All for Markram, none for De Bruyn

First win for the Lions, Cobras the only team without a win after three rounds.

TELFORD VICE | Cape Town

AIDEN Markram and Theunis de Bruyn had the most contrasting experiences possible for the Titans against the Warriors in franchise first-class matches this week.

Sisanda Magala claimed the only five-wicket haul of the round for the Lions, whose victory over the Knights was sealed by a record stand by Joshua Richards and Dominic Hendricks.

Khaya Zondo scored a century for the Dolphins in their draw against the Cobras, which is now the only winless team in the competition.

Opener Markram scored 149 and 121 in Centurion, marking the first time in his first-class career of 69 matches that he has made centuries in both innings. He was the only Titans player to reach 50 in totals of 320 and 289. Teammate De Bruyn, who batted at Nos. 3 and 4, suffered his first pair in his 71st first-class game. Marco Jansen took match figures of 7/135 for the Warriors.

Yaseen Vallie’s 80, Sinethemba Qeshile’s 97 and half-centuries by Matthew Breetzke and Lesiba Ngoepe earned the Warriors a first-innings lead of 72. It chased 218 to win, and got there with three wickets standing thanks to Vallie’s 55 and sturdy 30s by Rudi Second and Ngoepe.

At the Wanderers, Magala took 6/60 in the Knights’ first innings of 300, in which no other bowler claimed more than two wickets. The Lions crashed to 47/5 in reply and were dismissed 98 runs behind with Mbulelo Budaza, Migael Pretorius and Gerald Coetzee sharing eight wickets.

Wiaan Mulder and Delano Potgieter claimed seven wickets between them in the Knights’ second innings of 235. That set the Lions a sizeable target of 334, which Richards and Hendricks — who scored nought and six in the first innings — whittled down patiently in their opening partnership of 256. Richards’ 136 was his first franchise century, and the partnership is the biggest for the first wicket for the Lions. The previous record, 226 by Stephen Cook and Reeza Hendricks against the Cobras in 2017/18, was set in Potchefstroom, a featherbed compared to the Wanderers’ lively surface. The Lions lost 4/33 after the openers were dismissed, but won by four wickets.

The Dolphins declared in both innings at Kingsmead, where Zondo made 105, Senuran Muthusamy 79 and Marques Ackerman 66 for the home side before the Cobras were dismissed 77 behind — Tony de Zorzi made 58 — with Muthusamy taking 4/58. Scores of 56 by each member of the Dolphins’ top order, Sarel Erwee, Muthusamy and Keegan Petersen, built the lead to 294 when the declaration came. The Cobras had slipped to 155/6 — key batter Zubayr Hamza fell first ball — when the draw was agreed. Muthusamy completed a solid allround performance by taking 4/56, giving him match figures of 8/114.

The Titans and the Knights have now won two matches each, while the Lions celebrated success for the first time. The Warriors is the only side to have lost two games, and the Cobras the only team with two draws.

First published by Cricbuzz.