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Titans edge to victory over Knights
The Multiply Titans survived early shocks in their innings as well as a floodlight failure in the penultimate over to edge to a six-wicket victory over the VKB Knights with four balls to spare in their CSA T20 Challenge match at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Friday night.
Full ScorecardChasing 149 for victory, the Titans slumped to 15 for three in 4.1 overs before the gold-plated pairing of Theunis de Bruyn and Henry Davids added 93 in 10 overs for the fourth wicket.
Although Davids was eventually dismissed in the 15th over, caught and bowled by Patrick Kruger for 47 in 36 balls, the Titans had the experience of Farhaan Behardien to call on and their captain duly helped his team to victory with a cool unbeaten 31 off 18 balls, including two fours and two sixes, the last of which came off the second ball of Shadley van Schalkwyk's final over off which the Titans needed seven to win.
The win keeps last season's champions in fourth place and victory over the bizhub Highveld Lions on Sunday will confirm their place in the playoffs.
END OF MATCH | TITANS STILL IN THE RACE
— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) April 26, 2019
It was a fight to the finish but in the end the Titans emerged victorious.
They win their #CSAT20Challenge match by 6 wickets.
The experience & flair of Davids (47) & de Bruyn (45*) saw the home team home after a slow start.#TTNvKNI pic.twitter.com/hMvaolPcbB
Victory looked a shaky prospect early on, however, when Tony de Zorzi (8), Rubin Hermann (7) and Grant Thomson (0) were all gone by the fifth over with the Titans tottering on 15 for three.
Gerald Coetzee – responsible for two of the wickets – and Ottniel Baartman looked to have turned the match on its head after the Knights had been restricted to what appeared to be a modest 148 for eight in their innings after Behardien had won the toss and put them in to bat.
But De Bruyn and Davids stood firm and De Bruyn was still there at the end with a solid unbeaten 45 off 37 balls.
INTO A TAILSPIN
Earlier, the Titans' bowlers made good early progress when the Knights batted when Matthew Arnold and Gregory Mahlokwana took the cheap wickets of Andries Gous (9) and Patrick Kruger (2) in the third and fourth overs.
Top scorer Shadley van Schalkwyk and Raynard van Tonder then fought back to add 65 for the third wicket before Van Schalkwyk was bowled by Mahlokwana for a brisk 49 (35 balls, 6x4s, 1x6).
The medium pacer finished with the fine figures of 2-25 in his four overs.
Thereafter the inning went into a tailspin as the Knights lost four wickets for 11 runs, including Van Tonder run out for 35.
Only an untidy final over from Tshepo Moreki – which included a no ball and a wide – which went for 16 enabled Ryan McLaren (17*) to give the innings a final flourish.
As it turned out, it wasn't quite enough and the last-placed Knights are now mathematically out of the playoffs.
MULTIPLY TITANS: Tony de Zorzi, Henry Davids, Matthew Arnold, Rubin Hermann (wk), Shaun von Berg, Grant Thomson, Farhaan Berhardien (capt), Junior Dala, Theunis de Bruyn, Tshepo Moreki, Gregory Mahlokwana
VKB KNIGHTS: Shadley van Schalkwyk, Andries Gous (wk), Raynard van Tonder, Pite van Biljon (capt), Grant Mokoena, Ryan McLaren, Luvuyu Adam, Tshepo Ntuli, Patrick Kruger, Ottniel Baartman, Gerald Coetzee
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