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Knights crush flaccid Dolphins
The VKB Knights outplayed the Hollywoodbets Dolphins in all facets of the game as they eased to a 58-run victory in their rain-shortened Momentum One-Day Cup match at the Diamond Oval in Kimberley on Sunday.
The match was halved in length to 25 overs a side after play could only start at 1:45pm CAT (SA, GMT+2) instead of 10am after heavy overnight rain made conditions unplayable.
The win was the second in a row for the Knights – both of them with a bonus point – enabling them to move off the bottom of the log with 14 points, and inching them closer to semifinal contention, while it was the third loss in a row for a disappointing Dolphins team (16 points), placing them under increased pressure with just two rounds to play in the competition.
Facing a tough target of 209 for victory on a slow, tacky pitch that made stroke play difficult, the Dolphins never really threatened after the loss of opener Sarel Erwee for 38 in 31 balls (2x4s, 2x6s) and the cheap dismissals of their other two main strikers, Vaughn van Jaarsveld and Dane Vilas.
Skipper Khaya Zondo struck some fine blows in his 23-ball 33, but by then the Dolphins were looking for more than 12 an over and the pressure proved too much for the visitors as they faded to 150 all out in 21.4 overs.
For the Knights, Shadley van Schalkwyk bowled cleverly on the tacky surface to take 5-25. In general, the Knights fielded, caught, bowled and batted much better than their opponents who were particularly slack in the field, dropping two crucial catches.
BRILLIANT DIVING CATCH
Earlier, man-of-the-match Patrick Kruger struck 79 in 54 balls (9x4s, 3x6s) to power his team to their imposing total. He and Rudi Second featured in the key partnership of the match – 112 for the second wicket – that set up the rest of the innings.
The Dolphins will regret their moments of generosity, with Sibs Makhanya dropping an easy chance in the outfield off Second and Prenelan Subrayen dropping Kruger in the covers when he was on 11.
Zondo won the toss and put the Knights in to bat, and he would have been happy with his team's efforts in the first (five-over) powerplay when they restricted the Knights to 18 for one on a slow, tacky pitch.
Keshav Maharaj made the early breakthrough in the second over when Andries Gouws chipped a return catch.
The Dolphins could be satisfied with their start, with paceman Eathan Bosch conceding only nine runs in his first three overs.
The young paceman also impressed in the field, hanging on to a brilliant diving catch at deep square leg to get rid of Kruger.
They had renewed hope of restricting the Knights to under 200 when Senuran Muthusamy and Bosch captured the wickets of Pite von Biljon and Keegan Petersen cheaply, but some lusty hitting by Ryan McLaren (38 in 25 balls) and Grant Mokoena (27 in 14 balls) at the death meant that the last five overs went for 57 runs.
In general, the indisciplined Dolphins’ bowlers did not impress with Kerwin Mungroo going for 38 in three overs and Subrayen for 31 in two.
Muthusamy was the most successful bowler with 2-34 while Bosch bowled his first four overs for 14 runs before being punished for 18 in the final over.
TEAMS
VKB KNIGHTS: Patrick Kruger, Andries Gous (w/k), Keegan Petersen, Pite van Biljon (capt), Rudi Second, Grant Mokoena, Ryan McLaren, Eddie Leie, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Marchant de Lange, Mbulelo Budaza HOLLYWOODBETS DOLPHINS: Sarel Erwee, Vaughn van Jaarsveld, Dane Vilas (w/k), Khaya Zondo (capt), Senuran Muthusamy, Sibs Makhanya, Keshav Maharaj, Eathan Bosch, Prenelan Subrayen, Okuhle Cele, Kerwin MungrooAdvertisement