Titans secure home semi in Momentum One-Day tournament
With good victories over the Knights and Dolphins respectively, the Titans have qualified for a home semi-final in the Momentum One-Day championship.
The Titans are one step closer to a second title in the current domestic cricket season after two glorious victories in the Momentum One-Day series this past weekend, which ensured them a home semi-final in Centurion.
Albie Morkel and his men semented their position at the top of the tournament’s log when they first beat the Knights by 95 runs in Kimberley on Friday after which they defeated the Dolphins by 29 runs on Sunday in Pietermaritzburg.
The men in light blue, the reigning champions in the competition, will complete their league commitments on Friday in Centurion with a home game against the Dolphins. However, they have already made sure they will finish at the top of the log, as their closest opponent, the Cape Cobras, is currently six points behind them and also has only one league match left to play.
A maiden career century by Tony de Zorzi set the Titans on their way to yet another bonus-point win as they trounced the Knights on Friday evening in Kimberley.
The young left-hander struck 103 off 128 balls as the visitors amassed 309 for eight, before another rookie, debutant Gregory Mahlokwana, took three for 41 as the hosts were bundled out for 214.
On Sunday Farhaan Behardien carried the Titans to a match winning total and to a home semi-final as they beat the Dolphins by 29 runs at the Pietermaritzburg Oval.
The visitors had been sent in to bat and Behardien rescued them from a middle-order slump that saw them slide to 127 for five. His 88 off 80 balls took them to 242 for eight in their 50 overs.
It was a great innings by Behardien, who has plenty of experience in batting in such situations and showed his cool temperament and tremendous skills in collecting three fours and three sixes on a pitch that was not conducive to stroke play. He batted from the 22nd over to the last.
The Dolphins then contrived to fritter away a winning position, being bowled out for 213 in the 48th over, with seamers Corbin Bosch and Albie Morkel, and spinner Tabraiz Shamsi taking two wickets apiece.
Bosch (9-1-34-2) and Morkel (6-1-30-2) were both excellent with the ball, but it was a good all-round effort by the tidy Titans bowlers.
There will be debates in the Dolphins camp over how they managed to mess up the run-chase after they were 117 for two after 21 overs, but credit must be given to the Titans bowlers for sticking to their plans well and for the team in general for their fielding, which was far more assured than that of their hosts.
With the Cape Cobras also losing to the Knights, who recorded their first win, in Bloemfontein on Sunday, the Titans are now sure to finish top of the log and will host a semi-final on January 30th.
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