Chris Morris slammed 45 runs off 16 balls to give the Titans a winning target of 302 and set up their third win in the Momentum One Day Cup in Benoni on Friday night.
His contribution boosted the Titans from a precarious 229-6 in the 46th over to what proved an insurmountable total against the Knights as they won by 55 runs with three overs to spare.
Given the freedom to attack, against a line-up who had to hit the ground running, Albie Morkel and Ethy Mbhalati smashed into the Knights’ top-order, reducing them to 36-3.
While Rilee Rossouw and Pite van Biljon then did well to put on 87 at nearly seven an over, it was a momentum they could not sustain, and when Van Biljon fell, caught and bowled by Junior Dala, the slide started. Tumelo Bodibe (0) and Rossouw (62 off 52) were dismissed by Tabraiz Shamsi’s left-arm spin within two overs and the heart had gone.
Despite the fact that Werner Coetsee and Malusi Siboto (42 off 55) put on 79 for the seventh wicket, it was restricted to under five an over: too little, too late. Coetsee was eventually run out for 48 off 56 balls and the tail folded tamely.
Earlier, the Titans might even have erred on the side of conservative, for they took 27 overs to get to 121 for the loss of Quinton de Kock (22) at under 4.5 an over. And then they stumbled. Out went Henry Davids (65) and Heino Kuhn (0) to Coetsee’s off-spin for the addition of one run.
But Faf du Plessis led the recovery, eventually ending with 72 off 85 balls with five fours and a six. The target was still in the balance, but the standard was raised by Morkel (40 off 28 balls) and Morris, blasting two fours and five sixes at a strike rate of 281.
