Rain, bad light stifles Titans’ victory charge in Benoni
A defiant half-century by the Warriors’ Yaseen Vallie followed by some bad light and heavy rain helped the Eastern Cape team escape with a draw from their four-day Sunfoil Series clash against the Multiply Titans at Sahara Park Willowmoore on October 10.
The right-hander struck 55 (102 balls, three fours and a six) and was still there when the players were forced off due to bad light.
The rain then arrived with the hosts needing three wickets for victory in the final 34 overs.
They had slipped to 141/7 in pursuit of a 281-victory target after the Titans had earlier declared their second batting innings on 220/6.
The Titans scored 321 in their first batting innings (mostly thanks to an excellent 133 runs from skipper Heinrich Klaasen) followed by the Warriors’ 261 in their first batting innings.
The result meant that both sides had drawn their opening three fixtures with round four due to begin on October 17.
The Titans will undoubtedly be thinking about what may have been after they made all the early moves on day four.
They started off the day on 97/2 but were troubled initially after Protea star AB de Villiers (32) and rising star Heinrich Klaasen (23) fell without adding to their overnight scores.
Another Protea, Farhaan Behardien, scored briskly with an unbeaten 59 (75 balls, eight fours and a six) and Henry Davids (45 off 69 balls) was equally aggressive allowing the Titans to end their innings with well over 70 overs to bowl.
Warriors’ spinner Simon Harmer took 4/84 to finish with eight wickets in the match.
The Titans’ Migael Pretorius (3/30) landed a double blow to the Warriors by dismissing Eddie Moore and Colin Ackermann, both for ducks, at the start of the second over, before Gihahn Cloete’s 30 led a mini recovery.
Alfred Mothoa (2/10) sparked a collapse that saw the visitors fall from 50/2 to 91/6.
Vallie and Sisanda Magala (29) fought bravely in a 50-run stand but the latter fell with what turned out to be the final delivery.
The players then went off shortly after tea and never returned, leaving the match to end in a draw.
The Titans gained the most in terms of points among all the domestic sides in the Sunfoil Series and moved up to the top of the table.
AB de Villiers
All eyes were on the former Protea captain as he made his first return to long format cricket for the first time since the home test against England in January last year.
He began with a run-a-ball five runs in the Titans’ first and a rapid 32 runs from 27 deliveries (five fours) to help the Titans rack up runs quickly in their bid to push for a result.
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