Smith, Viljoen clinch win for Dolphins over Knights

By the end of his innings he could barely walk as cramp attacked him, but Hanu Viljoen has loads of mental fortitude and he duly stayed with it and helped fashion a five-wicket victory for the Hollywoodbets Dolphins in their CSA One-Day Cup match against the Knights at Kingsmead in Durban on Friday night.

Set 197 to win by the Knights, the Dolphins struck a series of own goals in the opening overs with Jon-Jon Smuts (top-edging a risky sweep), Bryce Parsons (slogging to mid-on) and Tshepang Dithole (tamely driving to mid-off after a promising start) all perishing by their own hand.

And when Khaya Zondo, struggling for form, was snapped up by Dom Hendricks behind the stumps for eight, the Dolphins had slumped to 60 for four and were all set to implode, not for the first time this season.

Up stepped 23-year-old Hanu Viljoen from Pretoria High School and the more experienced Jason Smith.

Viljoen, fresh from his 74 off 63 balls against Western Province, played himself in, happily playing second fiddle to Smith as the pair began to repair the damage and gradually move towards their target.

Smith played beautifully, striking six fours and a six in his 96-ball 71, while Viljoen visibly grew in stature beside him.

Smith eventually fell to an over-ambitious pull after the pair had added 103 for the fifth wicket, but Viljoen, increasingly hit by cramp, was not to be denied and he and a calm Eathan Bosch took the home team to victory in the 47th over with the luxury of 22 balls to spare.

𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗨𝗟𝗧

The Hollywoodbets Dolphins have beaten the Knights by five wickets!!

Hanu Viljoen finishes on 64* while Jason Smith made a critical 71 earlier in the innings.

What a batting effort from the Dolphins to come back from 60/4 to win with 22 balls to spare! pic.twitter.com/cJSCrHTBA7

— Dolphins Cricket (@DolphinsCricket) March 7, 2025

It was appropriate that it was Viljoen who cover-drove Dane Piedt for six in the penultimate over and then calmly clipped the single that took the Dolphins to victory as he finished unbeaten on 64 in 92 balls, including six fours and a six.

For the Knights, Aaron Phangiso was always dangerous, claiming 2-32 in his 10 overs.

But, after bowling his spinners up front, with nine of the first 10 power-play overs assigned to them, the Knights rather ignored them as the Dolphins’ innings progressed through the middle phase.

Tiaan van Vuuren, who had earlier starred with the bat, also impressed with the ball with the paceman taking 2-39.

MINI-COLLAPSE

Earlier, the Knights began their innings agonisingly slowly after winning the toss and opting to bat first, but, thanks to a bright ninth-wicket partnership of 57 off 62 balls from Van Vuuren and Piedt, mustered a useful 196 all out on a difficult pitch.

Offspinner Prenelan Subrayen claimed 2-26 in his 10 overs, while pacemen Andile Simelane (2-35) Bosch (2-32) and Tristan Luus (3-52 thanks to an expensive last over) all kept the clamps on their opponents as the Knights’ batters struggled for fluency on a slow, sticky pitch that encouraged survival rather than free-scoring.

The Dolphins’ bowling effort was all the more meritorious after one of their key bowlers, Ottneil Baartman, pulled up with a leg injury after the first ball of his third over.

Nevertheless, a sensible 54 in 76 balls from Van Vuuren, helped by stout resistance from the tail, particularly Piedt (27* in 35 balls), enabled the Knights to build some momentum after their slow start.

The Knights have relied on Jacques Snyman for explosive starts and when he was out early, caught in the covers off Bosch, the visitors were caught on the wrong foot.

Hendricks and Lesego Senokwane, both attritional players, probably gave the Dolphins’ bowlers too much respect, crawling to 15 in the first powerplay with no boundaries – a record low in this competition.

They had added 45 in 85 balls when Senokwane was caught behind off Simelane, and Hendricks’s dismissal, playing on to Luus for 33 in 65 balls, signalled a mini-collapse in which three wickets fell for one run in eight balls.

Van Vuuren and Dian Forrester gradually repaired the innings with a partnership of 38 in 73 balls before Forrester was out to the first of two smart catches at slip by Zondo off the bowling of Subrayen.

Van Vuuren, helped by Piedt, then propelled the total towards 200 – a partial recovery but a total that proved insufficient thanks to the efforts of Smith and Viljoen.

HOLLYWOODBETS DOLPHINS: jon-jon smuts, tshepang dithole, bryce parsons, jason smiKhaya Zondo, Hanu Viljoen (wk), Eathan Bosch, Andile Simelane, Prenelan Subrayen (capt), Tristan Luus, Ottneil Baartman

ITEC KNIGHTS: Jacques Snyman, Lasego Senokwane, Dom Hendricks (wk), Dian Forrester, Tiaan van Vuuren, Patrick Botha, Seth Fledermaus, Aaron Phangiso, Matthew Pollard, Dane Piedt (capt), Malusi Siboto