Titans edge Tuskers in entertaining opening CSA T20

The Momentum Multiply Titans held on for an exciting nine run win over the Moothee Ram Tuskers in an entertaining back and forth opening CSA T20 Challenge match at the Pietermaritzburg Oval on Wednesday afternoon.

Both teams struggled initially with the bat before brilliant contributions from Keagan Lion-Cachet, 54 off 35 balls (6x4; 2x6), helped the Titans reach 151/7 in their 20 overs, while the Tuskers were dead and buried before Ntando Zuma, 43 off 33 (3x4; 2x6) and Hardus Viljoen, 32 off 12 (1x4; 4x6), gave them a great chance late in the game, before falling all out for 142.

But in the end it was the bowlers who ruled the roost, with captain Roelof van der Merwe, 2/12, Dayyaan Galiem, 2/17, and Neil Brand, 2/25, starring for the Titans, while veteran Wayne Parnell, 3/28, and Ziyaad Abrahams, 2/30, were the key wicket takers for the Tuskers.

After being set 152 to win it was a disastrous start to the chase for the Tuskers, as Brand claimed a double wicket maiden in the second over, having Jack Lees (1) caught at backward point, and bowled Andile Magakane for a third ball duck, with the score 3/2.

Galiem then got in on the action in the fifth over, splattering Kagiso Rapulana’s middle stump as they slipped to 17/3.

Michael Erlank (7) was next out, bowled by Tabraiz Shamsi, and he was followed by Chad Laycock (13), trapped LBW by Van Der Merwe in the eighth, leaving them in massive strife on 37/5.

Parnell (19) and Zuma tried to fight back with a battling 25-run stand off 33 balls, but when Parnell fell, mis-hitting Junior Dala to Duan Jansen at short mid wicket, the game looked to be done with the score 62/6.

But enter Viljoen who proceeded to dispatch the Titans bowlers to all parts, along with Zuma upping the rate as well, as he struck two sixes off Dala, as 17 came off the 14th, while Viljoen launched three sixes off Jansen’s 16th as 26 came off it, powering them past 100 and back into the match.

Dala however, after being clubbed for six over long on by Viljoen, importantly got him out next ball, skying the ball to Galiem at mid off, with the score 113/7 in the 17th.

Zuma batted on, taking the game into the last over with them needing 15 to win, but was then last man out caught at long on by Jansen off Galiem to end an entertaining match.

At the start of play the Titans won the toss and chose to bat, and were grateful for an impressive first T20 half century from young Lion-Cachet that helped them reach a defendable score.

This despite their innings getting off to a poor start as they lost three early wickets in consecutive overs to see them slip to 28/3 at the start of the fifth over.

Opener Steve Stolk (9) struck a couple of nice fours, but was first to fall, skying Viljoen to Mogakane at midwicket in the third over.

Andile Phehlukwayo (16), surprisingly sent in to open, was out next, after Parnell cramped him with a ball and he feathered an edge to keeper Zuma, and was followed shortly by Brand (1), who clipped Abrahams first ball straight to Lees at deep square leg.

It got worse for the visitors in the seventh over, Sibonelo Makhanya (17) popping Sean Whitehead straight to captain Erlank at cover for an easy catch, leaving them in trouble on 48/4.

An action packed eighth over from Parnell then saw new batter Lion-Cachet bring up the Titans 50 with a boundary, before he was dropped on four by Viljoen at long on, which proved to be a very costly drop.

It allowed Letabo Phahlamohlaka (22) and Lion-Cachet to revive the innings with a slow, but important 44-run partnership off 43 balls as they set a platform for their team to fire from down the back end.

Phahlamohlaka fell in the 14th over, hitting Parnell straight to Mogakane at mid off, leaving them on 92/5.

That seemed to be the signal for Lion-Cachet to unleash in the 15th, with him on 22 off 21 at that stage, he then cracked back to back fours off Whitehead as 12 came off the over, followed by back to back sixes over deep square leg off Daryn Dupavillon’s 16th as 14 came off it.

A good 17th over from Abrahams saw just four off it and the back of Dayyaan Galiem (4), with Lion-Cachet reaching his fifty in the next with back to back boundaries off Parnell, before the bowler got his revenge, having him caught at deep square leg by Whitehead.

Jansen (13no) and Van Der Merwe (8no) then combined to add 20 to get their side over 150 over the final few overs.

MOOTHEE RAM TUSKERS: Kagiso Rapulana, Jack Lees, Andile Mogakane, Chad Laycock, Michael Erlank (capt), Wayne Parnell, Ntando Zuma (wk), Hardus Viljoen, Sean Whitehead, Daryn Dupavillon, Ziyaad Abarahams

MOMENTUM MULTIPLY TITANS: Steve Stolk, Andile Phehlukwayo, Neil Brand, Keegan Lion-Cachet (wk), Lethabo Phahlamohlaka, Sibonelo Makhanya, Dayyaan Galiem, Duan Jansen, Roelof van der Merwe (capt), Junior Dala, Tabraiz Shamsi