The first three matches of the 2021 Momentum One-Day Cup in Pool A has brought the spotlight back to entertaining cricket amid the current Covid-19 pandemic. The Hollywoodbets Dolphins have been Pool A’s outstanding team thus far, racking up two wins from two against the VKB Knights and the Multiply Titans. The Dolphins opened their campaign with a 76-run win against the Titans on Saturday, 9 January. The next day (Sunday, 10 January), they dispatched the Knights by 53 runs.
The Dolphins are also the defending Momentum One-Day Cup champions and have rightly shown why they are the top dogs with clinical performances. Both matches gave a poignant illustration of the depth in bowling and batting at the KZN franchise. Grant Roelofsen has been a shining light in the opener slot on the batting front, hitting 157 runs with two half-centuries and a top score of 92.
An average of 78.5 and strike rate of 92.35 illustrates his form. The next four batsmen in the leading run-scorer stakes are all Dolphins players, which showcases their dominance. The Dolphins’ Proteas players, Andile Phelukwayo, David Miller and Senuran Muthusamy, all scored fifties, while the experienced and wily Robbie Frylinck showed his class with the ball. Much of the Dolphins’ success lies in their all-rounder ability with Muthusamy, Phehlukwayo and Frylinck all capable with bat and ball.
Throw in the bowling talents of Ottniel Baartman and you have quite a line-up to contend with. The Titans and Knights have not been poor, but a lack of match experience and rustiness contributed to their early defeats. All is not doom and gloom for both teams (who had their match on Monday abandoned due to rain), though.
The Titans play the Dolphins in a must-win encounter for the Pretoria side today (Thursday, 14 January). The Titans can look to the Proteas seamer, Kyle Abbott, for a bit of magic and the livewire, Thando Ntini, to provide a spark. Tabraiz Shamsi could also be another factor on a slow Senwes Park surface.
Above all, the Titans will need their batsmen to fire. Theunis de Bruyn, Diego Rosier and Grant Thomson have the quality but will need to prove it out in the middle where it counts.
Remaining pool B fixtures: Thursday, 14 Jan: Hollywoodbets Dolphins vs Momentum Multiply Titans Friday, 15 Jan: Momentum Multiply Titans vs VKB Knights Saturday, 16 Jan: VKB Knights vs Hollywoodbets Dolphins •Pool A will see three other teams (Lions, Warriors and Cobras) battle it out from 22 to 30 January. 
