Parsons’ undefeated 81 leads Dolphins to victory

A superb undefeated 81 from player of the match Bryce Parsons helped the Hollywoodbets Dolphins to their first win of the CSA One-Day Cup when they beat the DP World Lions by six wickets at Kingsmead in Durban on Wednesday night.

Needing 184 for victory in 43 overs – the reduced overs due to a late start because of heavy overnight rain – the Dolphins were initially indebted to Jon-Jon Smuts, whose aggressive 52 in 57 balls set up the chase. Smuts struck three fours and two magnificent blows for six in his innings, ensuring that his team were always well ahead of the run-rate.

But when he was out, bowled by Bjorn Fortuin after he and Parsons had added 79 for the second wicket, the Dolphins briefly faltered with Jason Smith leg before to Fortuin for four and Khaya Zondo recklessly run out for five in 25 balls. At this stage, the scene was set for a possible choke. Fortuin was excellent during this period with figures of 2-16 in his nine overs, but he bowled himself out in the middle overs and there was no-one else who could maintain the pressure like he could.

COOL AND CALM PARSONS AND DITHOLE

Parsons duly kept the coolest of heads, as did his partner, Tshepang Dithole, whose unbeaten 34 in 44 balls was a vital ingredient in their 75-run partnership to finish off the chase with 19 balls in hand. The left-handed Parsons finished with 81 in 94 balls, including six fours and a six, but also including many judiciously struck ones and twos that kept up the required momentum when it was most needed.

Earlier, Dolphins’ captain Prenelan Subrayen claimed 4-46 to help restrict the visitors to 183 for nine after he had won the toss and put the Lions in to bat on a moist, sticky pitch that made fluent scoring difficult.

The Lions, who started particularly slowly, reaching 27 in the first 11 overs, owed their final total to Delano Potgieter whose undefeated 56 in 54 balls (5x4s, 1x6) provided the late ballast that the innings required. It was his ninth List A 50 and was full of good sense and clinical execution.

Up the order, opener Reeza Hendricks went cheaply, losing his leg stump to a delivery from Okuhle Cele that nipped back. But Wandile Makwetu and Zubayr Hamza repaired the damage with a second-wicket partnership of 57 in 84 balls before Makwetu was bowled by Subrayen attempting to sweep.

Makwetu’s dismissal signalled a good spell for the Dolphins as the visitors lost five wickets for 27 runs with Tristan Luus particularly effective, conceding only 17 runs in his nine overs in exchange for the scalp of Richard Seletswane, on debut, for a duck.

Aside from Seletswane, Mitchell van Buuren and Conner Esterhuizen also fell cheaply and it was Potgieter – helped by cameos from Fortuin and Nqaba Peter – who enabled the Lions to reach a reasonably challenging total.

HOLLYWOODBETS DOLPHINS: Sarel Erwee, Jon-Jon Smuts, Bryce Parsons, Jason Smith, Khaya Zondo, Tshepang Dithole (wk), Eathan Bosch, Andile Simelane, Prenelan Subrayen (capt), Tristan Luus, Okuhle Cele

DP WORLD LIONS: Wandile Makwetu, Reeza Hendricks, Zubayr Hamza, Mitchell van Buuren, Richard Seletswane, Connor Esterhuizen (wk), Delano Potgieter, Bjorn Fortuin (capt), Codi Yusuf, Nqaba Peter, Zack Momberg.