KP century sets T20 alight
CRICKETING miracles don’t come in twos, do they? All-rounder Andile Phehlukwayo may beg to disagree.
Three days after he conceded a barely believable four runs off the penultimate over to seal victory for the Dolphins over the Titans in their opening Ram Slam T20 Challenge match, the 19-year-old was at it again against the Lions at Kingsmead last night.
Needing to protect 13 off the last over with the Lions apparently poised for victory on 162/2, all seemed lost when Alviro Petersen smashed the youngster’s second ball for six over the cover fence.
But such was the accuracy of his next three deliveries that the Lions still needed four off the last ball.
A full toss, perilously close to a no-ball, was hit to David Miller at long-on.
He dropped the catch but the batsmen were only able to scamper two, and the Dolphins had prevailed by a single run.
The Lions will be angry that they let the match slip away when they seemingly had it under control throughout their innings, with Rassie van der Dussen, Devon Conway and Peterson pacing their innings perfectly, but really they had only themselves to blame, having lost only two wickets in pursuit of the Dolphins’ total of 174/6.
But if Phehlukwayo did the hosts proud with his coolness under pressure, the Dolphins’ real hero was Kevin Pietersen, who entertained the crowd of 2 700 with a magnificent exhibition of batting.
At times, it felt like Guy Fawkes had come early, except that the soaring projectiles were cricket balls blasted into space by Pietersen’s bat.
The Dolphins haven’t had much luck with their overseas pros of late, but they certainly hit the mother lode last night as the former England great smashed an unbeaten 115 in 66 balls, including five fours and double that number in sixes.
It was a masterful lesson in just how to bat in this form of the game.
While wickets fell regularly at the other end, Pietersen’s first, measured half-century took 46 balls. But when he decided to go on the attack, his second came in a lightning 17 balls.
At the start of the 19th over, the powerful right-hander had scored, for him, a relatively sedate 69 in 55 balls. Then he got hold of Lonwabo Tsotsobe, who went for 17.
But the best was yet to come.
When Dwaine Pretorius ran in to bowl the final six balls, Pietersen was on 86.
A couple of twos followed, then he seriously got to work. A straight drive for six was then followed by a slashing drive backward of point to reach his hundred.
Another six over long-on and yet another over midwicket had the crowd in ecstacy as 30 came off the final over.
As the crowd went crazy, K P calmly trotted off the field waving his bat casually as if his achievement was no big deal.
But even by the 35-yearold’s lofty standards, the innings had been quite something. It was his highest T20 innings, surpassing his only other hundred in the format – 103 for the Delhi Daredevils in 2011/12 – and, most importantly, it won the Dolphins the match.
The Dolphins shouldn’t feel complacent about the win. Pietersen’s innings stood out in stark contrast to the rest of his teammates’ disappointing efforts. In particular, Cameron Delport, Morne van Wyk, Miller and Phehlukwayo played poor shots to get out.
Only Khaya Zondo, with a brisk 24, threatened to stay with Pietersen for any length of time until Keshav Maharaj went the distance in a lopsided seventh-wicket partnership of 87 in 39 balls, contributing an unbeaten 13.
For the Lions, Aaron Phangiso certainly didn’t deserve to be on the losing side, bowling quite beautifully to take 2/17 in his four overs.