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Moonsamy and Pretorius go big as Titans thrash Warriors

football02 March 2025 16:34| © MWP
By:Neil Manthorp
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Rivaldo Moonsamy and Lhuan-dre Pretorius scored astonishing centuries during an opening stand of 227 in just 23.1 overs to set up an eye-watering total of 440-5 and victory by 111 runs on the DLS method for the Multiply Momentum Titans against the Dafabet Warriors in their CSA One-Day Cup match at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Sunday.

Lightning and light rain forced the players from the field with the Warriors on 204-5 and when the players returned the Warriors required 159 to win from the remaining four overs leaving them to perform an exercise of rare futility, even by cricket’s standards.

They finished on 251-7 from 32 overs with CJ King clubbing an unbeaten 30 from 12 balls including four sixes.

A belligerent 94 from Matthew Breetzke, who faced just 72 balls striking 11 fours and two pulled sixes, added an air of normality to proceedings on a day full of the bizarre, including the Warriors’ choice to bowl first.

Both Titans openers enjoyed strike rates over 150 with Pretorius scything his way to 107 from a mere 69 balls while Moonsamy amassed 126 from only 83 balls with the former cutting, driving and sweeping his way to 11 fours and seven sixes while the latter struck 15 fours and six sixes.

Amazingly, Dewald Brevis actually increased the tempo against a completely shell-shocked bowling attack as he smashed a half a dozen fours and sixes during his 75 from 44 balls.

Captain Neil Brand wasn’t going to miss the party and belted an unbeaten 55 from only 34 balls with five fours and a pair of sixes.

SECOND-HIGHEST SCORE IN SA DOMESTIC 50-OVER CRICKET

Still the fireworks weren’t over with Sibs Makhanya making merry in the final overs with 46 not out from 22 balls with a solitary four but four sixes as the Warriors bowlers completely lost the plot.

Offspinner Jason Raubenheimer opened the bowling and his seven overs cost 51 runs, a run-rate of 7.28 making him comfortably the most economical of the six used.

Seamer Siya Plaatjie, meanwhile, bowled his first five overs at a cost of 71 and was given the dubious 'privilege' of bowling the final over of the innings to finish with 6-0-89-1.

He was not alone in his profligacy with Alfred Mothoa (8-0-89-1) and Andile Mokgakane (5-0-53-1) also conceding over 10 runs per over while Chris King (8-0-74-0) and captain Senuran Muthusamy (9-0-80-2) came close.

It was the second highest score ever posted in SA domestic 50-over cricket, just 13 runs behind the Titans own record of 453 scored against the NW Dragons two years ago – but that was off a full 50 overs.

The start of the match was delayed by an hour and reduced to 43 overs per side because of overnight rain and the home side seemed intent of making up for lost time from the first over.

It is perfectly reasonable to speculate that they might have scored 500 from a full allocation of overs.

The home side had won just one of their four matches before this bonus-point victory which moves them in to a share of fourth place and reignites their hopes of a playoff place.

TITANS: Lhuan-dre Pretorius (wkt), Rivaldo Moonsamy, Keegan Petersen, Neil Brand (captain), Dewald Brevis, Sibs Makhanya, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dayyaan Galiem, Matthew Boast, Roelof van der Merwe, Junior Dala

WARRIORS: Jordan Hermann, JP King, Matthew Breetzke, Sinethemba Qeshile (wkt), Patrick Kruger, Senuran Muthusamy (captain), Andile Mogakane, CJ King, Jason Raubenheimer, Siya Plaatjie, Alfred Mothoa

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