In a complete turnaround in fortunes, the Nashua KwaZulu-Natal Dolphins — with all-rounder Shaun Pollock playing a major role with bat and ball — had Western Province (WP) Boland doing well in the first two sessions of the third day of their Supersport Series cricket match at the Sahara Stadium in Kingsmead on Saturday.
First, the Dolphins came from 110 runs behind at the start of the morning to head WP Boland by 42 runs and then — before the first-innings deficit was obliterated — had batsmen Graeme Smith, Herschelle Gibbs, Andrew Puttick Jacques Kallis and Thami Tsolekile back in the dressing room.
To further add to their woes, century-maker JP Duminy had returned to Cape Town on Friday after breaking a finger bone while fielding. So at tea they were in effect six down for 36.
It was sensational stuff but a rearguard action of exemplary cricket saw Province move to 115 for seven off 44 overs and a lead of 73 runs taking the match into its final day on Sunday. The Dolphins had scored 388 in reply to 346 by WP Boland in the first turn at bat.
The Dolphins morning-session batting was highlighted by an eighth-wicket stand of 108 between Duncan Brown (55) and Lance Klusener (66) after Shaun Pollock had also contributed 66 earlier.
Klusener fell to the last ball before lunch and to a caught-behind decision that may have been slightly suspect.
Their 108 was compiled in 162 minutes as they destroyed the WP Boland attack to such an extent that the normally miserly Alan Dawson went for 101 runs in his 26,3 overs.
If there was to be a high spot for WP Boland at all, apart from fine rearguard action by Ashwell Prince to stem the tide later, it was by way of wicketkeeper Tsolekile who had his name listed in Supersport Series statistics as the 11th man to achieve seven catches in an innings.
Pollock, who took four for 74 in Province’s first innings, was almost unplayable in the second against the Province top order. He had Smith leg before off his second delivery to start the rot and then Gibbs (two) and Puttick (nine) taken in the slips by Dale Benkenstein, who also nearly had Kallis off the same bowler before he had scored.
Pollock finished with three for 20 off 13 overs.
Then Mufenko Ngam, coming into the attack, bowled something of a long hop to Kallis who top-edged the delivery to Lance Klusener to be dismissed for 21 off 37 balls, including four boundaries. Not done yet, Johann Louw in his first over removed Tsolekile to a Jon Kent slip catch without scoring.
Rory Kleinveldt and skipper Ashwell Prince halted the slide until Kleinveldt played at a wide delivery from Ngam and was caught by that man Pollock at first slip for 17. Alan Dawson (12) departed after a poor shot to Klusener.
Then came a bit of solid batsmanship on the part of WP Boland skipper Ashwell Prince (47 not out), who shielded 10th man Paul Adams (four not out off 39 balls) in a stubborn 30-run partnership that took the match into its fourth day.
In the latter stages of the Dolphins’ first innings on Saturday morning, Pollock batted 122 minutes and hit 10 fours, Klusener was at the crease for 162 minutes with nine fours and Brown batted for 199 minutes and hit six boundaries. — Sapa