Andile Phehlukwayo, Josh Jordan, Gerhardus Maree, Sibonelo Makhanya, Keagan Lion-Cachet (wk), Marco Jansen, Dayyaan Galiem, Roelof van der Merwe (capt), Junior Dala, Tabraiz Shamsi

DAFABET WARRIORS: Modiri Litheko, Muhammad Manack, Matthew de Villiers (capt), JP King, Patrick Kruger, Jean du Plessis (wk), Thomas Kaber, Aphiwe Mnyanda, Matthew Boast, Wesley Bedja, Kerwin Mungroo