The Cape Cobras skittled the Dolphins for 171, to win by 64 runs in Durban on Friday night, and with that, take their third victory in a row.
The Cobras now sit at the top of the Momentum One Day Cup standings, after what was a difficult evening for the batsmen. Andrew Puttick’s 68 helped the visitors to 235-8. It was a total that the Dolphins would have expected to have chase down, but a disciplined effort from Cobras bowling attack ensured a simple victory in the end.
The Durban franchise, looking for their third win from five matches, got off to the perfect start, seeing off the dangerous Richard Levi and Omphile Ramela for 0 and 1 respectively thanks to a great opening spell from Craig Alexander.
Puttick and Justin Ontong then went into damage-control mode, as they went at around four an over, but kept wickets intact as they battled to an 84-run stand. With Ontong looking to up the tempo and reach his fifty, Sibonelo Makhanya would find the breakthrough, seeing off the skipper for 45.
Puttick held firm and put together another useful partnership with Lesiba Ngoepe as they added 68. Puttick (68) and Ngoepe (39) both fell in quick succession, but it enabled the lower order to unleash and power past 200 in the final overs. A 23-ball 36 from Rory Kleinveldt pushed them to 235-8.
The Dolphins suffered a similarly poor start with Vaughn van Jaarsveld and Cameron Delport falling for 2 and 0, and unfortunately for the visitors, that set the tempo for the rest of the innings.
Cody Chetty and Daryn Smit laboured to a 25-run stand off 10 overs before Chetty departed for a 50-ball 23. While Smit and Robbie Frylincks 69-run partnership gave them a chance from there, they were forced to play catchup as the required run rate escalated to eight an over.
Frylinck passed 50, but batsmen fell around him, with Robin Peterson in particularly good form, finishing with figures of 2-29 from his allotted overs.
Eventually there was too much left to do. Frylinck fell for 72, before Wayne Parnell wrapped up the innings to seal the impressive away victory.
