Titans lose to Knights

Although several factors have hampered their task, The Unlimited Titans can only blame themselves for not taking second place on the log after their first round in the Ram Slam T20 Challenge. After losing with seven wickets against the Knights last Sunday at SuperSport Park in Centurion, the Titans are now in an awkward third place, with the Dolphins on their heels. The men from Durban also have played one less match than the Titans.

The Unlimited Titans started their weekend on a positive note when they beat the Highveld Lions by 10 runs in Potchefstroom last Friday. It was the first time this season that the team’s bowlers really did their part to ensure victory. Although the 158 runs wracked up were impressive, the Lions have an experienced batting line-up whose men were certainly able to chase this target.

With Roelof van der Merwe and a very economical Morné Morkel again at the forefront, the Titans bowlers succeeded in restraining the Lions’ run rate. Finally, after 20 overs, they lacked just 11 runs for a victory.

After their performance against the Highveld Lions, The Unlimited Titans entered Sunday’s game in Centurion against the Knights as the number two team on the log. They had the chance to strengthen their position on the log, but the Free Staters had other plans.

A big factor in Sunday’s game was the fact that the Knights’ captain, Johan van der Wath, won the toss and sent the Titans in to bat first. The game started at 15:30 in bright sunshine, but rain came down all morning in Centurion and the weather only brightened up a few hours before the start of the match. This meant that there was probably still was some moisture on the pitch when the Titans’ opening batsmen had to face fast bowlers like Ryan McLaren and Malusi Siboto. The latter achieved his best ever bowling figures in T20 cricket when he took four wickets for only 19 runs in four overs.

The Titans were in trouble early on when the first four wickets fell before they managed to get 50 runs on the scoreboard. It was only when Albie Morkel and Farhaan Behardien came together that the Titans’ innings started to gain momentum. These two men built a partnership of 87 runs from only 44 balls, with Morkel’s knock of 66 runs from 32 balls delighting the home crowd. His total included seven sixes.

Unfortunately, there was a dramatic collapse at the end of the Titans’ innings. They ended up with about 20 runs too little for the bowlers to have a realistic chance of defending the score. With Dean Elgar (66) and Pite van Biljon (61) in great form, the Knights achieved the expected total comfortably, with seven balls remaining. The Titans travel to Cape Town this Wednesday for their next match against the Cape Cobras.