An opening partnership of 92 between Neil McKenzie and Alviro Petersen was not good enough to force a result in the SuperSport Series match between the Dolphins and the Highveld Lions that ended in a draw in Durban on Sunday.
The Lions could only manage 121 for two when umpires Suresh Shastri and Murray Brown brought an end to proceedings just before 4pm on a hot and humid day. Sadly, the day’s cricket was not as hot after the Dolphins set the Lions a target of 347 in 56 overs at a run rate of 6,2 per over.
Petersen top-scored with a 95-ball 52 including 10 fours before being caught behind by Pierre de Bruyn off Quinton Friend. Stephen Cook then joined McKenzie and took the score to 116 before edging a Yusuf Abdullah delivery to the keeper for six. De Bruyn took a brilliant catch diving low to his right.
Vaughn van Jaarsveld then joined McKenzie for a few balls before stumps were drawn with the Lions still needing a further 226 runs to win at a run rate of 15,1 with 15 overs left in the day’s play.
McKenzie was left stranded on 49 and Van Jaarsveld was not out on four.
Earlier, the Dolphins declared on 266 for five after resuming on 68 for one. First-innings centurion Imraan Khan carried on from where he left off and played some fine shots.
Young David Miller also came to the party and with Khan added 135 for the second wicket before falling to the medium pace of part-timer Stephen Cook. He edged a deliver to Vaughn van Jaarsveld at forward short leg but not before scoring 56 off 126 balls, including eight fours. Khan, in the meantime, went to a well-played 50 off exactly 100 balls.
Dolphins skipper Ahmed Amla then joined Khan, who was playing with ease and elegance. Amla, on the other hand, batted like he was playing a one-day game as he set about the Lions bowlers. It took him 48 balls to get to his 50, a knock that included eight fours and a six.
Khan — who shared the man-of-the-match award with Jonathan Vandiar who scored a career-best 172 not out in the Lions’ first innings — then went to his second hundred of the match with a trademark drive through extra cover. His hundred came off 205 balls, including 11 fours.
However, he was out two balls later, trying to repeat the shot. This time the ball found the edge of the bat, with McKenzie taking an easy catch at slip giving off-spinner Werner Coetsee his first wicket of the match. Khan is only the second cricketer to achieve a hundred in each innings since the inception of franchise cricket, Alviro Petersen being the first.
Grant Rowley then joined his captain and added 14 runs for the fourth wicket before Amla was trapped lbw by Stephen Cook for a quick 54 off 53 balls, including eight fours and a six, leaving the Dolphins at 237 for four.
Rowley, who failed in the first innings after a four-year absence from first-class cricket, showed his rustiness as he failed for the second time in the match when he was stumped by Mathew Harris of Cook for 10.
The Dolphins then declared at lunch with their score on 266 for five, giving them a lead of 346. The two not-out batsmen were Johann Louw and Yusuf Abdullah on 22 and one respectively. Cook took three for 42 in 10 overs for the Lions.
The Dolphins earn 7,42 bonus points while the Lions take away 5,56 bonus points. — Sapa