Cape Cobras captain Dane Piedt marked a momentous 100th first-class match with a sterling all-round performance in the Cobras’ innings and 71-run win over the Lions.
Piedt scored five runs in two innings and took just two wickets in the Cobras’ first match of the 4-Day Franchise Series campaign when they beat the Knights by four wickets in Cape Town.
Their second match victory over the Lions has put them top of the 4-Day Series table, with the Cobras rolling the Lions for 104 in their first innings at the Wanderers, with Piedt not needing to bring himself into the action as his pace attack did all the damage.
The Cobras scored 529 in their first innings, with two centuries and three half-centuries, Piedt recording the lowest of those five scores with a well played 57 off 68 balls (10 fours).
‘I cannot ask for a better performance from my team … bowling a team out for 104 and then completely dominating them with the bat,’ Piedt told IOL after the match.
‘The sweetest part of everything is that a team with an average age of 25 stood up in critical moments in the game.’
It was Piedt himself who stood up at a critical moment and rose to the challenge to bowl the Lions out in their second innings, recording the incredible figures of 43-5-118-7 (econ 2.74) to take his career wickets tally to 344 (S/R 58.3).
‘I sat in my room last night, watching the Test in Dubai [Australia vs Pakistan], and thought to myself, that’s what I have to do, rotate at one end, and that ensure the young guys weren’t bowled into the ground. It was a weird kind of pitch, quite dry and it actually favoured me. I sensed blood and took the opportunity,’ added Piedt, who has played seven Tests for the Proteas, taking 24 wickets.
Piedt’s wickets included that of the Lions’ four top scorers, including Stephen Cook for 103 off 198 balls.
Having mopped up the tail with consecutive deliveries, Piedt is now on a hat-trick the next time he bowls in a first-class match, although there are many who deny that it would be worthy of hat-trick status. With his side sitting on top of the log, Piedt is not likely to be too concerned either way.
Photo: Dane Piedt (Instagram)
