The opening pair of Morne van Wyk and Cameron Delport made history by putting on 367 for the first wicket in their match against the Knights in Bloemfontein on Friday.
All six teams were in action on a night that produced comfortable victories for the Cobras and Lions. Despite the Dolphins incredible innings, they were made to sweat for their win, but they managed to secure the points in the end.
The Dolphins won the toss and decided to bat first against the Knights on an absolute road. They piled on the runs and broke records along the way, posting 467-0 in their allotted overs. Morne van Wyk scored 175 off 171 balls, while Cameron Delport smashed 169 from just 130 deliveries at the other end.
It appeared as if the Knights would be on the receiving end of another hiding, but Reeza Hendricks had other ideas. He broke a record of his own, scoring 181 at the top of the order off just 135 deliveries. He was well supported by Rudi Second, who became the fourth centurion of the match, scoring 107 off 124 balls.
At 289-2 in the 44th over, the Knights were on track to pull off an incredible win. However, Second and Hendricks fell in quick succession and the middle order couldn’t get the home side over the line. They finished on 342-7, falling 25 runs short of the mammoth target.
In Johannesburg, the Lions outplayed the Titans in all departments. Alviro Petersen and Stephen Cook scored 76 and 55 at the top of the order, respectively. On the back of the solid start, the hosts would have been disappointed with their total of 260-8 at the end of 50 overs.
It’s notoriously difficult to defend at the Wanderers, and for this reason the Titans would have backed themselves to coast home. However, the top order lacked discipline and at 75-5 in the 19th over, the match was over as a contest.
David Wiese’s run-a-ball 77 brought some respectability to the score, but it only delayed the inevitable. The Titans slumped to a 38-run defeat, but at least managed to prevent the Lions from earning the bonus point.
The Cobras machine rumbled into Port Elizabeth and left with their second successive victory on the road. Andrew Puttick scored 101, his second century in as many matches, and together with Richard Levi put on 140 for the first wicket. Levi was the first to go for 75, but their opening stand set up the comfortable win for the men from Cape Town.
The middle order struggled a bit, but managed to get the visitors to 278-7. In reply, Colin Ingram was the only Warrior who showed any fight. He compiled a gutsy 101, before becoming Robin Peterson’s fifth victim. The left-arm spinner finished with the figures of 5-25 to ensure victory over his former team. When the hosts were dismissed for 206 in the 46th over, they were still a substantial 72 runs short.
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