Makhanya impresses despite illness

Ken Borland

Sibonelo Makhanya fought off illness and was able to generate an impressive Dolphins fightback on the first afternoon of their four-day franchise series match against the Titans in Centurion yesterday.

Having won the toss and elected to bat, debutant openers Jason Oakes and Grant Roelofsen both scored 31 to give the Dolphins a solid start of 52 for the first wicket.

But the Titans, with Chris Morris taking two wickets and Alfred Mothoa four, then tore through the middle order to restrict the visitors to 143 for seven.

The 22-year-old Makhanya had to vomit on the side of the field while batting, but showed superb determination as he battled for three-and-a-half hours at the crease, scoring a tenacious, career-best 86.

Proteas star Keshav Maharaj provided great support as he scored a breezy 41 and the pair added 90 for the eighth wicket, a record for the Dolphins against the Titans, beating the 74 Maharaj added with Robbie Frylinck in the corresponding fixture last season.

The Dolphins were eventually all out for 269 in the last hour of play.

Mothoa, who epitomises the virtues of line and length, took the first five-wicket haul of his franchise career with 5/55 in 18 overs.

The Titans had eight overs of batting to get through before bad light stopped play and they lost the wicket of Tony de Zorzi for one, the left-hander falling to the spin of Maharaj as he lashed out at his first delivery and edged to slip.

The homeside ended the day on 9/1 and will be mulling over how much better the first day of their title defence could have been.