Career-best franchise figures by Migael Pretorius helped the Imperial Lions take control after the opening day of their 4-Day Domestic Series encounter with the Dolphins in Johannesburg on Monday.

The right-arm seamer claimed 5-80 – his third five-for in first-class cricket and maiden one at this level – as the defending champions bowled out the visitors for 235 at the Wanderers Stadium.

Dominic Hendricks (36 off 41 balls) then led a dominant reply alongside Joshua Richards (eight) as the hosts reached stumps on 50-0 – trailing by 185.

It ended a strong day by the Lions on the first day of red-ball cricket at the Bullring in 2019-20. They were dominant for most of the day as the bottom-of-the-table Dolphins, who bar captain Marques Ackerman (61 off 122 balls, 8 fours) struggled.

The men from KwaZulu-Natal won the toss and batted first, but they lost wickets regularly throughout the 74.1 overs they faced.

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Jason Oakes (38) and Grant Roelofsen (18) provided their side with a solid start that yielded 46, before Migael Pretorius struck by having the latter caught behind by Nicky van den Bergh, his first of five catches on the day.

The miserly Dwaine Pretorius (3-25) then got Oakes, and after Cody Chetty (4) fell quickly to Migael, returning Standard Bank Proteas all-rounder Senuran Muthusamy (23) helped Ackerman add an innings-high 72 for the fourth wicket.

Dwaine eventually ended the partnership, before 24-year-old Migael and Malusi Siboto (2-54) made relatively light work of the tail, albeit at the expense of some bat-throwing by Andile Phehlukwayo (30), Keith Dudgeon (25) and Robbie Frylinck (23).

The usually sedate Hendricks was then the aggressor as the hosts drove home their advantage by ending well on their homecoming.

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