Chris Morris consigned the Dolphins to their lowest ever Twenty20 total as the Titans shot to the top of the Ram Slam table with a comprehensive victory at Kingsmead on Wednesday.

The Titans looked to have fallen short of a good total when they were limited to 136-9 on a slow Durban wicket, but Morris returned figures of 4-9 in three overs as the Dolphins were rolled for 70 to give the visitors a 66-run bonus point victory.

While the droughts around the country have led to drier pitches that have aided spin in the competition, that trend changed on Wednesday as the pacemen found a surface to their liking.

The short ball claimed a handful of victims on either side, while the yorker also proved a deadly weapon.

With most batsmen failing to deal with the change, Quinton de Kock’s 38 at the top of the Titans order made all the difference in the end, even with Ryan McLaren using the conditions wisely to bounce out Albie Morkel and york David Wiese and finish with figures of 3-28.

Six of the Titans top seven reached double figures without going any further, a statistic that appeared glum at the innings break but then looked like a luxury at the end of the game.

The Dolphins batting line-up had been powerful in the first half of the competition but there was a suspicion it was being held together by Kevin Pietersen, and so it proved in the first game after the Englishman’s departure.

David Miller (12) and Dwayne Bravo (27) were the only players to reach double figures, as Morris claimed two wickets up front and two later on.

With Morkel (2-14 in four overs) and Junior Dala (2-13 in 2.4 overs) also chipping in – the former using the short ball to good effect and the latter bowling fuller – the Dolphins were bowled out in just 15.4 overs, finishing short of their previous lowest total, which was the 82 they made against the Knights at the same venue last season.