Phiri lights up Kingsmead with scintillating 71, Warriors set Titans 194

Debutant Gomolemo Phiri lit up the ground with a stunning unbeaten 71 off 41 balls to lift the Hollywoodbets Dolphins to a challenging 178 for five wickets in their CSA T20 Challenge match against the Moothee Ram Tuskers at Kingsmead on Saturday.

Phiri, a complete unknown in these parts, was almost entirely responsible for an unbroken sixth-wicket partnership of 71 in 41 balls – with 64 runs coming in the last five overs – that lifted the Dolphins from a troubling 107 for five in the 14th over to their decent 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 Wayne 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 small 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 Ntando 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 Hanu 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 orthodox 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

WARRIORS SET TITANS A DAUNTING 194 TO WIN THEIR CSA T20 CHALLENGE MATCH

A superb 126-run third wicket partnership between captain Matthew de Villiers and JP King powered the Dafabet Warriors to a strong 193/3 batting first in their CSA T20 Challenge match against the Momentum Multiply Titans at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Saturday afternoon.

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.

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.

Muhammad 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 Keagan 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 Andile 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 captain Roelof van der Merwe saw a reverse sweep from De Villiers and a single bring up his fifty, and 13 come off it as they cross 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