‘I bowled two bad balls’

Tshepo Moreki (below), the hero of the Titans’ thrilling Four-Day Franchise Series win over the Dolphins, had the humility to say after the match that only one of his hat-trick balls was a particularly good delivery.

With the Dolphins heading for safety on 146/6 going into the final hour of play, Moreki removed Andile Phehlukwayo (5), Eathan Bosch (0) and Daryn Dupavillon (0) with the first three balls of his third spell to all but settle the contest as the Titans won by 129 runs with 35 minutes left to play.

Phehlukwayo chased a full, wide delivery and skewed a catch over backward point which was well-taken by Neil Brand; Bosch was bowled by a ball that nipped back and kept low; and then Dupavillon edged a delivery just outside off stump that bounced and seamed, wicketkeeper Rubin Hermann taking a fine catch.

“The plan was to always try and put Andile under pressure but I’m sure he’ll admit that it was a really poor stroke, and it was a good catch. Eathan was a bit unlucky, it kept low, but then the third one was a good one. In the first innings we learnt against Bosch and Dupavillon that we were too straight and tried to get greedy, but Grant Thomson (captain) said I must just be patient.

“If a ball works for a top-order batsman then it will work for the lower-order, and I knew I just had to land it in the right area and ask questions,” Moreki said after finishing with career-best figures of 4/32.

The Titans now take on the Cape Cobras in Benoni from Monday, with both Moreki and new all-rounder Dayyaan Galiem having previously played for the Cobras.

“If we play to our potential then we’ll be okay. If the batsmen can score lots of runs again then that will build the pressure and coach Mark Boucher has been clear about us keeping it simple and forcing mistakes,” Moreki said.