Lion-Cachet helps Titans set Tuskers tricky 152 to win T20

An impressive first T20 half century from young Keagan Lion-Cachet was key in helping the Momentum Multiply Titans reach 151/7 batting first in their CSA T20 Challenge match against the Moothee Ram Tuskers at the Pietermaritzburg Oval on Wednesday afternoon.

Lion-Cachet was almost man alone, as he benefited from an early drop to power his way to 54 off 35 balls (6x4; 2x6), to get his team to a defendable total.

But the hosts will be fairly happy with their work as well, with veteran Wayne Parnell leading the bowling effort, picking up 3/28 in his four overs, while he was well backed up by Ziyaad Abrahams, 2/30.

At the start of play the Titans won the toss and chose to bat, but their innings got 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 Hardus Viljoen to Andile 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 Ntando Zuma, and was followed shortly by Neil Brand (1), who clipped Abrahams first ball straight to Jack Lees at deep square leg.

It got worse for the visitors in the seventh over, Sibonelo Makhanya (17) popping Sean Whitehead straight to captain Michael 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 in the end.

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 (2), 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.

Duan Jansen (13no) and captain Roelof 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