Lhuan-dre Pretorius’ hundred helped the Northerns Titans secure a draw in the 4-Day Series final and a share of the title with the Central Gauteng Lions.
Resuming the fifth and final morning at the Wanderers on 118-3, and still needing another 172 to make the hosts bat again, Pretorius, Keegan Petersen and Rivaldo Moonsamy played key roles to help the visitors bat out the day and eventually reach 371 when they were bowled out with what proved to be the final ball of the day.
At that stage, the lead was 81, but with the light dwindling, the umpires decided to call off play as the cross Jukskei rivals had to settle for a share of the trophy.
There is no doubt which of the two sides would have been happier with the outcome.
The Titans entered the final day of a match in which four sessions were lost due to a wet outfield with the odds hugely against them. But they turned the tables to secure an honourable draw.
The usually attacking Pretorius was at the heart of the outcome after he batted for more than five hours for 114 off 209 balls (13 fours).
The left-hander, who was 30* overnight, first put on 75 with Petersen (75 off 169 balls; eight fours) for the fourth wicket as the visitors dug deep following a difficult start to their follow-on innings.
That partnership took them to 180, before a 140-run fifth-wicket stand between the teenage centurion and Moonsamy (79 off 195 balls; 16 fours) that went a long way towards ultimately stretching the game beyond the Titans.
By the time Pretorius fell after posting his third career century, the game was already into its final session.
Andile Phehlukwayo fell for a duck in the same over to star Lions bowler Bjorn Fortuin, who bagged 5-123 in a marathon 48 overs, to open up the game once again.
However, Moonsamy then carried the baton forward for his side, and even though he was dismissed late on, the lead and time worked against the reigning champions, and they had to settle for a share of the trophy in 2024-25.
Photo: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images
