Van Jaarsveld leads the Dolphins to easy win

VAUGHN van Jaarsveld played a superb slow-wicket innings to guide the Dolphins to a 76-run victory over the Knights in their opening Momentum One-Day Cup match at The Oval in Pietermaritzburg yesterday.

It was a notable win for a number of reasons, not least because it was the Dolphins’ first List A victory at The Oval since Loots Bosman and Imraan Khan struck centuries at the ground against the Warriors five years ago. Delighted skipper Morné van Wyk said he had only ever won at The Oval as a Knights player.

He was also happy with the bonus point that came with the lopsided win, saying that it could be “very valuable” later on as the competition unfolds.

Van Jaarsveld was quickly into action after Van Wyk won the toss and opted to bat first on a dry, firm pitch. The captain was the first to go in the third over, playing too early at a delivery that “stopped”, a problem batsmen on both teams faced, particularly when the ball had lost its hardness.

The chunky left-hander shared in two important halfcentury partnerships, firstly with opener Cameron Delport who showed commendable discipline and astute shot selection in his excellent run-a-ball 46 before he surrendered his wicket with an ugly heave off Werner Coetsee. Cody Chetty was dismissed cheaply, but Van Jaarsveld then found a solid partner in Andile Phehlukwayo who struck some powerful drives in his 31. But when Van Jaarsveld was finally dismissed for a fine 82 (112 balls, 7x4, 1x6), the innings quickly lost momentum as the pitch slowed, making it increasingly difficult for the batsmen to time the ball.

If the Dolphins’ total of 246 initially seemed modest, this impression quickly changed as the home team’s pace bowlers strangled the Knights’ top order.

Robbie Frylinck quickly set the tone, grabbing the wickets of Gerhardt Abrahams and Rudi Second with his third and fourth deliveries as the Knights’ batsmen struggled to cope with accurate, hostile bowling.

Even when the ball lost its hardness, all the Dolphins’ bowlers kept their disciplines. Budding partnerships were regularly nipped in the bud with only Malusi Siboto (36) and Tumi Masekela briefly escaping their chains in a 10th wicket partnership of 47, but by then the contest was over.