Nabe pays tribute to Philander, as Lions pair set record partnership

CAPE COBRAS seamer Mthiwekhaya Nabe has paid tribute to Proteas star Vernon Philander for helping him achieve his maiden five-wicket haul yesterday.

Philander was, of course, making his comeback from an ankle injury that has kept him on the sidelines since the Test series in Sri Lanka in July. It was a day for the bowlers, though, with 14 wickets falling overall on the first day of the Cobras versus Dolphins Four-Day Franchise Series clash at a windswept Newlands. The premier accolades, however, went to Nabe, who finished with 5/60, which helped the Cobras dismiss the visitors for 225.

The medium-pacer maintained an accurate line outside the off-stump, particularly during the afternoon session after the Cobras seamers were guilty of possibly being over-excited with the overhead cloud cover and green-tinged surface underfoot in the morning, after captain Dane Piedt won the toss and elected to bowl.

“It has been my dream forever (to play with Philander). It is quite exciting, quite exciting. I have played with Vern for many games now. I actually made my first-class debut with Vernon in the same team,” Nabe said.

“I have been trying to work towards something like that (the ‘five-for’). I have been working towards getting a better rhythm.”

Nabe received solid support from Philander, who finished with 2/34 from 14.3 overs with only Cody Chetty (71) offering any form of resistance for the visitors. The Cobras batsmen soon, though, discovered that batting in the extreme conditions was not easy, with Robbie Frylinck wrecking havoc from the Kelvin Grove End.

First to depart was the in-form Janneman Malan (6) before Frylink dismissed Zubayr Hamza (17) and David Bedingham (0) with successive deliveries. And when Okuhle Cele sent Aviwe Mgijima back to the pavilion for a duck too, the Cobras were suddenly reeling at 45/4 before bad light brought an early close to proceedings.

Meanwhile, a competition record fourth-wicket stand of 350 between Rassie van der Dussen and Wiaan Lubbe helped the Highveld Lions dominate the opening day of the Jukskei derby against the Titans in Potchefstroom yesterday. Both hit career-best centuries as the hosts recovered from 12/3 after winning the toss and batting to post a mammoth 385/5 by the close. Van der Dussen crunched 175. Lubbe, meanwhile, notched up his maiden three-figure score at franchise level by making 166. The Titans did fight back late in the day when Clayton August (2/72) removed both set men, but day one of the derby undoubtedly went the way of the home team.