By Patrick Compton.
A late flurry of runs from Andile Phehlukwayo almost contrived an unlikely win for the Hollywoodbets Dolphins but in the end it was the North West Dragons who emerged victorious by seven runs according to the DLS method in their CSA One-Day Cup match at the JB Marks Oval in Potchefstroom on Sunday.
Chasing a challenging DLS target of 252 for victory in 47 overs – after rain and lightning had shortened the Dragons’ innings of 233 for four – the Dolphins began promisingly with Tshepang Dithole and Grant Roelofsen adding 61 for the first wicket.
Thereafter, however, the visitors increasingly struggled to maintain the required rate while wickets fell regularly.
Jon-Jon Smuts, normally the most aggressive of batsmen, was frustrated by the slow pitch and struggled to time the ball, taking 52 balls to score 35, while Jason Smith needed 44 balls for his 19.
The game seemed all but over when Andile Simelane became the eighth wicket to fall with the Dolphins’ total on 190 and barely five overs remaining to get 62 runs.
But Phehlukwayo, who until then had scratched around for a handful of runs, suddenly let rip, smashing the bowling to all parts.
With just two overs to go, the Dolphins needed 24 for victory. Ten runs came off Eldred Hawken’s penultimate over but then the Dolphins’ dream died as Phehlukwayo was caught on the backward point boundary off the first ball of Kerwin Mungroo’s final over as the rain began to pelt down.
The left-hander struck four sixes and a four in his 32-ball 46, while partner Daryn Dupavillon contributed a useful 19 in 14 balls, but their combined effort was just too late for the visitors.
The bowling hero for the Dragons was medium-pacer Renaldo Meyer who claimed 4-22, including the wickets of Smith and Eathan Bosch in consecutive deliveries.
Muthusamy, who had done so much to help the Dragons to their total, was suitably miserly with his left-arm spin, conceding only 19 runs in his first spell of eight overs while trapping Smuts leg before.
BRITS AND MUTHUSAMY TO THE RESCUE
Earlier, the Dolphins had put the Dragons in to bat after winning the toss. The home team started poorly, losing four wickets for 43 within 14 overs but they were rescued by a superb unbroken stand of 190 for the fifth wicket between Chris Britz and Muthusamy with the pair smashing 87 in the last seven overs.
Britz finished with 94 off 108 balls (7x4s, 3x6s) while Muthusamy had reached 88 off 95 balls (6x4s, 1×6).
The two men came together in the 14th over with the Dolphins firmly in command.
The four wickets to fall went to the pace bowlers with Bosch removing Lesego Senokwane in the third over after the opener left a delivery outside his off-stump which unluckily caught the inside edge before deflecting onto his stumps.
Ottniel Baartman needed no luck to dismiss Grant Mokoena, spearing a delivery through his defences to clip his off-stump.
Shaylen Pillay then lashed Phehlukwayo to Jason Smith at backward point before Dupavillon got a ball to seam back and trap Heino Kuhn leg before.
Britz and Muthusamy began the rebuilding process cautiously, taking no chances and largely progressing the total in singles and the occasional boundary.
Their 50 partnership came up in 14 overs and the hundred came up off 155 balls. Offspinner Subrayen conceded only 35 runs in his 10 overs while left-arm spinner Jon-Jon Smuts bowled eight overs for 33 runs.
The Dragons had only reached 146 for four after 40 overs, fairly slow going, but Britz and Muthusamy then attacked the bowling to such effect that they added a further 87 in the remaining seven overs with all the Dolphins’ pace bowlers coming in for considerable punishment with 19 coming off a Bosch over while Baartman was taken for 18.
Their flurry of scoring turned out to be difference between the teams.
DOLPHINS: Grant Roelofsen (wk), Tshepang Dithole, JJ Smuts, Jason Smith, Bradley Porteous, Andile Phehlukwayo, Eathan Bosch, Prenelan Subrayen (capt), Daryn Dupavillon, Andile Simelane, Ottniel Baartman
NORTH WEST: Lesego Senokwane, Grant Mokoena, Shaylen Pillay, Heino Kuhn (capt/wk), Christopher Britz, Senuran Muthusamy, Duan Jansen, Renaldo Meyer, Eldred Hawken, Kerwin Mungroo, Andile Simelane.