Titans just two wins away from the T20 semis

The Unlimited Titans are two wins away from a place in the semi-finals of the T20 Ram Slam Challenge. This comes after their convincing victory over the Highveld Lions last weekend in Benoni. Henry Davids and his men also very nearly succeeded in getting their first bonus point of the tournament on Sunday, but they ended 15 runs short in the 16th over for this achievement to be realised.

The Lions can thank their lucky stars that their young batting sensation, Quinton de Kock, was brilliantly on form in the game.

Without his 70 runs from 50 balls the men from Johannesburg would have been humiliated. De Kock’s score made up almost half of his team’s total on the scoreboard.

With Saeed Ajmal (three wickets at a cost of 26 runs in four overs) and Morné Morkel (two wickets at a cost of 14 runs in four overs) at the forefront, The Unlimited Titans managed to bowl the Lions all out for just 142 runs.

This excellent bowling by the Titans’ bowlers created the opportunity for their batsmen to earn a bonus point for batting. They had to reach the target within 16 overs. In order to achieve this they had to bat at a rate of just less than nine runs per over. The opening batsmen, Henry Davids and Heino Kuhn, were well on their way to reach this target before one of the umpires controversially ended their partnership in the 10th over. Kuhn was given out for an lbw, although it was clear the ball hit his bat before it made contact with his pad.

To top it all, Kuhn was well on his way to his half-century. He eventually got 43 runs. The Unlimited Titans won the game comfortably and the four league points they earned have placed them in a position to control their own destiny in the competition, provided that the rain does not interfere and force one of their games to a draw. If they manage to win both of their last two games, they will qualify for the play-offs. The Titans stand a good chance of finishing. It is possible that they finish at the top of the log. The Unlimited Titans play their last league match at their home ground in Centurion on Wednesday, 29 January after which they will travel to Kimberley to face the Knights on Sunday.