Dolphins resurface after near-defeat
THE Dolphins came back from the dead to defeat the Titans by three wickets in a thrilling Sunfoil Series match against the Titans at SuperSport Park in Centurion yesterday.
The win left them 17.58 points behind the logleading Lions, who confirmed their position with a handsome 10-wicket win against the Knights in Bloemfontein.
The two top sides will now meet at Kingsmead on Thursday in a match the Dolphins will have to win if they are to retain an interest in winning the competition.
The Dolphins owed their victory to their captain, Morne van Wyk, and allrounder Calvin Savage, who added 116 for the seventh wicket after the visitors had been reduced to a calamitous 58/6 just before lunch chasing a target of 177.
Daryn Smit said that, surprising as it might sound, the team were “calm and composed” at lunch despite their predicament.
“I know it’s easy to say in hindsight, but we really did have belief within the group that we could win the match. Calvin and Morne played absolutely superbly,” he said.
Smit said wickets had fallen in clusters throughout the match, but if a batsman managed to get in, survival became a little easier. It was the second time in the match that Van Wyk and Savage had combined to the Dolphins’ profit. Earlier, the two had added 92 for the seventh wicket, enabling the visitors to take a vital first-innings lead of 85.
When the Titans lost their last five wickets for 34 on Saturday, the Dolphins were left with the apparently comfortable target of 177 for victory with the whole of Sunday to get them.
In a match where the two teams’ fortunes constantly shifted, it was no surprise that the Dolphins got off to a poor start, losing their openers, Imraan Khan and Divan van Wyk, for 10 runs.
And when paceman Rowan Richards grabbed three wickets in seven balls to unhinge the middle order, Calvin Savage joined his captain with the Titans suddenly in charge.
Recognising that all Van Wyk needed was a reliable partner, Savage initially settled for holding up an end, scoring just 15 in his first 77 deliveries before opening up once the Dolphins reached three figures.
His subsequent counterattack saw him overtake Van Wyk and go to 50 off 119 balls – a landmark that Van Wyk soon joined him on when he drove De Lange (3/66) over long-off for six.
Savage fell for 53 when just three runs were required for victory, which allowed Keshav Maharaj the satisfaction of hitting the winning boundary.
From a bowling perspective, the Dolphins performed solidly, taking 20 wickets for the second match in a row.
Both paceman Matt Pillans (3/80 and 2/79) and leftarm spinner Maharaj (3/51 and 2/49) took five wickets in the match.
In the third match, the Cobras drew with the Warriors in their game at Newlands in Cape Town.