Dolphins edge Cobras in T20 playoff
DURBAN: Richard Levi must be feeling sick. The Cape Cobras opening batsman struck a brutal 85 off 43 balls to do everything but take the Cobras over the line in their T20 Challenge playoff at a frenzied Kingsmead last night. But then, in a scarcely believable finale, his team choked massively as the Dolphins somehow scrambled home by five runs.
It was sometimes hard to believe the action on the field as the crowd of 6 500 were transformed from a mood of mute disappointment to one of joyful bedlam as the Dolphins somehow qualified for Saturday’s final against the Titans at Centurion.
Quite how the Cobras managed to throw away their massive advantage – they needed only 30 off the last five overs with seven wickets in hand – will haunt their captain Justin Ontong for weeks to come. And the Dolphins even dropped two catches off consecutive balls during that period.
After Levi’s onslaught against some poor Dolphins bowling, they simply needed to nurdle and nudge their way to victory. But after the opener departed in the 14th over, the Cobras’ middle and lower order completely lost their composure.
The final over from Andile Phehlukwayo was a major drama all of its own with the bowler recovering after collapsing in apparent agony after his first ball, before David Miller effected a run-out and a catch in the deep as the Cobras fell on their swords, losing three wickets for three runs when they needed nine for victory.
It was an extraordinary climax after the Dolphins compiled a challenging total of 178/3 on a superb pitch for batting.
But Levi soon changed the picture when he made the most of some generous bowling as he struck six fours and seven sixes to put his team into a powerful position. His 50 came up in 20 balls, equalling Andre Russell’s effort earlier in the tournament.
Earlier, the Dolphins made a strong start to their innings after Morné van Wyk had won the toss and taken first strike. Cameron Delport played some sensational shots up front – none better than a beautiful straight drive for six off Dane Paterson – as he completely dominated the opening 50 partnership, striking 43 of runs.
Thereafter it was Van Wyk’s turn to accelerate and when Delport became the first to go, the two men had added 99 in 71 balls – a superb platform for Kevin Pietersen and Miller.
In fact, it was Miller who came in ahead of Pietersen, who only came to the wicket at the end of the 16th over when Van Wyk was finally dismissed. Nevertheless, the former England star fashioned a thrilling cameo that featured two of the most striking shots of the match. The first, a backfoot punch over long-on for six
the must have stunned Paterson whose delivery was only just short of a length.
The second, off a chest-high full-toss from Wayne Parnell, was even more remarkable. The ball was well outside off-stump, but Pietersen played a shot that was an amalgam of a MS Dhoni helicopter blow and a Viv Richards flick as the ball soared into the east stand.
That wasn’t the end of the drama in that over, the 18th, as Parnell bowled another fulltoss that was above waist height, leading to him being taken off with two balls of his spell still to be bowled.
Sadly, Pietersen’s innings ended on 27 (off 10 balls) that included two fours and two sixes, but it was at that stage that Miller put his timing problems aside and started to hit the ball sweetly.
The “Miller Time” crescendo came in the final over when the destructive lefthander greeted Mthokozisi Shezi’s first three balls with three pulls, two for six and the other for four.
Nineteen runs came off the over and Miller’s 33 off 24 balls took the Dolphins to a total they were finally – miraculously – able to defend.