The Cobras put in a solid bowling performance on day one to bowl the Knights out for 279, despite a solid 100 from middle-order batsman Pite van Biljon.
The Cobras hosted the Knights in their first game of the 4-Day Franchise Series on a warm yet murky Cape Town day.
The conditions complimented the typical bouncy Newlands wicket, that gave the Cobras seamers the upper hand in the morning session.
Dane Paterson (3-67) took advantage of what was on offer and dismissed the Knights’ top three. This saw the visitors reduced to 36-3 in just 10 overs.
Newly appointed Knights captain Van Biljon and the classy Rudi Second revived the Knights’ innings. The pair went after the Cobras’ first and second change bowlers – Tladi Bokako (3-51) and Mthiwekhaya Nabe (1-49) – Van Biljon bringing up his half-century off 59 balls.
The pair walked into lunch with 107-3 and a partnership of 71.
They continued where they left off after the break, as they turned their partnership into a 100-run stand. Second joined his skipper on the attack and took his score to 47 before Bokako dismissed the batsman for his first Cobras wicket. Bokako struck again two balls later, this time catching Patrick Kruger lbw for a second-ball duck.
This stalled the Knights for a while, as Van Biljon now tried to build a partnership with Ryan McLaren (52).
Van Biljon pushed on to score a century, a solid performance by the skipper but his celebrations were soon ended by a screaming yorker from Nabe who cleaned out his off stump.
WATCH: Pite van Biljon walks off after a superb captain’s ton for the Knights Cricket against the Cape Cobras.
Gepostet von SA Cricket magazine am Montag, 1. Oktober 2018
McLaren and Corne Dry brought up the visitors’ 200 before tea, after being six down for 179.
They pushed on stringing together a 93-run partnership for the seventh wicket, McLaren leading the way with his 31st half-century. Dry put in a brave effort for his 46, before Rory Kleinveldt (3-56) found his top edge to point, for his first scalp.
Kleinveldt cleaned out the tail and Bokaku took out McLaren, to dismiss the Knights for 279.
The Cobras saw out the day, with Malan brothers Janneman (six) and Pieter (six) batting in their first stint for the Cobras as a pair. The Cobras ended on 12-0.
Photo: Chris Ricco/BackpagePix
