Warriors suffer big blow
Side lose by 121 runs to Titans in EL
THE Multiply Titans showed just why they are the Momentum One-Day Cup champions with a superb display in the field in their match against the Warriors at Buffalo Park, East London yesterday.
The Titans won the match by 121 runs after setting the Warriors a target of 251 at just over five runs to the over.
Fast bowler Chris Morris started the rot, grabbing two wickets and having the Warriors at 16 for two wickets after 4.1 overs.
The home team were always behind the asking rate, and as the overs went by, the pressure began mounting on the batsmen to up the rate if the Warriors were to win.
However, in the top six, only JonJon Smuts with 25 and Yassen Vallie were able to get among the runs and it was a great pity when Vallie was brilliantly run out on 40.
The arrival of left-arm “Chinaman” bowler Tabraiz Shamsi at 98 for five wickets, hastened the end. He first had Marco Marais, (17), playing down the wrong line and bowling him and then, in his second over, rapped Sisanda Magala on the pads, dead in front for a single.
Suddenly the Warriors, at 114 for seven, had lost all chance of a win.
Simon Harmer, (18), resisted for a time, striking a six off Shaun von Berg, who earlier had induced Christiaan Jonker to sky a ball to deep midoff where he was caught for a duck but then Harmer became Shamsi’s third victim, also leg before wicket.
Shamsi finished with figures of 3/11 in six overs in a magnificent spell.
Towards the end of the innings Morris returned for a second spell and had Aya Gqamane caught for four to grab his third wicket, and then Von Berg had Anrich Nortje caught off a wild swing for six and the innings had imploded for 129.
Earlier the Titans reached exactly 250 in their 50 overs, thanks in the main to their captain Albie Morkel, who a struck a magnificent 80 not out to propel them to a reasonable score.
At one stage the Titans were on 197 for six wickets with only five overs left. But then Morkel, who had meandered to his half-century off 51 balls, but then realising overs were running out, went on the attack. He slammed medium-pacer Gqamane for 6, 6, 6, 4 off successive balls, entertaining the crowd with his brilliant strokeplay in an over which cost Gqamane 24 runs.
Despite losing another three wickets cheaply, 53 runs were added in the last five overs, thanks to Morkel, who batted for 63 balls and finished with six boundaries and four sixes.
At the start of the match, the visitors, who had won the toss and elected to bat first, were rocked back by the loss of three quick wickets in the first three overs. Sisanda Magala, returning to the Warriors’ side after injury, started the slide in his first over when he clean-bowled Bafana Mahlangu for a duck at two for one wicket. In his second over Magala bowled Andre Agathagelou for five and then Anrich Nortje got in on the act when he trapped Rivaldo Moonsamy leg before wicket for six, and the Titans were in all sorts of trouble.
But then a patient partnership of 109 runs for the fourth-wicket between Heinrich Klaasen and Fahaan Berhardien saved the Titans’ blushes, but although both scored halfcenturies, they batted a trifle slowly due to some tight bowling backed up by keen fielding by the home team. However, in the end, this did not present any problems.
When the fourth wicket, that of Klaasen, fell, the run rate was just under four an over. Klaasen went for a well-played 66 with eight fours and a six, and not long afterwards Berhardien was caught in the covers for 52 with four boundaries.
Morris went early for 12 which included a six, caught down the legside by wicketkeeper Clyde Fortuin off Harmer.
Although the last three wickets went cheaply, Morkel plundered the Warriors bowling to bring up the 250.