Momentum One Day Cup | the Unlimited Titans v Sunfoil Dolphins |SuperSport Park | Wednesday 21 October | 14:00
For the second week in a row, the Sunfoil Dolphins will be involved in a midweek fixture. This week sees them make the journey north to Pretoria, to take on a resurgent Titans outfit.
The hosts bounced back from their opening round loss to the Warriors, by defeating the Highveld Lions by eight wickets last Sunday.
With both sides in relatively good nick, this game promises to be an intriguing encounter.
To Win Match
Titans 6/10
Draw 35/1
Dolphins 13/10
Titans
The Titans bounced back from their narrow opening day defeat with an impressive eight-wicket win over the Lions. Having restricted the Lions to a total of 271, the Titans openers set about chasing their opponents score down. While Mangaliso Mosehle struggled to get to grips with the Lions opening bowlers, his opening partner and skipper, Henry Davids, was having no such problems. Davids would eventually go on to finish the innings on a 101 not out. He was ably supported by his number three batsman, Heino Kuhn, who also scored a ton. The duo’s second wicket stand of 183 came off only 145 balls. They were both in devastating form and dispatched the dejected Lions bowlers to all parts of the ground. Kuhn would eventually be dismissed, but his 119 run innings would be the catalyst for the Titans victory.
The Titans are going to need Kuhn and Davids to replicate their previous innings if they are to have a chance against the men from Kwa-Zulu Natal. They will also need more from their bowling attack, who despite restricting the Lions to a modest total, still weren’t at their best. The two key men in the Titans attack are Albie Morkel and Marchant de Lange. Both men recently returned from the Proteas tour of India and will be looking to get rid of the Dolphins top four as soon as possible.
Dolphins
The Dolphins bounced back from their disappointing 42 run defeat to the Warriors by beating the Lions by four wickets last Friday. Having been set a modest total of 221 runs to chase down, the Dolphins new look opening pair of Vaughn van Jaarsveld and Cameron Delport strolled out to the middle. They put on a solid first wicket stand of 67 before Delport was dismissed. Vaughn van Jaarsveld was to join his partner in the pavilion five overs later. Van Jaarsveld’s dismissal left the Dolphins requiring 134 runs for victory. Up stepped, Cody Chetty. The Dolphins youngster put in a batting performance well beyond his tender years. He eventually finished the innings on 86 not out and helped guide his side to a vital four-wicket win.
It will be interesting to see if Klusener sticks with Van Jaarsveld at the top of the order. The Dolphins left-hander has been in fantastic nick with the bat, but you have to wonder if adding the experienced Morne van Wyk to the Dolphins top four wouldn’t make them more formidable. The veteran, wicket keeper-batsman has struggled to find any form with the bat this season, but he is still capable of producing a match winning innings when called upon.
Venue
Centurion contains one of the quicker pitches in South Africa and offer’s assistance to both the quick bowlers, as well as the batsmen. Another aspect of the ground that works in the favour of the batsmen is its lightning quick outfield.
The South African weather bureau is predicting partly cloudy skies for Wednesday’s game, as well as a slight chance of rain between four o’clock and five o’clock.
Verdict: Dolphins 13/10
Both sides will be desperate to get another win under their belts, but I think it will be the Dolphins who are left to bask in victory at SuperSport Park.
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