Titans fast-bowler Brendon Reddy put the skids on the KwaZulu-Natal Dolphins with two wickets in his second over in their Standard Bank Pro20 cricket match at Kingsmead on Wednesday night. The Centurion side had the KwaZulu-Natal team on the ropes at 125 for five with less than five overs to be bowled in reply to their 179 for seven when rain brought play to an end. It was enough to give them the spoils by nine runs under the Duckworth-Lewis system.
Requiring nine runs to the over, the Dolphins, batting second after losing the toss, were always up against it and when they had lost their top four batsmen for 62 off eight overs, it was merely a matter of time before the Titans took home the points.
Hashim Amla, who made 19 off 15 balls with four fours, was bowled by Reddy after he had Kyle Smit (2) taken by Martin van Jaarsveld and then Ethney Mbhalati joined in the fun to stun the 7 000-strong crowd with the wickets of Jon Kent (7) and Robbie Frylinck (6).
But whereas the Titans enjoyed seven big overs of 10 or more, the Dolphins were generally held in check, except when Zander Bruyn was hammered for 16 in the 11th over.
It was a couple of spilt catches and one of sheer brilliance disallowed because of a no-ball that blunted the Dolphins’ effort as the Titans had batted first at a rate of 8,9 to the over with six sixes and 18 fours.
The disallowed catch was taken by a diving Jon Kent in the deep, but bowler Lance Klusener had been called for an illegal delivery.
In between there had been a number of fine stoppages by enthusiastic Dolphins fielders that frustrated the free-scoring Titans men, especially in the period between the fifth and 10th overs when only 33 runs were conceded.
But the Titans stuck to their guns, notably with a third-wicket stand of 60 off 40 balls between skipper Van Jaarsveld (57), who in his 44-minute stay at the crease managed to strike two huge sixes and two powerful fours, and Gerald Dros (29), whose clean striking brought him two sixes and two fours.
Andrew Tweedie had 22 runs taken off his first two overs and 30 off his next two as he conceded 30 that included 19 in one particular punishing over.
Klusener got a wicket off his first ball, when he induced AB de Villiers (27) to hit one high into the heavens where wicketkeeper Daryn Smit fastened on to a good catch. However, the Dolphins skipper conceded 31 runs from his four overs.
Nantie Hayward got into the act with a wicket that threatened the Titans at one stage, but in the end it was left to medium-pacer Zahir Abrihim to claim bowling honours in a highly commendable spell with three for 30 as the weather held until the middle of the Dolphins innings, when rain began falling as forecast. — Sapa