Winning cricket returned to Newlands on Friday night as the Cape Cobras celebrated their first limited-overs win of the season against the Dolphins in their opening Pro20 Series match.
Since beating the Lions in a Supersport Series match in Johannesburg in November, the Cobras had played 11 matches in the various competitions without a victory. The visitors suffered their eighth successive defeat in the competition, spread over three seasons.
The other trappings of the instant form of the game also returned, but the other welcome return was the crowd of more than 10 000.
JP Duminy returned to star in the Cobras’ batting line-up. Out of action during the period when the Cobras’ batting experienced a dramatic slump, the classy left-hander scored his first half-century in the competition and finished with an unbeaten 67 off just 50 balls. His innings included five fours and two sixes.
Ian Harvey got the ball rolling before slicing the economical Yassiem Abdullah to third man, but Andrew Puttick struggled to make the telling hits expected by the large crowd as he scored 29 off 33 balls in almost an hour’s batting. Rory Kleinveldt, Henry Davids and Renier Munnik planted some lusty blows as the Cobras posted the highest 20-over total recorded to date at Newlands.
Andrew Tweedie suffered in the closing stages, conceding 26 in his final spell of two overs, but he did claim the wicket of Davids. No bowler really got collared, although Nantie Hayward was super-subbed in favour of Robert Frylinck after just two overs.
Abdullah, who bowled his four overs straight up at the start of the innings, had the best figures of one for 18. Hashim Amla injured a finger early in the innings in dropping an early chance off Harvey, but was still able to open the batting.
The visitors made a solid start as Kyle Smit and Hashim Amla swept their way to an opening stand of 58 in eight overs. Paul Adams, celebrating his 29th birthday, proved the unlikely breakthrough bowler. Playing his first match for the franchise since the break in the Supersport Series, he tempted Amla to waltz down the pitch to a wide outside off stump, and he was stumped by the proverbial country mile.
Smit was dropped in the next over by Duminy, but Quinton Friend had the last laugh as he had Jon Kent caught off an inside edge later in the over. Adams then had Smit caught on the boundary, but conceded 23 runs off his final over.
This should have been different, as Duminy palmed a catch at deep midwicket over the boundary from the first ball, and batsman Dale Benkenstein celebrated with two more sixes and a four.
Benkenstein and Ahmed Amla kept the partnership going, but the required rate kept mounting. The stand was to realise 73 runs in seven overs, a new competition record. From the last three overs the Dolphins needed 37. Harvey was introduced into the attack at this crucial stage, and conceded eight in his opening over. Alan Dawson followed up with four impeccable deliveries, conceding five off the first four balls. Amla then bludgeoned both the remaining balls through midwicket, leaving 16 required.
Benkenstein hit a full toss to cow corner from the first ball, but was bowled by the second. Lance Klusener could manage only a single off his first delivery, and was run out off the next ball.
Harvey showed great courage as he dived in to retrieve the ball at the charging Klusener’s feet and hit the stumps with an underarm throw. The Dolphins could only manage singles off the final two deliveries and fell short by eight runs.
Duminy’s innings earned him the Master Blaster batsman award, although Benkenstein’s 48 off 25 balls (four fours, three sixes) was a close second. Friend’s tight spell earned him the bowling award. — Sapa