Rain, lightning force abandonment of Titans-Dolphins clash

Torrential rain and lightning forced the abandonment of the CSA One-Day Cup clash between the Momentum Multiply Titans and the Hollywoodbets Dolphins at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Sunday.

It was an unfortunate “No Result” for both teams who lie at the bottom end of the table after two defeats in their first two matches.

There was only time for one completed innings with the Dolphins compiling 305 all out in 48.2 overs after Titans' skipper Niel Brand put the visitors in to bat after winning the toss.

The Titans’ openers, Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Rivaldo Moonsamy, had reached 15 without loss in 2.3 overs before the umpires took the players off because of the threat of lightning. The rain then followed.

The Dolphins’ innings was boosted by half-centuries from Jon-Jon Smuts and Jason Smith, as well as a late cameo of 47 in 32 balls from Eathan Bosch.

The Durban-based franchise began steadily on a good batting strip that offered a little early assistance for the seamers. Sarel Erwee lagged behind his partner, Smuts, who was by far the more aggressive of the two batters. Indeed, Erwee scored only 22 of the pair’s opening stand of 81 in 14 overs before the left-hander was caught on the square-leg boundary attempting to clip Junior Dala over the fence.

Smuts, who struck the ball with great power in his innings of 71 in 61 balls, including 10 fours and two sixes, was the next to go, mistiming a pull off the Titans’ best bowler, paceman Matthew Boast, to Junior Dale at mid-on. It was Smuts’s 34th half-century – to go with nine centuries – in his 162nd List A match, an indication of his honoured veteran status.

Boast, who claimed 3/33 in his 10 overs, bowled an immaculate line and length and he helped clean up the tail with the well-deserved scalps of Prenelan Subrayen and debutant Tristan Luus at the end of the innings.

Bryce Parsons and Jason Smith maintained a rate of about six to the over in their third-wicket stand of 60 with Parsons going for 38 in 37 balls before he top-edged a pull off paceman Dayyaan Galiem to wicketkeeper Pretorius who took the catch running backwards.

Each of the top seven Dolphins’ batters scored more than 20, albeit with three scoring 22 without going on to build a bigger score. Smith was the only other batter apart from Smuts to reach fifty – in 58 balls – before he drove another veteran, left-arm spinner Roelof van der Merwe, to long-off.

It was down to Bosch, however, to drive the Dolphins past the 300 mark with a delightful 47 off just 32 balls – including three fours and two sixes – before he was run out trying to keep the strike in the 49th over.

Dala also claimed three wickets, but was far more expensive than Boast, conceding 71 runs in his 10 overs.