Bad start for Titans in Ram Slam T20 series

The Unlimited Titans are the joint champions of the Momentum One-day Series and the current defending champions in the Sunfoil Four-day Series.

They were also the champions in the Ram Slam T20 Challenge two seasons ago, but last season they surrendered the title to the Highveld Lions.

If The Unlimited Titans, therefore, want to become the first team to write their name on all three of the major trophies in the same season in these local series, they will have to start pulling up their socks. The Ram Slam T20 Challenge started the past weekend with a feast of T20 cricket at Newlands in Cape Town, where all six South African franchises were in action. It formed part of the cricket festival in the Cape, which was organised to make up for the Capetonians’ loss after the Indian cricket tour was shortened, which resulted in them missing out on a test match.

The Titans were involved early on Sunday in the first game of the day, when they had the privilege to open the local T20 cricket season with their game against the Dolphins.

The Unlimited Titans captain, Henry Davids, won the toss and chose to field first. Initially it went very well with the Titans in the field. Wickets fell with regularity and at the end of the eighth innings, the fourth batsman of the Dolphins was already back at the pavilion, while the men from Durban only had 37 runs on the scoreboard.

Unfortunately it was the end of the success of The Unlimited Titans’ bowlers, because Vaughn van Jaarsveld (82 from 56 balls) and Kaya Zondo (41 from 33 balls) came together for a very useful and undefeated partnership of 117 runs from 72 balls. These two men maintained an average run rate of 9,75 per over and brought the Dolphins’ total to 154 runs when their 20 overs ran out.

To bat at a rate of 7,75 runs per over for victory was, on the face of it, not asking too much from The Unlimited Titans. After all, they had men like Davids, Jacques Rudolph, Heino Kuhn, Farhaan Behardien, Faf du Plessis, Albie Morkel and David Wiese in their line-up.

Unfortunately, most of these stars eventually failed and it was only Du Plessis (24 off 21 balls), Behardien (19 of 20 bales) and Wiese (42 from 24 balls) who could feel satisfied with their contribution. Thanks to excellent bowling by men like Kyle Abbott, Craig Alexander and Daryn Smit, The Unlimited Titans were indeed limited to just 146 runs in their 20 overs while they lost seven wickets in the process.

The Unlimited Titans must, therefore, wake up very quickly if they dream of playing in the final of this tournament in about a month’s time on 9 February. Their next game is this week (9 January) at SuperSport Park in Centurion.

Meanwhile, the Titans are at the bottom of the standings in the four-day Sunfoil Series after the first four games were completed. The champion team in this series is not determined at the end with a semi-final and a final. The team with the most league points after a double round robin will be the winner. The Titans have much hard work ahead in the six games to come if they want to defend the title successfully. This series will continue directly after the completion of the Ram Slam T20 Challenge in February and the last game will be played between the Titans and the Warriors between 3 and 6 April in Centurion.