JOHANNESBURG - The Dolphins, still beaming after their Friday night exploits against the Lions, will go again on Sunday morning, as they look to build on their unbeaten start to the Momentum One-Day Cup.
The opponents in their way today are the Cobras, and the men from the Cape are still smarting from a frightful hiding under their own mountain. While the Dolphins were wrestling with the Lions, the Cobras were being massacred by the Titans, who spanked 400 shades of grim into Ashwell Prince’s charges.
Even by the sizzling standards already set in this year’s competition, where caution has well and truly been thrown to the dogs, the Titans outdid themselves, as both Jonathan Vandiar and Henry Davids made merry at Newlands.
The win was a formality, of course, but the margin – 158 runs – would have stung the Cobras just as much as the runs conceded. All sorts of records tumbled at Newlands, and the Cobras will just be relieved that they don’t have to face their own fans on Sunday, as they take in the serenity of Maritzburg instead.
The Dolphins, naturally, will hope to stick the knife a little deeper, and they will have good reason to be confident of doing just that. Friday’s win over the Lions was achieved with precious little from the top-order.
The Dolphins slipped to 48 for four, and had to rely on young Sibonelo Makhanya and skipper Khaya Zondo’s staunch fightback to get a foothold in the match. Makhanya finally revealed his full range, with some high-quality strokes, and a refreshing relish for the bright lights.
Zondo, watching on with pride at the other end, cajoled him along, happy to play the supporting role. The Dolphins have lost the services of Keshav Maharaj to national duty, but they will expect others to step up.
Maharaj, with a man of the match display on Friday night, will be hard to replace, given that his cameo with the bat also played a key role in the Dolphins’ first victory. However, in Prenelan Subrayen, the home side has a man who enjoyed success on his last outing in Maritzburg, and also a man who is not afraid to let his willow do the talking.
The Cobras, with a decent spin attack, will hope Maritzburg plays as usual, but it is the rest of the attack that will be under scrutinty. Vernon Philander has also left the building, New Zealand bound, so it is up to the likes of Jason Smith to rise to the occasion.
The start that Richard Levi and Stiaan van Zyl also give the visitors will be key, and the Dolphins would do well to shackle the free-hitting Levi as soon as possible.
Up the road, in Pretoria, the hot and cold Titans have a derby on their hands, against the Lions. Both sides have already tasted defeat to the Dolphins, but the Titans come into the match on the back of their crazy gorge on runs in Cape Town.
To make matters worse, the Lions have also lost the services of Stephen Cook and Temba Bavuma, who was head and shoulders their best player in their defeat on Friday. These are testing times for the defending champions, and Geoff Toyana is looking for new heroes to emerge.
It is expected that Centurion will again produce a batting paradise, and the Titans will be hard to stop. The Lions, with Bjorn Fortuin and Aaron Phangiso holding the key, will have to succeed where the Cobras so dismally failed, and stem the flow of runs.
Fixtures:
Dolphins v Cobras
Titans v Lions