Vallie’s 150 counters Cohen’s maiden five-for
A LITTLE bit before start of play on the opening day of the Sunfoil Series clash at Newlands, Warriors batsman Yaseen Vallie walked over to the curator and gave him a “thumbs up”.
Having played out of Newlands for many years for both Western Province and the Cape Cobras previously, Vallie knows the pitch in his hometown well.
On day two, Vallie certainly made the most of the conditions as he stroked a glorious 150 (211 balls, 23x4, 1x6) to hold the Warriors innings together after Cobras seamer Michael Cohen (5/107) claimed his maiden franchise five-for to put the home team in the ascendancy.
However, the Cobras could not capitalise after reducing the Warriors to 217/7 due to Vallie and Aya Gqamane (61 off 58 balls) combining for a 98-run partnership for the eighth wicket.
It certainly was a classy innings from the little righthander from Cravenby with Vallie scoring freely all around the wicket. His innings swung the momentum in favour of the Warriors with Gqamane gaining further assistance from tailenders Basheer Walters and Tladi Bokako to push the visitors up to 347 all out. Lizaad Williams at least had the consolation of picking up the final three wickets to finish with the impressive figures of 4/54 from 23.5 overs.
The Cobras’ reply started off on a shaky note with opener Simon Khomari edging behind to leave the Cobras at 11/1.
However, Pieter Malan and Zubayr Hamza took the attack to the Warriors, as the two right-handers were particularly aggressive against Essex spinner Simon Harmer. They shared a 70-run partnership for the second wicket before Harmer exacted his revenge when Hamza (34 off 54 balls, 5x4, 1x6) was trapped lbw.
Malan (48 not out) and Justin Ontong (12 not out) continued to be positive despite dark clouds closing in which brought an early end to proceedings with the Cobras on 97/2.
In Maritzburg, Dean Elgar helped himself to 237 not out for the Titans, as he led them to 500 for six declared against the Dolphins.
His latest gem is on the back of five international tons this year, and is his fourth hundred in as many matches this season.
Nearly nine hours he was at the crease and, remarkably, he seemed to be getting stronger towards the end.
The most impressive attribute of the left-hander’s game is that he plays at his own pace. He was quite content to let Aiden Markram and Heinrich Klaasen – who scored a fluent 111 – rattle along at a nippier rate for periods, because he is now comfortable with scoring his runs in pockets of domination.
How the Dolphins must rue giving him a life when he was just on 26 on the opening morning. He resumed with Klaasen, and the wicketkeeper/batsman repeated the dose he administered on the Dolphins last season in Maritzburg, as he again breached three figures.
Eventually, declared on 500.
In reply, the Dolphins lost Erwee just after tea, as a lively Cordin Bosch got him to tickle one behind to Klaasen. Vaughn van Jaarsveld and Senuran Muthusamy then dug in, repelling Bosch, and then the spin twins Tabraiz Shamsi and Shaun von Berg.
That is where the main threat lies over the next two days, on a pitch that is starting to show variable bounce.
At 48 for one, the hosts are still 452 runs in arrears. the Titans