The Warriors earned their first win in six MTN domestic championship matches when they beat the Dolphins by three wickets in Durban on Friday. The visitors dismissed the Dolphins for 191 in 44 overs before replying with 192 for seven to win with six balls remaining.
Warriors fast-bowler Mornantau Hayward, who took four for 19, was named man of the match in his first game in Durban since playing for the Dolphins last season.
The Dolphins were on the back foot almost immediately when Hayward trapped Doug Watson in front with the third ball of the innings.
Hayward struck again in the fifth over when Imraan Khan edged to second slip, but the brothers Amla put the innings back together with a stand of 61 for the third wicket.
Ahmed Amla, who faced 34 balls for his nine, skied a Zander de Bruyn delivery into the gloves of wicketkeeper Abongile Sodumo to end the partnership in the 18th over.
Nine balls later Hayward had Hashim Amla leg-before for 48, and six deliveries after that the Dolphins dwindled to 83 for five when De Bruyn removed Jon Kent in similar fashion.
Diwali weekend or not, there were no fireworks in the batting of Dale Benkenstein and Lance Klusener as they set about salvaging what they could from the remaining 25 overs of the innings.
They shared 98 runs — a sixth-wicket record for the Dolphins — before Johan Botha pocketed both their wickets in the space of four deliveries.
Benkenstein’s 44 ended when he hoisted a catch to mid-on, where Botha himself did the rest, and then Klusener was trapped in front for 42. The Dolphins lost their way badly from there, and their last five wickets tumbled for 10 runs.
The Warriors’ reply began inauspiciously when Justin Kreusch steered the second ball of the innings to first slip, where Benkenstein snapped up a low catch to earn a wicket for Yusuf Abdullah.
Craig Thyssen, De Bruyn and HD Ackerman were also dismissed cheaply, and the Warriors were in trouble on 86 for five in the 26th over when Murray Goodwin skied a ball from Andrew Tweedie to wicketkeeper Duncan Brown to be dismissed for a patient 44.
Arno Jacobs and Sodumo added 50 off 55 balls for the seventh wicket in a stand that kept the result in the balance. Then Tweedie bowled Sodumo for 29 in the 42nd over to put the pressure back on the Warriors.
But Jacobs, who scored a gritty 41 not out, and Lyall Meyer, who scored 13 not out, took the visitors to victory. — Sapa