Chetty blasts Dolphins to victory
PERHAPS the spirit of Chris Gayle hovered over the Dolphins at Chevrolet Park last night, because the Durban franchise played magnificent T20 cricket to beat the Knights by eight runs and record their second consecutive Miway Challenge victory.
Remarkably, the Dolphins won despite a late disaster in their ranks just before the start of play.
Skipper Imraan Khan had food poisoning (the sushi he had at dinner the previous night) and was originally not going to play. But then, when allrounder Cameron Delport split the webbing of his thumb shortly before the start of play, the sick Khan had to play after all, though not as captain.
Given the Dolphins’ poor season to date, the signs were all there for a capitulation. Instead, coach Lance Klusener’s men responded with great courage, determination and skill to win the night.
After acting captain Daryn Smit won the toss and chose to bat, the Dolphins got off to a fast start on a pitch that offered the bowlers more pace and bounce than usual. The price the visitors paid for their fast run-rate was a trickle of wickets, but they pressed on regardless.
Loots Bosman and Ahmed Amla got the scoreboard ticking merrily, but lost their wickets just when they had settled in. It was left to perhaps the least known of the Dolphins’ top order, 20-year-old Cody Chetty, to set the innings alight.
Chetty must have a liking for TV games. His senior Dolphins debut in the 1-Day Cup saw him strike an elegant halfcentury against the full Cobras team at Newlands.
Last night he outdid even that performance, striking a superb 82 in only 49 balls, an innings that included six fours and four sixes.
So impressive was the wristy Chetty that he even dominated a fourth-wicket partnership of 76 off 42 balls with David Miller, who began slowly but then really got into his stride once Chetty was out, going for a second run that his tired legs were unable to complete. Nevertheless both batsmen helped to ensure that the Dolphins compiled their highest T20 total in Bloemfontein, a formidable 184/6.
Miller, in fact, enjoyed a fine allround match. He is the Dolphins’ best fielder and he spent the second half of the match jogging from longon to long-on each over.
His labours bore fruit as he not only took two fine catches on the boundary, but was also responsible for the pick-upandthat got rid of the dangerous Rilee Rossouw who was threatening to take the match away from the visitors. Miller’s brilliant throw, and a fine pick-up by wicketkeeper Smit, saw the back of the aggressive left-hander, who departed for 57 in 38 balls.
That wasn’t quite the end of the Dolphins’ worries, however, as Ryan Bailey kept the Knights in the hunt right until the final over, reaching a halfcentury with the last ball of the match.
By then, however, it was too late as superb “death” bowling by Robbie Frylinck and an excellent spell of 2/29 by Imran Tahir had effectively kept the Knights at bay.