Tag: Albie Morkel

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Proteas Prepare for International Summer as SACA MVP Expands 

The South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) anticipates an exciting international summer for both the Proteas Men and Women. Kicking off…

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SACA Celebrates Tony Irish on Receiving the Prestigious Tim May Medal of Honour

The South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) is proud to celebrate its founder and former CEO, Tony Irish, who received the…

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Kyle Simmonds Crowned Overall Division 1 SACA MVP

The 2025/26 domestic cricket season concludes with Western Province all-rounder Kyle Simmonds named Division 1 Overall SACA MVP. Simmonds earned…

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ABBOTT SPEARHEADS THE HEAT TO THEIR FIRST VICTORY

Kyle Abbott bowled the Durban Heat to their opening Mzansi Super League victory after the rain intervened at Kingsmead on Wednesday afternoon.

Abbott claimed 4/27 to restrict the Tshwane Spartans 139/9, with the visitors only batting 19 overs due to weather disruptions. The Heat’s batsmen managed to get up to 129/6 after 16.3 overs before the heavens opened once more, forcing the players off for the final time.

That was enough to take the points with the Heat ahead of the Duckworth Lewis par-score of 120, thereby handing the home team victory by 10 runs.

It certainly was a day for the bowlers with only Tshwane Spartans opening batsman Gihahn Cloete striking the ball with any form of fluency. Cloete soared to the top of the Mzansi Super League run-scoring charts with 55 off 43 balls (7×4).

Unfortunately for the Spartans, Cloete did not have a partner to sustain the momentum. Only Zimbabwe all-rounder Sikander Raza managed 20 off 20 balls before Abbott cleaned up the Tshwane middle-order.

Even AB de Villiers failed for the first time in this tournament with the former Standard Bank Proteas captain being trapped LBW by Keshav Maharaj while attempting a reverse-sweep.

The Heat run-chase never quite raced out of the blocks with solid contributions from Hashim Amla (24), Morne van Wyk (22), Heinrich Klaasen (21) keeping the home team up with the required run-rate before a rapid 50-run partnership between Khaya Zondo (25 off 11 balls) and Albie Morkel (26 off 12 balls) for the fifth-wicket raised the tempo of the innings.

Lutho Sipamla tried valiantly for the Spartans with 3/22, but it was not enough to deny the Heat their first victory of the competition.

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MZANSI SUPER LEAGUE ANNOUNCES FINALISED T20 SQUADS

The inaugural Mzansi Super League (MSL) T20 Player Draft was held today at Montecasino in Johannesburg today.

Each team had already been allocated a Marquee Standard Bank Protea player. Today the teams made their picks from the six International Marquee Players and then filled the remaining 14 places in each squad from the foreign and South African players who had applied to enter the draft.

In the mini-round to select the International Marquee Players, the Durban heat had first call and went for Rashid Khan of Afghanistan, the No. 1 ranked bowler in the current ICC T20 rankings. They were followed by the Jozi Stars who went for Chris Gayle of the Windies. Paarl Rocks followed with another Windies player, Dwayne Bravo. Cape Town Blitz then took Dawid Malan of England followed by Tshwane Spartans with England white ball captain Eoin Morgan and Nelson Mandela Bay Giants with England opening batsman Jason Roy.

In round one proper, the Giants led off with Chris Morris, followed by the Spartans with Lungi Ngidi, the Blitz with Andile Phehlukwayo, the Rocks with Tabraiz Shamsi, the Stars with Kolpak star Dane Vilas and the Heat with David Miller.

Lutho Sipamla became the first rookie to be chosen in Round Eight by the Spartans and they followed with another rookie in Tony de Zorzi in Round Nine. Other rookies signed were Sinethemba Qeshile for the Stars, Dyllan Matthews for the Giants, Okuhle Cele for the Heat, Eathan Bosch for the Rocks, and Kyle Verreynne for the Blitz.

The resulting teams are a unique blend of both local youth and international experience which is sure to make for some very exciting cricket.

The Draft order was predetermined by a weighted Player Matrix system. The players who are eligible for the main Draft are those who entered into a binding agreement to enter the Draft.

FINAL SQUADS

(in order of Protea Marquee Player, International Marquee Player, and then the 14 draft rounds, making a total of 16 players per squad)

CAPE TOWN BLITZ: Quinton de Kock, Dawid Malan (England), Andile Phehlukwayo, Dale Steyn, Samuel Badree (Windies), Asif Ali (Pakistan), Farhaan Behardien, Anrich Nortje, Janneman Malan, Malusi Siboto, George Linde, Ferisco Adams, Jason Smith, Sibonelo Makhanya, Kyle Verreynne (rookie), Dane Piedt.

DURBAN HEAT: Hashim Amla, Rashid Khan (Afghanistan), David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen, Kyle Abbott (kolpak), Keshav Maharaj, Khaya Zondo, Albie Morkel, Marchant de Lange (kolpak), Vernon Philander, Brandon Mavuta (Zimbabwe), Temba Bavuma, Morne van Wyk, Okuhle Cele (rookie), Sarel Erwee, Tladi Bokako.

JOZI STARS: Kagiso Rabada, Chris Gayle (Windies), Dane Vilas, Rassie van der Dussen, Daniel Christian (Australia), Beuran Hendricks, Reeza Hendricks, Dwaine Pretorius, Eddie Leie, Pite van Biljon, Duanne Olivier, Ryan Rickelton, Sinethemba Qeshile (rookie), Simon Harmer, Calvin Savage, Alfred Mothoa.

NELSON MANDELA BAY GIANTS: Imran Tahir, Jason Roy (England), Chris Morris, Jon-Jon Smuts, Junior Dala, Christiaan Jonker, Aaron Phangiso, Ben Duckett (England), Sisanda Magala, Ryan McLaren, Heino Kuhn, Marco Marais, Dyllan Matthews (rookie), Lizaad Williams, Rudi Second, Carmi le Roux.

PAARL ROCKS: Faf du Plessis, Dwayne Bravo (Windies), Tabraiz Shamsi, Dane Paterson, Aiden Markram, Mangaliso Mosehle, Bjorn Fortuin, Vaughn van Jaarsveld, Grant Thomson, Paul Stirling (Ireland), Tshepo Moreki, Henry Davids, Cameron Delport , Eathan Bosch (rookie), Patrick Kruger, Kerwin Mungroo.

TSHWANE SPARTANS: AB de Villiers, Eoin Morgan (England), Lungi Ngidi, Robbie Frylinck, Jeewan Mendis (Sri Lanka), Theunis de Bruyn, Rory Kleinveldt, Sean Williams (Zimbabwe), Gihahn Cloete, Lutho Sipamla (rookie), Tony de Zorzi (rookie), Dean Elgar, Andrew Birch, Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe), Shaun von Berg, Eldred Hawken.

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MULTIPLY TITANS BOOK HOME SEMI-FINAL

A key half-century by Farhaan Behardien helped the Multiply Titans book a home semi-final and possible final after they edged out the Hollywoodbets Dolphins by 29 runs in their Momentum One-Day Cup clash at the City Oval in Pietermaritzburg on Sunday.

The Standard Bank Proteas batsman struck 88 (80 balls, 3 fours, 3 sixes) as the visitors recovered to reach 242 for eight after losing the toss and being put into bat first.

The hosts, however, let themselves down with some poor fielding that allowed the champions to score more runs than they should after they were reduced to 127 for five.

Mthokozesi Shezi picked up two for 39 and Imran Tahir bagged two for 40, although they could do little to prevent Behardien from shepherding the tail, which included stands of 55 with David Wiese (26) and 50 with Tabraiz Shamsi (15 not out).

The Dolphins made excellent progress early by reaching halfway at 134 for three thanks mainly to Sarel Erwee, who hit 76 (101 balls, 8 fours, 2 sixes).

However, they then fell to 163 for seven within 10 overs as Albie Morkel (2/30), Corbin Bosch (2/34) and Shamsi (2/53) took two wickets apiece.

Despite Khaya Zondo hitting 36 not out, he lacked support as the home side fell to a crippling loss that severely dented their hopes of hosting a semi-final.

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KNIGHTS WELCOME TITANS TO KIMBERLEY

VBK Knights coach Nicky Boje and his Multiply Titans counterpart Mark Boucher are both content with the starts their sides have made to the RAM SLAM T20 Challenge competition but know they face a tough battle when they clash in round two at the Diamond Oval in Kimberley on Wednesday.

Both were eight-wicket winners when the tournament began over the weekend, with the hosts winning away at the Warriors in Port Elizabeth thanks to half-centuries from captain Theunis de Bruyn and David Miller.

The visitors thumped the Highveld Lions in the second match of a double header in Centurion where their skipper, Albie Morkel, and AB de Villiers were the stars.

“I’m pleased with the way the first outing went, the way the guys bowled and fielded,” Boje said. “The two experienced players there with the bat came through well to take us to the win, so all in all, it was a satisfying way to start.”

The four mentioned names are all international quality players and with all the Proteas available for the competition this season, Boje knows they face a tough task in the Northern Cape.

“The Titans are a quality side with quality throughout their squad,” he added.

“They have plenty of big names, but it’s not about that at the end of the day. It’s how you play in the match that counts. We’ll be going out there trying to make sure we do our basics right in a competition that is looking great with all the internationals playing.”

Boucher, meanwhile, will have been satisfied to have started the white-ball part of the season with a victory.

The defending champions were the only side among the three opening round winners to have triumphed with a bonus point, but their demanding coach wants more.

“It was good to start with a win, but I still thought we were a little bit rusty,” he said. “I don’t think we bowled particularly well and I don’t think we fielded particularly well.

“Obviously we have a strong batting line-up and I think it made the game look a lot easier than it actually was. So there’s a lot of areas I feel we can improve on going into Wednesday.”

Nine of the 11 players that turned out for the Titans on Sunday have international experience and Boucher is pleased that so many Proteas are part of the competition this year.

“I think the Proteas playing is going to raise the standard of cricket because it’s going to give a lot of the domestic players an opportunity they rarely have, which is to test themselves and sort of judge themselves as to how good they really are when they are up against a Proteas bowler or batter,” he concluded.

The two-time defending champs are further bolstered by the return of Dale Steyn on Wednesday.

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TITANS WIN THE T20 CHALLENGE 2016

Multiply Titans claimed a second successive T20 title and denied Warriors a first trophy in seven seasons by defending 156, despite losing their captain Albie Morkel to a hamstring injury in their first over in the field. Lungi Ngidi and Junior Dala both conceded under seven runs an over but the hero was Malusi Siboto who defended 12 off the final over to secure a tense win.

A penultimate over that was boundary-less and cost Dala just six runs set the tone for Siboto’s heroics but they were not without drama. He sent down a slower ball first delivery, then a dot ball, and then only three singles to all but guarantee Titans the win. However, with what should have been the final ball, Siboto bowled a leg-side wide to leave open the prospect of a Super Over deciding the tournament. But he finished on target to leave Warriors wondering how they had left it to their seventh-wicket pair of Lesiba Ngoepe and Sisanda Magala needing to score 31 off 22 balls.

The enormity of the occasion – Warriors last played in a final in the 2010-11 season – seemed to overwhelm them but they showed glimpses of breaking their drought. They pulled Titans back from 105 for 3 to restrict them to a below-par score at altitude but none of their senior batsmen could anchor the chase.

Warriors reply began tentatively when Clyde Fortuin hit the ball straight to Aiden Markram at backward point but Titans’ joy soon turned to worry. Morkel grabbed at his hamstring in pain as the wicket fell and could not complete the over.

David Wiese took over the captaincy and bowled the next over from Morkel’s end, with equal success. He had the leading run-scorer in the competition, Jon-Jon Smuts, caught behind and Warriors were in early trouble. Their malaise could have deepened when Ngidi appealed for a catch against Colin Ingram, who had yet to score, but umpire Allahudien Paleker turned him down. Ingram only faced another eight deliveries before Ngidi had the last laugh and Titans took the Powerplay honours with Warriors on 44 for 3.

Colin Ackermann and Christiaan Jonker got them back on track with a clinical attack on the Titans change bowlers. They were particularly severe on left-arm wrist spinner Tabraiz Shamsi, whose first over cost 14, but he could have had both their wickets. After Ackermann hit Shamsi over the grass embankment for six, he skied another strike but Siboto put it down and conceded a run. Off the next ball, Jonker tried to flick and was caught by Junior Dala to put Titans back in it.

Ackermann shared in a 30-run fifth-wicket stand with Qaasim Adams, who is on loan from Titans and gave it to his old team with a feisty 17 off 16 balls. Before he could do any more damage, though, Shamsi removed him lbw with the last ball of his spell. The tale twisted even more when Ackermann holed out to Ngidi and all but ended Warriors’ challenge.

That would have come as relief to Titans, who should have scored more after their strong start. They put on 35 in the first four overs, which included two overs from Kyle Abbott who was selected ahead of the competition’s second-highest wicket-taker Andrew Birch, despite Birch’s 5 for 16 against the same opposition at the same ground in the group stage.

Warriors fought back when Basheeru Walters made the first breakthrough and two further blows left Titans 73 for 3 in the 10th over. Despite needing some firepower Titans did not send in their star batsman Farhaan Behardien immediately and tasked Heino Kuhn with partnering Morkel in the middle. Kuhn was run out in the 14th over, which sparked a mini-collapse. They lost three for 21, including Behardien, who was unable to provide a replay of his 14-ball fifty from the weekend, and Morkel, also run-out.

At 126 for 6, with 16 balls remaining, Titans were in danger of finishing well below par but Wiese took them to respectability. He plundered 16 runs in a 19-run final over that took Titans over 150 and, in the end, it proved enough.

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BEHARDIEN 55 TAKES TITANS INTO FINAL

Farhaan Behardien scored the fastest half-century in domestic 20 over history and the second quickest ever on South African soil as the Multiply Titans booked their ticket to the T20 Challenge final with a six-run win over the Warriors in a rain-affected fiver-over dash in East London on Sunday.

The Standard Bank Proteas batsman blazed 55 in a mere 15 balls (4 fours, 5 sixes) as the defending champions posted 80/2, before restricting their hosts to 74/2 in reply.

Rain had threatened to completely wash out proceedings at Buffalo Park in a match that was effectively a semi-final – the winner guaranteed top spot on the log and an automatic place in the final it would host next Friday.

But after the weather cleared enough for a five-over per side affair, the Warriors won the toss and chose to bowl first.

They kept things relatively quiet for the first two overs with the Titans on 11/2 at that stage. But Behardien then arrived and played a gem of an innings to put his side out of sight. His 50 was raised in only 14 balls, smashing the previous best domestic record of 19 balls, which was held by Martin van Jaarsveld, Albie Morkel, Andre Russell and Colin Ingram.

Jon-Jon Smuts and Sisanda Magala conceded 24 and 27 in their respective overs as the Titans were in complete control at the halfway stage.

Captain Smuts then hit 21 and Christiaan Jonker an unbeaten 26, but the scoreboard pressure and David Wiese’s outstanding fourth over, which went for only six, proved too much as they surrendered first position to the visitors.

The result meant the men from Eastern Cape dropped to second and must now play the bizhub Highveld Lions in a Qualifier in Port Elizabeth on Tuesday for the right to meet the Titans in Centurion for the title on Friday.

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VANDIAR, SIBOTO NEW ARRIVALS AT TITANS

Malusi Siboto and Jonathan Vandiar will wear the colours of The Unlimited Titans in the 2016/17 season.

The pair join from the VKB Knights and Sunfoil Dolphins respectively, while Daniel Sincuba also switches from KwaZulu-Natal to the Easterns Titans franchise.

Seam bowler Siboto, 28, has grown in leaps and bounds since his Knights debut in the 2011/12 season.

Despite a lengthy injury lay-off, the right-armer was a key part of the team for the Central Franchise last season. Siboto has over 150 first-class wickets and more than 100 in the limited-over formats. He will be joined by two former Dolphins players at the Titans.

One is batsman Jonathan Vandiar, who previously played in Gauteng with the bizhub Highveld Lions. The 26-year-old spent a few seasons at Sahara Stadium Kingsmead, but failed to stake a regular place in the team.

Sincuba, also a batsman, is a franchise cricket rookie having played seven matches for the Dolphins since his debut in 2014/15.

The Titans also boast the most number of nationally contracted player with six in total. They are Test and One-Day international captain AB De Villiers, T20 skipper Faf Du Plessis, Dean Elgar, Farhaan Behardien, Morne Morkel and Quinton De Kock.

Titans squad: Qaasim Adams, Junior Dala, Henry Davids, Morne Morkel, Heinrich Klaasen, Heino Kuhn, Farhaan Behardien, Aiden Markram, Dean Elgar, Grant Mokoena, Albie Morkel, Chris Morris, Lungi Ngidi, AB de Villiers, Tabraiz Shamzi, Malusi Siboto, Daniel Sincuba, Grant Thomson, Shaun von Berg, David Weise, Quinton de Kock, Rowan Richards, Jonathan Vandiar, Faf du Plessis.

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SACA CONGRATULATES DOMESTIC MVP WINNER DWAINE PRETORIUS

The South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) today congratulated Bizhub Highveld Lions all-rounder, Dwaine Pretorius, on winning its Most Valuable Player (MVP) title for his performances over the three domestic competitions in the 2015/16 season.  Pretorius finished on a total of 468, 282 points.

The SACA MVP is a cumulative points system that rewards franchise players for every run scored, wicket taken and catch held in the three franchise domestic competitions, and also takes into account the context of the match and in which the performances are achieved. Each of the CSA domestic competitions has a unique weighting for each discipline, dependant on what is considered more important in that format (for example strike rate and economy rate in the T20 format).

Following his remarkable start to the season, Pretorius’ hard work with bat and ball earned the Lion’s all-rounder a total of 641 runs and 60 wickets in all competitions. Despite picking up an injury half way through the season, Pretorius was a strong contender for the top spot throughout, and in the end, he took the overall MVP title, 31.929 points ahead of Sunfoil Dolphins left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj who finished second.

“The SACA MVP is something all of us franchise cricketers strive to win because it combines what you do with bat, ball and in the field in all three competitions.  It is recognised by players as a measure of consistency throughout the season.  I’m proud to have won this but must also give some credit to my Lions teammates in helping me to do it” said Dwaine Pretorius.

The SACA MVP rankings also focus on performances in each particular competition.  Bizhub Highveld Lions paceman, Hardus Viljoen clinched the top spot in the four day Sunfoil Series MVP rankings from team mate Pretorius, doing so in the Lions final match against the Warriors. Viljoen’s performance kept him in the running for the title as he held his position at the top of the ranking for five of the nine Sunfoil Series matches he played.  He finished the Sunfoil Series as the top wicket-taker with 47 wickets.

Alviro Petersen was a runaway winner of the Momentum One-Day Cup MVP award after a record-breaking season in which he scored 726 runs, an astonishing 31% of all his teams runs. His remarkable total included five centuries, four in consecutive matches, and was compiled at an equally remarkable strike rate of 100.13 runs per hundred balls. His was the outstanding contribution in the Lions’ successful Momentum One Day Cup campaign.

The Unlimited Titans T20 captain, Albie Morkel, started the RamSlam T20 with a bang and stayed within touching distance of the top spot throughout the tournament. Morkel’s steady flow of runs and wickets, as well as his captaining proficiency, saw him edge out the VKB Knights international star, Andre Russell, by just 0.92 points.

“I’d like to congratulation Dwaine on winning the overall SACA MVP,” said SACA chief executive, Tony Irish.  “To achieve the top spot a player has to perform for his franchise pretty much week in and week out throughout the season.”

“I would also like to congratulate Hardus, Alviro and Albie for leading the way in each of the domestic competitions.  There were some pretty impressive individual performances from a number of players this season and I think Heino Kuhn’s 1126 runs in the Sunfoil Series and Alviro Petersen’s five hundreds in the Momentum One Day Cup deserve special mention.  Well done also to the entire Titans squad for winning the Sunfoil Series and the RamSlam and to the Lions Squad for taking the Momentum One Day Cup.”

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PHEHLUKWAYO OUTPLAYS CENTURIONS IN CENTURION

A stunning six-wicket haul by Andile Phehlukwayo helped the Sunfoil Dolphins end their Momentum One-Day Cup campaign with a 34-run win over the Unlimited Titans at Sahara Stadium Kingsmead in Durban on Saturday.

The teenage star claimed 6/27 in a magical 8.4 overs, which also included two maidens, as the visitors were bowled out for 281 in pursuit of an imposing 316.

That target was built around a record 210-run stand between Khaya Zondo and Sarel Erwee, who both struck centuries. Erwee top-scored with his maiden List A ton, clocking up 113 (128 balls, 11 fours, 2 sixes), while Zondo thumped 100 (104 balls, 4 fours, 6 sixes) – his third century in the one-day format. Their partnership surpassed the previous best 179 second-wicket record for the Dolphins between Doug Watson and Wade Wingfield back in the 2004/05 season.

The pair set a perfect platform for their team-mates, but they slightly peeled off towards the end, finishing on 315/6. Junior Dala was the pick of the bowlers with 3/58.

The Titans’ chase never really got going as they lost wickets at regular intervals. A half century from top-scorer Dean Elgar (57) gave them outside hope, until they lost the Proteas opener and Qaasim Adams (38), both to Phehlukwayo, in quick succession to slump to 188/6. But Albie Morkel’s superb 52 (36 balls, 7 fours, 1 six) re-ignited their challenge, until he the big-hitting all-rounder eventually was dismissed with five overs to go.

With it went the hopes of the Titans as Phehlukwayo, whose figures were the second-best in franchise cricket for the home team, mopped up the tail to send the Dolphins up to fourth on the table with their set of 10 games completed. They also ended the visitors’ slim hopes of reaching the qualifier.

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MOSEHLE BLASTS TITANS TO RAM SLAM VICTORY

 Mangaliso Mosehle played his finest innings to date in one of the biggest matches of his career to help The Unlimited Titans lift the RAM SLAM T20 trophy in front of a full house home crowd at SuperSport Park. 

 

After the Sunfoil Dolphins had posted what looked to be a challenging 159 for five, Mosehle walked in at No. 3 and smashed seven sixes to score 87 from 39 balls. Although Mosehle and Henry Davids (35), with whom he put on 123 in 67 balls for the second wicket, fell to successive deliveries from Kyle Abbott, by that stage the game was won. With just 12 runs needed from 33 balls, Farhaan Behardien and Albie Morkel merely needed to keep their heads, which they did to record a seven-wicket win with 19 balls to spare. 

 

It was the first time since the 2011/12 season that the Titans had won the domestic Twenty20 competition, and it gave Rob Walter his third trophy since taking over as coach of the franchise at the start of the 2013/14 season. Given their dominance in the league phase, when they won eight games on the trot and finished 13 points clear at the top of the table, nobody could claim they were not deserved winners. One of the keys to their success has been the number of bases that they cover, and that was the case once again.

 

Albie Morkel was able to call on no fewer than eight bowling options, all of whom did a job as the Dolphins were strangled in the middle period of their innings. With runs hard to come by, Morne van Wyk (29), Jonathan Vandiar (26) and Kevin Pietersen all holed out as they tried to get the scoreboard going. A late blast from Dwayne Bravo and David Miller gave the visitors something to bowl at as they took 65 off the last six overs, with Bravo making 53 from 30 balls and Miller scoring 33. But that proved inadequate once Mosehle got going. While he has a List A century to his name as well as an unbeaten 93 in the shortest format, neither have come in such a pressure situation. As he went hard at the Dolphins, their bowlers had no answer, with Imran Tahir taking the worst punishment when Mosehle took 24 off his second over. That took the required rate below a run a ball, and the Titans eased home from there. Davids was named RAM Deliverer of the Day and Mosehle RAM Slammer of the day.

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WARRIORS SEEK MOMENTUM AGAINST DOMINANT TITANS

The Warriors face the stiff task of revitalising their RAM SLAM T20 campaign against the tournament’s standout side when they take on The Unlimited Titans in the second game of Saturday’s double-header at St. George’s Park.

The Warriors currently sit fifth on the table with 10 points, but are the only side who still have four games remaining – something that could be turned into an advantage if they can beat the Titans and generate some momentum.

“We know we’re up against a tough challenge, where three wins out of four games will give us an outside chance of qualifying for the play-offs, and four wins out of four would give us a good chance,” said captain, Colin Ingram.

“If we get on a good run and develop some momentum in the final league games, then we could take that into the knockouts as well. This next home game is key, because if we win it then playing three games in quick succession next week could suit us.”

Their task looks all the steeper for the fact that Colin Ackermann remains a doubt due to his quad strain, and Lundi Mbane may be unavailable due to a bereavement.

What’s more, they will be up against a team that is set on total domination – the Titans need just two wins from their final three games to guarantee a home final, but after winning their last six on the trot, they have their sights set even higher.

“We’ve obviously worked out what we need to get a home final but that’s not our main focus,” said captain, Albie Morkel. “We want to go through the rest of the competition without losing. It would be tough, but that’s our ambition.”

It’s no secret that the Warriors have been heavily reliant on Ackermann and Ingram for runs in the competition, and Morkel made it clear that the Titans will be out to exploit that.

“With any side that we face we try and identify their match-winners and take them out as early as possible. Those two have played some nice cricket this season, so if we can take them out early then the Warriors have a young bowling attack that we can target.”

Morkel added that the Titans were likely to travel with an unchanged squad for the game, which gets underway at 6pm tonight.

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COBRAS SPINNING RESOURCES PUT TO THE TEST

The Cape Cobras head into their crucial RAM SLAM T20 clash with The Unlimited Titans at PPC Newlands on Friday without their best two spinners after George Linde joined Robin Peterson on the injured list.

Linde fractured a finger on his bowling hand during the five-wicket win over the Dolphins on Sunday, and so the Cobras have called on Siya Simetu for their two upcoming games this weekend.

The Simetu was a regular fixture in the Cape Cobras side during the 2013/14 RAM SLAM, but did not feature at all last season and will need to adapt to the pace of the competition quickly.

The defending champions currently sit third with 12 points from five games, and will need to rein in the Titans after their bonus-point victory over the Dolphins on Wednesday put them top of the table with 21 points.

“This is a key game – we need to take some points off the Titans now that they’re top of the log. We need to make sure that we’re ticking,” said Cobras coach, Paul Adams.

“We haven’t had the perfect game yet, and that’s what the players are striving for. We keep presenting that in front of them and hopefully it comes as we get close to the end of the league phase.”

A big part of the Unlimited Titans’ success during their winning streak, which stretched to five games on Wednesday, has been their ability to think on their feet.

“We’ve played on some funny wickets so far – some turners and some up-and-down wickets – so we’ve had to adapt our bowling plans on the field and I think that’s one thing we’ve done well so far,” reflected Titans captain, Albie Morkel. “We’ve assessed the situations quite nicely.”

Lungi Ngidi missed Wednesday’s game because he was writing exams, but has joined the Titans squad for the game against the Cobras.

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MORRIS SENDS DOLPHINS PLUMMETING TO DEFEAT

Chris Morris  consigned the Sunfoil Dolphins to their lowest ever Twenty20 total as The Unlimited Titans shot to the top of the RAM SLAM T20 table with a comprehensive victory at Sahara Stadium Kingsmead.

 

The Titans looked to have fallen short of a good total when they were limited to 136 for nine on a slow Durban wicket, but Morris returned figures of 4 for 9 in three overs as the Dolphins were rolled for 70 to give the visitors a bonus point.

 

While the droughts around the country have led to drier pitches that have aided spin in the competition, that trend changed on Wednesday as the pacemen found a surface to their liking.

 

The short ball claimed a handful of victims on either side, while the yorker also proved a deadly weapon.

 

With most batsmen failing to deal with the change, Quinton de Kock’s 38 at the top of the Titans order made all the difference in the end, even with Ryan McLaren using the conditions wisely to bounce out Albie Morkel and york David Wiese and finish with figures of 3 for 28.

 

Six of the Titans top seven reached double figures without going any further, a statistic that appeared glum at the innings break but then looked like a luxury at the end of the game.

 

The Dolphins batting line-up had been powerful in the first half of the competition but there was a suspicion it was being held together by Kevin Pietersen, and so it proved in the first game after the Englishman’s departure.

 

David Miller (12) and Dwayne Bravo (27) were the only players to reach double figures, as Morris claimed two wickets up front and two later on.

 

With Morkel (2 for 14 in four overs) and Junior Dala (2 for 13 in 2.4 overs) also chipping in – the former using the short ball to good effect and the latter bowling fuller – the Dolphins were bowled out in just 15.4 overs, finishing short of their previous lowest total, which was the 82 they made against the Knights at the same venue last season.

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BEHARDIEN PUTS TITANS IN CHARGE

Farhaan Behardien’s brisk half-century guided The Unlimited Titans out of a sticky situation and took them to a 26-run victory over the Cape Cobras in Sunday’s RAM SLAM T20 clash at SuperSport Park.

Behardien smashed an unbeaten 61 from just 31 balls in an innings that stood head and shoulders above any other on the surface, allowing the Titans to post 173 for five.

Its quality became increasingly apparent as the Cobras failed to generate any momentum in their reply, which ultimately finished on 147 for six.

The victory left the Titans second on the table with eight points from three games, but it didn’t always look as though it would come as easily as the final margin suggested.

High on confidence after his heroics at the death against the Warriors in Paarl on Friday, Dane Paterson (3 for 31) grabbed the early wickets of Henry Davids and Grant Mokoena to leave the Titans 22 for two.

Behardien then saw the Titans slip to 74 for four just moments after he came to the crease, with Justin Ontong snuffing out a promising stand between Quinton de Kock (34) and Graeme van Buuren (27) when he removed both batsmen in the space of four deliveries.

Behardien put the innings back on track in a 52-run stand with Qaasim Adams (27 off 19 balls), and then made sure that it finished with a bang by taking 26 from the last two overs along with Albie Morkel.

The Titans opened the bowling with Graeme van Buuren in a move that paid off – the spinner allowed just two runs in his opening over and finished with none for 15 in four overs – but a key moment came when Chris Morris won his tussle with Richard Levi.

After being hit for four and then six by Levi, Morris had the last laugh when he ended the second over by having him caught.

Although Andrew Puttick (27) and Keegan Petersen (27) kept the innings ticking over, they weren’t able to inject the level of urgency required before Puttick was trapped lbw by Ruben Claassen.

Fresh from his exploits with Assupol TUKS in the Red Bull Campus Cricket World Finals, the 22-year-old off-spinner went on to grab the wicket of top-scorer Omphile Ramela (38) and finish with figures of 2 for 34 on his franchise debut.

With Albie Morkel and Morris also finishing with two wickets apiece and Van Buuren restricting the Cobras, the visitors’ chase petered out to leave them with just one win from their three matches to date.

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